After four years of service as Drue Heinz Librarian, Rebecka Lindau is expanding the parameters of scholarly research online and positioning the Arthur and Janet C. Ross Library for the future in her new role as consultant on digital initiatives. As Drue Heinz Librarian from 2007 to 2011, Lindau managed Library staff, directed acquisitions and access policies and made many significant strides towards preserving and promoting the Academy’s collections. Now as the Library's consultant on special projects, she will continue to lend her extensive expertise while focusing on her primary passion -- exploiting technology to improve collections, access, and productivity.
"Rebecka's focus on technology and specialized collection development were noteworthy aspects of her Drue Heinz librarianship," notes AAR Director Christopher S. Celenza, FAAR'94, "and her continuing commitment will further promote the vital role that the AAR's Arthur C. and Janet Ross Library plays in Rome's library scene."
The most recent manifestation of Lindau’s foward-thinking efforts includes the digitization of the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum (CIL). The CIL is a collection of Latin inscriptions from all corners of the Roman empire arranged by region and type, currently managed by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Since the first printed volume appeared in 1863, the CIL has been described as an indispensable tool in researching the history and everyday life of ancient Rome. While the CIL continues to be updated in print and currently consists of 17 volumes – including 70 folio-size editions, some 180,000 inscriptions and 13 supplementary volumes with illustrations and specialized indices.
In 2009 Lindau contacted École Française de Rome and subsequently also Deutsches Archäologisches Institut (DAI) to suggest cooperating on this digitization project and the sharing of the costs involved. The proposal was enthusiastically received and garnered support also from the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy. Providing a server to host the volumes presented an immediate challenge. Fortunately, the DAI and the University of Cologne came to the rescue with their object database Arachne, which is dynamically connected to international aggregators such as Claros.net.
This online version of the CIL will initially comprise the first 53 volumes published before 1940. "We’re looking to put the first eight volumes into the database before the new year," Lindau says. "At the moment we’re correcting the scanned pages before they go live." The “digital CIL team” assisting her includes AAR Library staff Paolo Imperatori, Kristine Iara, and Ekaterina Nechaeva. “With subsequent funding, the goal is to create a keyword-searchable database and to digitize future volumes as they fall outside of copyright restrictions – and eventually do the same for the Inscriptiones Graecae,” she adds.
While this pioneering joint effort promises to please Latinists everywhere, Lindau is also spearheading on-site technological improvements that will save both patrons and staff time -- including modernizing the Library by converting its classification system to that of the Library of Congress, and barcoding and radiotagging materials to improve security and facilitate location and inventory procedures. Other proposals include the creation of a web-based presentation that would permit Fellows and readers to tour the Library and become acquainted with its collections before coming to the Academy (currently, new readers receive orientations on site via MP3 player -- already a much-appreciated enhancement).
The Friends of the Library are working to help raise the funds required for these efforts, and if past experience is any indication, the funds will be well spent. To wit, Lindau’s work to rationalize the application process for Library access has been especially successful. Today, would-be readers complete forms online and a library card is generated in under five minutes, which has virtually eliminated long lines and waiting.
Another notable Lindau-led effort includes the digitization of two 15th century illuminated manuscripts in the Barbara Goldsmith Rare Book Room. A Book of Hours and a leaf from the Llangattock breviary in order to make them available in the Digital Scriptorium, an image database of Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts that unites resources from many institutions. In addition to allowing scholars to view large sections of the manuscripts, the Digital Scriptorium permits them to verify cataloging information about places and dates of origin, scripts, artists, and quality. The database is currently administered by UC Berkeley, formerly by Columbia University, and contains records for more than 7,000 manuscripts and over 25,000 images.
While the Academy’s involvement in the Digital Scriptorium was limited, Lindau worked closely with project representatives to identify the AAR manuscripts for inclusion and address the technical issues involved. “Our illuminated manuscripts are beautiful showpieces,” remarks Lindau. “This makes it possible for people everywhere to view them – and increases awareness of the Library’s other collections.”
As the Library’s digital projects consultant, Lindau will pursue a similar project focused soley on the AAR’s collections. “We’re conducting an inventory to determine which of our approximately 2,000 rare books and folios have already been digitized by other institutions,” she explains. “Once we finish, we’ll begin identifying items of particular interest to our community that might benefit scholarship more generally and position us for future collaborative initiatives. We’ll also be able to add links in our online catalog to those already-digitized items.”
Lindau considers several rare AAR holdings as prime candidates for high-resolution digitization. Among them the detailed (142 x 147 cm) map of Rome by Giovanni Battista Falda from 1676; an early guide book of Rome from 1542 with illustrations by Biondo da Forli; a book of works by the ancient Greek philosopher Plutarch with marginal notes by inquisitors from the late sixteenth century; a book by Giuseppe Gatteschi illustrating areas and architecture before and after various restoration projects from 1924 (which ties in nicely with the Gatteschii Collection in the AAR Photo Archive); Giuseppe Vasi’s wonderful color illustrations of ancient and “modern” Rome from the mid- 1700s; as well as an early version of a pop-up book -- Humphry Repton’s Fragments on the theory and practice of landscape gardening from 1816.
The Library’s new state-of-the-art scanner will certainly make the job easier. Purchased in 2009 thanks to a grant from the Cohen family, the machine allows users to enlarge, reduce, zoom, crop, reverse, in book, flat, and folder formats and save images to a USB disk or send via e-mail. “I don't know of any library in Rome offering a professional scanner for public use except for us, and certainly not one with such flexibility” she adds.
Beyond these exciting technology-driven initiatives, Lindau will ensure that the revised and expanded Library Resources section of the website continues to offer a wealth of useful information for seasoned researchers and curious browsers alike – including online catalogues, electronic journals, periodical indexes and research databases, and quick links to other libraries and institutions.
"The Academy Library is well positioned for the future thanks to Rebecka," adds AAR President Adele Chatfield-Taylor, FAAR'84. "Her tenure as Drue Heinz Librarian not only increased the breadth and depth of our collections, it also increased awareness of our holdings globally among the world's foremost scholars. In her new role, she will continue to advise on emerging technologies for maximum benefit."
To view the AAR manuscripts in the Digital Scriptorium database, do a basic search on the “American Academy in Rome” or an advanced search by clicking on “current location” in the drop-down menu and choose “Rome, the American Academy in Rome…”
To learn more about the Barbara Goldsmith Rare Book Room and/or access digitized versions of the Academy’s illuminated manuscripts in their entirety, click here.