Computer indexing of illuminated manuscripts for use in medieval studies

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the importance of computer indexing of illuminated manuscripts for use in Medieval Studies. With the resurgence of interest in Medieval Studies in North America, where some 80 interdisciplinary programs have emerged, teachers and scholars have discovered that the traditional academic disciplines may best be taught by employing an integrated cultural approach. It is an ancient discovery that art in the form of manuscript illustrations were used for both decorative and educative functions. Medievalists rediscover this ancient precept and are applying it to teaching and researching medieval culture as a whole. Commitment to the interdisciplinary approach to culture, however, necessitates the availability of and intellectual access to the rich visual heritage of the Middle Ages. Traditionally, slide collections in most museums, archives, and universities are zealously maintained for the exclusive use by professional staff. Thus, the literature specialist, historian, and philosopher are confronted with borrowing slides from an unsympathetic source or with building their own collections, which more often than not end up hidden away in desk drawers. Another related problem is that the classification and cataloging schemes used by museums and archives do not always allow for subject access to the collections. The answer lies in the creation of an institution-wide slide file for teachers and scholars in Medieval Studies and other interdisciplinary programs.