[7] Standardization and digitization: precious bookbindings and Tibetan book covers

Abstract: Bookbindings have a special position in research libraries and their special collections. They are part of the traditionally text-centred collections held by libraries, but they are also material objects. The most elaborate examples of this class of objects must be considered works of art in their own right; they are often preserved in museums. Images and exhibitions of bookbindings are popular, but their description in librarian contexts has hitherto been subordinate to that of the related volume and its provenance. Based on a corpus of around 60 medieval and early modern metal book bindings and a collection of about 100 Tibetan wooden book covers preserved in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, a DFG funded project aims at developing a modular standard for the art-historical description of these independent works of art. It will be suitable for library and museum collection contexts and adapted to the demands of online presentation and Linked Open Data.

The accompanying digitization of the artefacts is carried out in a camera-based workflow which is closely defined and documented. These images are complemented by stills and videos of microscopic details and the results of art-technological and scientific analysis. Models for their online presentation are being developed and recommendations will be formulated.

The poster will include digitized images from both project corpora, high-resolution detail views of medieval European treasure bindings and Asian book covers as well as graphs representing the art-technological primary research data. The peculiarities of the object classes and the challenges of their description will be explained in accompanying short texts.

Bio: Dr Claudia Fabian works in the Bavarian State Library, Munich, Germany since 1986. She has studied Classical and French Philology in the University of Munich and Paris (Sorbonne), has been head of alphabetical cataloguing until 1999, then became head of the Department of users’ Services, before being named head of the Department of Manuscripts and early and rare printed books in 2004, thus responsible for a worldwide famous heritage collection in times of digitization, online publishing of research information and important heritage exhibitions. She has been and is member of all relevant national groups within her area of responsibility, serves on the Committee of the Consortium of European Research Libraries since its beginnings, is member of the IFLA Rare books and manuscripts section and as member of the LIBER Board responsible for the LIBER forum on digital cultural heritage.