[Overview]
Libraries began putting (digital versions of) their treasures on the
web for the world to enjoy. The British Library was a pioneer in this
field. Several treasures were online in 1998, including Beowulf, known
as the first great English masterpiece. Beowulf is the earliest known
narrative poem in English, and one of the most famous works of
Anglo-Saxon poetry. The British Library holds the only known manuscript
of Beowulf, dated circa 1000. The poem itself is much older than the
manuscript - some historians believe it might have been written circa
750. Scholarly discussions on the date of creation and provenance of
the poem continue around the world, and researchers regularly require
access to the manuscript. Taking Beowulf out of its display case for
study not only raised conservation issues, it also made it unavailable
for the many visitors who were coming to the Library expecting to see
this literary treasure on display. The digitization of the manuscript
offered a solution to these problems, while providing new opportunities
for researchers and book lovers worldwide.
[In Depth (published in 1999)]
Libraries began using the web to make their treasures freely available
to the world.
Here is the story of Beowulf.
Beowulf is a treasure of the British Library. "It is an Old English
heroic epic poem of anonymous authorship. This work of Anglo-Saxon
literature dates to between the 8th and the 11th century, the only
surviving European manuscript dating to the early 11th century. At
3,183 lines, it is notable for its length." (excerpt from Wikipedia)
The manuscript was badly damaged by fire in 1731. 18th-century
transcripts mention hundreds of words and letters which were then
visible along the charred edges, and subsequently crumbled away over
the years. To halt this process, each leaf was mounted on a paper frame
in 1845.
Scholarly discussions on the date of creation and provenance of the
poem continue around the world, and researchers regularly require
access to the manuscript. Taking Beowulf out of its display case for
study not only raised conservation issues, it also made it unavailable
for the many visitors who were coming to the Library expecting to see
this literary treasure on display. Digitization of the manuscript
offered a solution to these problems, as well as providing new
opportunities for readers, and for the world to enjoy.
The Electronic Beowulf Project was launched as a huge database of
digital images of the Beowulf manuscript and related manuscripts and
printed texts. In 1998, the database included fiber-optic readings of
hidden letters and ultraviolet readings of erased text in the
manuscript; full electronic facsimiles of the 18th-century transcripts
of the manuscript; and selections from important 19th-century
collations, editions and translations. Major additions were planned,
such as images of contemporary manuscripts, and links with the Toronto
Dictionary of Old English Project and with the comprehensive
Anglo-Saxon bibliographies of the Old English Newsletter.
The project was developed in partnership with two leading experts,
Kevin Kiernan, from the University of Kentucky and Paul Szarmach, from
the Medieval Institute, Western Michigan University. Professor Kiernan
edited the electronic archive and produced a CD-ROM containing a number
of electronic images.
Brian Lang, chief executive of the British Library, explained in 1998:
"The Beowulf manuscript is a unique treasure and imposes on the Library
a responsibility to scholars throughout the world. Digital photography
offered for the first time the possibility of recording text concealed
by early repairs, and a less expensive and safer way of recording
readings under special light conditions. It also offers the prospect of
using image enhancement technology to settle doubtful readings in the
text. Network technology has facilitated direct collaboration with
American scholars and makes it possible for scholars around the world
to share in these discoveries. Curatorial and computing staff learned a
great deal which will inform any future programmes of digitization and
network service provision the Library may undertake, and our publishing
department is considering the publication of an electronic scholarly
edition of Beowulf. This work has not only advanced scholarship; it has
also captured the imagination of a wider public, engaging people
(through press reports and the availability over computer networks of
selected images and text) in the appreciation of one of the primary
artifacts of our shared cultural heritage." (excerpt from the 1998
website)
The British Library was a pioneer in Europe. Other treasures of the
library were already online: Magna Carta, the first English
constitutional text, signed in 1215, with the Great Seal of King John;
the Lindisfarne Gospels, dated 698; the Diamond Sutra, dated 868, which
could be the world's earliest print book; the Sforza Hours, dated
1490-1520, an outstanding Renaissance treasure; the Codex Arundel, a
notebook of Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), and the Tyndale New
Testament, the first English version of the New Testament, printed by
Peter Schoeffer, in Worms.
Brian King also stated the importance of the paper world, and the
ongoing commitment of the British Library to its paper collections. He
added: "The importance of digital materials will, however, increase. We
recognize that network infrastructure is at present most strongly
developed in the higher education sector, but there are signs that
similar facilities will also be available elsewhere, particularly in
the industrial and commercial sector, and for public libraries. Our
vision of network access encompasses all these. (...) The development
of the Digital Library will enable the British Library to embrace the
digital information age. Digital technology will be used to preserve
and extend the Library's unparalleled collection. Access to the
collection will become boundless with users from all over the world, at
any time, having simple, fast access to digitized materials using
computer networks, particularly the internet." (excerpt from the
website)
Other national libraries started digitizing their collections to offer
a free digital library.
When interviewed by Jérôme Strazzulla in the daily newspaper Le Figaro
of June 3, 1998, Jean-Pierre Angremy, president of the French National
Library, stated: "We cannot, we will not be able to digitize
everything. In the long term, a digital library will only be one
element of the whole library." The digital library Gallica went online
in 1997 with thousands of texts and images relating to French history,
life and culture. A major collection of 19th-century French texts and
images was available one year later.