Creating Databases for Manuscript Fragments: Challenges and Solutions

Research output: Contribution to conferenceConference abstract for conferenceResearch

Abstract

In recent decades, the fragment collections of the Nordic countries have received increasing attention
from scholars studying medieval manuscript culture. Certain collections have been digitised and are easily available to researchers, whereas others have not even been fully catalogued. The fragment collection of the Norwegian National Archives in Oslo, which holds thousands of fragments from Latin
and Old Norse manuscripts, occupies a status in between. While the collection has been documented and studied for over a century, and a great deal of literature has been published on its contents, there
currently exists no comprehensive database that is easily accessible to users.
The presentation will focus on this collection to illustrate the challenges we encounter when trying to
create digital infrastructure for this kind of material. By drawing comparisons to databases for similar
material in other countries, I will explore how such challenges may (possibly) be resolved, keeping in mind the individual nature of each collection. I will also discuss the problem of balancing the need for
stability with the potential of online resources to update and modify information.
Original languageEnglish
Publication dateJun 2023
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2023
Externally publishedYes
EventMedieval Studies in the Digital World - Univesitet i Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Duration: 19 Jun 202323 Jun 2023
https://www.uib.no/en/rg/lawandculture/162732/medieval-studies-digital-world

Conference

ConferenceMedieval Studies in the Digital World
LocationUnivesitet i Bergen
Country/TerritoryNorway
CityBergen
Period19/06/202323/06/2023
Internet address

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