Digitization Is Not Only Making Images: Manuscript Studies and Digital Processing of Manuscripts
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ISSN 0204–2061. KNYGOTYRA. 2008. 51 DIGITIZATION IS NOT ONLY MAKING IMAGES: MANUSCRIPT STUDIES AND DIGITAL PROCESSING OF MANUSCRIPTS ZDENěK UHLÍŘ National Library of the Czech Republic Klementinum 190, 110 00 Praha 1 E-mail: [email protected] Author deals with the link between the digital processing of historical documents, especially manuscripts and the manuscript studies, codicology and bibliology and cultural history as well. The greatest part of the paper applies to the case study about the Manuscriptorium digital library which is provided by the National Library of the Czech Republic. Ke y wo rd s : digitization, manuscript studies, National Library of the Czech Republic. Introduction It is a question whether digitized historical documents are the preservation aids because Digitization of historical documents and/or they are also promotion aids. Such a “dig- holdings has been in progress for approxi- ital promotion” of historical documents ad- mately fifteen or twenty years, since about dresses not to specialists but more likely to the end of eighties or the beginning of nine- a general public that is neither interested in ties of the twentieth century. At the earliest, historical nor similar studies but in a mere during the first half of nineties digitization information about the past. Briefly the gen- meant creating a surrogate, an alternative eral public does not want to “consult” his- carrier, something like “better microfilm”. torical document, to study its internal and/ Goal of such a digitization was very simple, or external features but it prefers to see a namely to be a preservation aid. Up to this historical document as a thing, as a physi- day for some people digitization still counts cal object, that illustrates the more or less to preservation. These people do not un- known past instead. General public is not derstand the spirit of the information, the interested in a sophisticated difference be- knowledge of/and society and do not see tween “the past” and “the history” (res gestae the challenge of the information and com- and historia rerum gestarum using Hegelian munication technologies that comes with it. words), so it is not interested in digital cop- 148 ies; a digital copy is for such a public sim- not experts in historical documents could ple caption, a sign for something else, i.e. be interested in that. Again public world- for exhibition of original document. Thus, wide could be and is interested in it. Thus, such an understanding of digitization goes “democratization” means global accessibil- in a vicious circle: the supposed objective ity independently on a social, cultural, and was to exclude originals from lending, on national environment but dependently on the other hand the factual result is a more education and/or erudition. And a global massive lending of originals. Thus, this pri- accessibility under another aspect means a meval understanding of digitization results free access; not necessarily free of charge but in an internal discrepancy. absolutely free of any discriminatory balk. A wide expansion of the Internet in Thus, digitization means a global dis- the mid nineties was a great challenge for semination of historical documents and/ digitization of historical documents and/or or holdings, a challenge for inter-cultural holdings. At the earliest, it was not accepted studies in general and an impulse for man- well by the academic community because uscript studies in particular. Consequently, of suspicion of commercialization, at least digitization is not simply making images; in most European countries; sometimes it it is and must be much more. Perhaps it is was understood negatively as an “American not seen when digitizing small number of invention”. In the first years of its spread in manuscripts, several units or at the utmost Europe, Internet was accepted positively several tens. It is however seen after digi- mostly by professional communities and tizing critical mass of manuscripts, i.e. per- some memory institutions (especially by haps a few hundred. Then, simple images, libraries and librarians in the Czechlands). i.e. image sequences are unmanageable for A keyword of that time was not “preserva- the end user as well as for the information tion” yet but “democratization”. It had to system administrator. Compound digital mean that keepers, i.e. memory institution document/s that make relations between professionals ought not to make borders for data (digital images) and metadata (descrip- any interested person, no matter if experts tive catalogue record, structural and techni- or the general public. The Internet presenta- cal metadata as well) must be created. And tion of a historical document ought to be it is only the first step, only the simplest accessible for everybody and particularly form of the compound digital document, for “vulgarians” (hommes de la rue, gemeine of course. After overstepping the critical Menschen). Of course, it was another illu- mass of compound digitized documents sion because “vulgarians” are interested in there must be created a sophisticated in- other things than in digital copies of histori- formation system that enables orientation, cal documents, medieval manuscripts etc. e.g. showing both the whole database and On the other hand, intellectuals although partial collections, as well as navigation, 149 e.g. enabling not only standard full text historical methodology of collective, mass, search but also combined search using op- aggregate, wholesale phenomena against erators, expert search using filters, search the individual ones; and thirdly in relation implementing graphical variants etc. Fur- to the so-called pragmatical edition in op- ther, more complex form of the compound position to the traditional critical and/or digital document may contain also full texts semi-critical edition. Of course, such a para- that should be correlated according to the digm shift is quite a long run rather than appropriate parts or passages to the digital a fast and brief occurrance, it is “scientific images. It may contain several full texts (e.g. revolution” in Kuhnean words. Therefore edition of the original text and its transla- digitization of historical documents and/or tion) that should be correlated to each oth- holdings is currently an activity in advance er and both full texts to the digital images. operations of which are both routine and It may contain also audio documents that under research and development at present. should be correlated to the full texts and Traditional ways of representation histori- digital images as well etc. Not only editions cal documents and/or holdings consisted of of original historical, i.e. primary docu- complex and sophisticated descriptions uti- ments and their translations but also sec- lizing terminology with very hard semantic ondary documents, i.e. documents about reduction that passes by natural language/s the primary documents may be integrated and that not always distinguishes between into the compound digital documents. And things or objects on one side and ideas, no- there are possibilities that can be multiplied tions, concepts etc. on the other. Paradoxi- practically ad infinitum. It is clear that such cally this traditional terminology is based a digitization of historical documents, or on vernacular, i.e. substantially natural let us say manuscripts, means a complex languages and simultaneously deprecates digital processing of manuscripts and that its own basis, such as translation between it is very important for manuscript studies, linguistic utterances and consequently na- codicology, bibliography etc. tional discourses is sometimes very diffi- cult. Digitization by making more or less THEORETICAL SUPPOSITIONS accurate copies of historical documents Accordingly, digital processing of manu- enables to overstep some of these crucial scripts is about a paradigm shift. It can be problems. Again, digitization facilitates a understood in triple way: firstly in relation goal-directed navigation and control and to the historical auxiliary sciences (histor- management of a huge amount of data by ische Hilfswissenschaften), respectively in preparing electronic full texts. It is impos- relation to the so-called quantitative codi- sible through traditional ways. cology in opposite to the traditional arche- Some technical conditions are necessary ology of book; secondly in relation to the for the paradigm shift, namely dividing 150 data from software, standardization of data, and for achieving the same result as for the and interoperability of tools and systems. content. Thus, for data creator a principle of Firstly, dividing data from software, i.e. mu- standardization means on one hand a flex- tual independence of data and software is a ibility in the use of software tools, editors, substantial condition that enables the other processors etc., on the other hand a variety two ones. Digital, i.e. Internet environment of choices in the information depth; and is principally heterogeneous, not homoge- when using markup languages represents neous, the tools and systems are various, in- an inner structure of document, the princi- deed different, so that sharing data among ple of standardization means to use various tools and systems could be a problem if manners of concrete application of markup the data were software, i.e. tool and/or sys- and consequently to represent various in- tem dependent. Such software, tools and/ formation and information levels from the or systems could not import and/or export same primary evidence. Thus, standardiza- data from one another and they would not tion of data is the middle of how to make interoperate. Problems could arise also by data readable for machines and generally using communication protocols because of understandable for humans. a need to implement profiles according to Thirdly, interoperability of tools and the regular, i.e. open, non proprietary, not systems consists of inter-tool and/or inter- software dependent data standards. Thus, system communication, i.e. in importing dividing data from software is conditio sine and/or exporting data, in data mining, qua non for the digital representation of harvesting etc.