The successful transmediation of books and documents through digitization requires the synergetic partnership of many professional figures, that have what may sometimes appear as contrasting goals at heart. On one side, there are those who look after the physical objects and strive to preserve them for future generations, and on the other those involved in the digitization of the objects, the information that they contain, and the management of the digital data. These complementary activities are generally considered as separate and when the current literature addresses both fields, it does so strictly within technical reports and guidelines, concentrating on procedures and optimal workflow, standards, and technical metadata. In particular, more often than not, conservation is presented as ancillary to digitization, with the role of the conservator restricted to the preparation of items for scanning, with no input into the digital product, leading to misunderstanding and clashes of interests. Surveying a variety of projects and approaches to the challenging conservation-digitization balance and fostering a dialogue amongst practitioners, this book aims at demonstrating that a dialogue between apparently contrasting fields not only is possible, but it is in fact desirable and fruitful. Only through the synergetic collaboration of all people involved in the digitization process, conservators included, can cultural digital objects that represent more fully the original objects and their materiality be generated, encouraging and enabling new research and widening the horizons of scholarship.
Author(s): Alberto Campagnolo
Series: Development, Cultural Heritage, and Digital Humanities
Edition: 1
Publisher: Arc Humanities Press
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 316
Tags: Digitization
Front Cover
Front matter
Half-title
Series information
Title page
Copyright information
Table of contents
Illustrations
Body
Part One. Books as Objects and Their Digitization
Chapter 1. Understanding the Artifactual Value of Books
The Book as a Black Box
The Faceted Concept of the Artifactual Value of Books
The Physical Preservation of Books
The Concept of Intrinsic Value of Documents
The Qualities of Value
A Two-Level Value System for Primary Sources in Library and Archive Collections
A Framework for the Study of the Book as an Object
A Delicate Balance of Meaning and Use
Chapter 2. Conservation and Digitization: A Difficult Balance?
Losing Evidence
Evidence as Tangible Information beyond Texts
Modern Book Conservation and the Safeguard of Evidence
Conservation for Digitization
Digitization for Conservation
Transferring Untransferable Features
Part Two. Conservation and Digitization in Practice
Chapter 3. Conservation towards Large-Scale Digitization at the Vatican Library
A Pharaonic Endeavour: The Complete Digitization of the Manuscript Holdings
A Healthy Balance between Preservation and Use
The Digitization Process
Digitization for the Common Advantage of Scholars
Chapter 4. Large-Scale Digitization at The National Archives
Surrogate Production and Data Creation
Building Relationships between Conservation and the Digitization Team
Conservation for Digitization
Guidelines and “Flag-Up” Approach
Conservation Methodology
Condition Assessment
A Successful Model
Chapter 5. British Library/Qatar Foundation Partnership and the Digitization Project: A Case Study about Conservation Processes Within Mass Digitalization of Library Material
The Planning Phases
The Project’s Workflow
Location
Assessed by Date / Shelfmark
IOR Neg
Housing
Label
Binding Status
Binding Style
Covering Material
Fastening
Substrate
Media
Approximate Dimension
Foldout Capture / Number of Foldout / Foldout Dimension
Map Flattening Required
Maximum Opening Angle
Treatment Needed
Damage / Treatment
Estimated Time
Conservation Notes
Object Status
Treated by / Treatments Date / Treatment Time
Conservation Emergency
Pre-Return Assessment
Conclusions
Chapter 6. The Digitization of Medieval Western Manuscripts at Wellcome Collection
Curatorial Context
Digitization Workflow
The Pre-Digitization Survey
Post-Digitization Preservation and Conservation Work
Long-Term Preservation Program
Conservation Treatment Program
Research Potential
Conclusions
Acknowledgements
Chapter 7. Caring for the Object during Digitization of Written Heritage: The Strategy of the Herzog August Library Wolfenbuttel
Lessons from the Past: New Specifications
Development of Suitable Imaging Techniques
Assessing the Feasibility for Digitization
Technical Limits and Conservation Criteria in Digitization
Maximum Opening Angle
Hollow or Tight Back, Bands, and Joints
Information Loss on Narrow Gutters or Wavy Bookblock
Tooled Titles and Metal-Leaf Tooling
Fastenings
Inks and Colours
Extra Large Dimensions
Microbial Contamination
Ink Corrosion, Acidic Paper
Database Entry
Facts and Figures
Chapter 8. The Great Parchment Book Project
Historical Background
Physical Condition of the Great Parchment Book
The Great Parchment Book Project
Conclusions
Chapter 9. The Development of the Language of Bindings Thesaurus
LoB Workshops
Cultural Heritage Documentation
Free-Text and Structured Records in a Collection
CIDOC-CRM and Integration across Different Collections
Semantic Web and SKOS
Categorical Description
Development of LoB Hierarchies
Top Concepts
Hierarchies
LoB Records
URIs and Linked Open Data
Example of a Thesaurus Entry
Future Work
Examples of Use
Translation
Editorial Control
Acknowledgements
Chapter 10. Spectral Imaging to Aid Preservation and Conservation of Cultural Heritage
Conservation Spectral Imaging in Action
Spectral Imaging Utilized for Conservation Purposes
Summary
Chapter 11. Multispectral Imaging for Special Collection Materials
The Archimedes Palimpsest at the Walters Art Museum
Sinai Palimpsests in St. Catherine’s Monastery
The Syriac Galen Palimpsest at the Vatican Apostolic Library
Conservation’s Impact on Multispectral Imaging
Part Three. Conservators and Digitization Experts in Dialogue
Chapter 12. The Digitization of Manuscripts from the Point of View of a Book Conservator
Initiating the Manuscript Digitization Program
Successive Manuscript Digitization Projects
The Examination and Treatment of Manuscripts before Digitization
Incorporating Technical Information in the Online Catalogue
The Training of Conservators for Digitization Projects
Looking Forward to the Future of Digitization
Chapter 13. Implementing Advanced Digital Imaging Research in Cultural Heritage: Building Relationships between Conservators and Computational Imaging Scientists
Digital Imaging and Cultural Heritage: A Personal Journey
Advanced Digitization and Conservation
Case Study 1: The Great Parchment Book
Case Study 2: Best Practice in Multispectral Imaging
Encouraging Interdisciplinary Dialogue
Conclusion
Chapter 14. Coda: Concluding Thoughts on Digital Surrogates
Back matter
Bibliography
Index
