Book and Document
Research
The research division Book and Document carries on its activities in the following fields:
- the history of handwriting, in particular latin handwriting, from the beginning to the 16th century (if necessary, even earlier periods could be taken into consideration);
- the history of documents and documentation, both from a historical-legal perspective and in the light of the evolution from the traditional documentary form to the contemporary digital documentation;
- the history of book in its various formats and production techniques, especially manuscripts and ancient printed books. Research activities will focus mainly to books in the Renaissance period, with particular attention to the chivalrous romance in France and Italy;
- the formation, management and preservation of digital archives, including those of persons, with particular focus on problems relating to file format and storage media obsolescence, archiving and conservation of new forms of documentary materials (like emails, web, social media etc.), and the treatment, representation and conservation of digital documents;
- the cataloguing techniques of cultural heritage, especially incunabula and editions dating to the 16th century in the main international repertoire;
- the diagnostic analysis of the materials of archival and book assets, as a preliminary phase in view of their restoration;
- the strategic development of digital humanities, in particular the adaption of traditional realities (libraries, archives) to the new means of preservation and transmission of knowledge (digital libraries, digital archives).
Research is stricly connected to education and relations with the territory. It include numerous collaborations with local, national and international archives and libraries, and with the activities of other sections, especially with the historical and philological ones.
