1650
Digitized first part of the 1.5 million pages of ancient manuscripts
The Vatican Library and the University of Oxford have posted online first part of half a million pages of ancient manuscripts, which are planned to be digitized for three years . The collection consists of three parts: the manuscripts of ancient Greece, Israel and the printed books of the 15th century. These groups were selected based on their academic values and the number of documents in the library.
The Vatican Library and the Bodleian Library at Oxford University announced a joint project to digitize the artifacts in 2012. Now for the first time to a worldwide audience to access these unique documents. The project cost $ 3, 3 million of funding organizations Polonsky Foundation, which sponsors programs to freedom of information.
"We want everyone to be able to see the manuscripts, these great works of mankind, - сказал director of the Vatican Library in an interview with AP. - And we want to keep them. " Digitization and online publication means that documents remain forever: the physical destruction of the media they are no longer scary.
Among the first documents online - the first Gutenberg Bible, the Greek Bible illustrated and colorful 11th century German Bible of the 15th century, a painted hand and illustrated by woodcuts (technique known as woodcut).
The Vatican Library was founded in 1451 and is today considered one of the richest libraries in the world that has the most valuable from a scientific point of view the documents. It contains 180 thousand. Manuscripts, 1, 6 million books and 150 thousand. Printed books, drawings and prints. Bodleian Library at Oxford University - the largest in England, holds more than 11 million publications.
Similar programs digitization of ancient documents are now in the libraries of various countries, including China and Azerbaijan, said the director of the Vatican Library. Fortunately, these documents have long been in the public domain, so that they can be free to publish without fear of lawsuits from copyright holders.
