Vatican Library digitizes ancient manuscripts, makes them available for free

[NobleSavage]

One of the oldest libraries on the planet is digitizing its archive of ancient manuscripts — and they’re all available to view free of charge.

The Vatican Apostolic Library is undertaking an extensive digital preservation of its 82,000 document collection. Over the course of a few years, with the assistance of Japanese company NTT DATA, the library has catalogued nearly 4,500 manuscripts online — and it hopes to reach the 15,000 mark within the next four years.

Monsignor Cesare Pasini, Prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Library, called the project a “true effort in favour of the conservation and dissemination of knowledge at the service of culture throughout the world;” writing on the library’s site that the project could eventually lead to 40 million digitized pages and 43 petabytes worth of data.

The entire undertaking is expected to take at least 15 years and cost more than $63 million dollars — an effort the Vatican Library is attempting to support, in part, by crowdsourcing funding.

Interesting...

 

[Perspicuo]

Vatican

 

[BH]

I don't agree with Catholic theology but I give Pope Francis his due on some things. This is good.

 

[4321lynx]

As long as it is not censored before being digitized, either the individual texts or entire volumes. But perhaps that's too much to expect.

 

[rjh01]

This thread could do with some links like these
News http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...ized-manuscripts-now-available-online-n233196
The library http://digital.vatlib.it/en/

 

[NobleSavage]

^^My bad. I had intended to but forgot to add the links.

 

[jab]

does this include works (now or formerly) on the Index?