Experiencing medieval manuscripts using touch technology

Gallant, Kristen; Denzer, Juan

doi:10.1080/10691316.2017.1341358

Cited by 9 publications

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References 6 publications

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“…8 Gallant and Denzer used Arduino devices to create a digital manuscript exhibit that played prerecorded audio when touched by the viewer. 9 And during reference interviews, Kubat IMPLEMENTING LIBRARY MAKER PROJECTS OUTSIDE OF THE MAKERSPACE 3 MACELI employed dual screens driven by a Raspberry Pi to allow patrons to more easily view and engage with the information presented during the reference interaction. 10 To provide library digital resources in areas without internet, the LibraryBox project originally used a Raspberry Pi as the basis for a portable, anonymous file sharing device which allows users to wirelessly connect.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementing Library Maker Projects Outside of the Makerspace

Maceli

2024

ITAL

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The popularity and relevance of the library makerspace has been well-established and documented in the previous decade of researcher and practitioner work, including numerous hands-on guides from a variety of dimensions relevant to starting and operating a makerspace. Less studied, however, and the focus of this work are the applications of maker technologies within wider library work. Prior qualitative research conducted by the author included interviews with librarians to understand and document their use of maker technologies, such as the Raspberry Pi single-board computer, to support broader library work outside of the makerspace. The findings indicated that common use cases included running library display screens and collecting patron traffic numbers and environmental data. The objective of this subsequent case study is to examine the potential for wider use of such projects by librarians in an academic library setting, by introducing these projects into a new library setting and assessing the related code and educational materials developed by the researcher. This work reports on the findings of the case study, in which the projects were successfully operated in several usage contexts, as well as the challenges and broader implications for adoption within libraries of all types.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementing Library Maker Projects Outside of the Makerspace

Maceli

2024

ITAL

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Touching Parchment: How Medieval Users Rubbed, Handled, and Kissed Their Manuscripts

Rudy

2024

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In the late middle ages (ca. 1200-1520), both religious and secular people used manuscripts, was regarded as a most precious item. The traces of their use through touching and handling during different rituals such as oath-taking, public reading, and memorializing the dead, is the subject of Kathryn Rudy’s research in Touching Parchment. This second volume, Social Encounters with the Book, delves into the physical interaction with books in various social settings, including education, courtly assemblies, and confraternal gatherings. Looking at acts such as pointing, scratching, and ‘wet-touching’, the author zooms in on smudges and abrasions on medieval manuscripts as testimonials of readers’ interaction with the book and its contents. In so doing, she dissects the function of books in oaths, confraternal groups, education, and courtly settings, illuminating how books were used as teaching aids and tools for conveying political messages. The narrative paints a vivid picture of medieval reading, emphasizing bodily engagement, from page-turning to the intimate act of kissing pages. Overall, this text offers a captivating exploration of the tactile and social dimensions of book use in late medieval Europe broadening our perspective on the role of objects in rituals during the middle ages. Social Encounters with the Book provides a fundamental resource to anybody interested in medieval history and book materiality more widely. This volume is part of a four-volume set, with two additional titles forthcoming.

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Rudy

2024

Touching Parchment: How Medieval Users Rubbed, Handled, and Kissed Their Manuscripts

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This book explores the interactions between medieval manuscripts and their users in late medieval Europe, where touching held significant religious and social charge. In contrast to previous scholarship on medieval manuscripts, this book ignores pristine, untouched manuscripts and concentrates instead on those bearing the marks of frequent handling. The underlying argument is that studying marks of wear reveals the functions of books, and to some degree, their owners’ habits and emotions. The study dissects the curative and communal aspects of touching, historically rooted in the veneration of relics, which could transmit divine power through proximity and belief. This reverence for touch extended to manuscripts, especially Gospel books, which were considered conduits of divine power. Such manuscripts functioned as practical tools integral to social rituals and community cohesion. Volume 1 established the divinity of the book-object and its role in Christian rituals, while the current volume expands on the social dynamics of touched manuscripts. Volume 2 highlights three themes: the use of images to enhance public speaking, the moralizing role of the speaker, and the pivotal role of touch in fostering community through books. Volume 2 refines the taxonomy, introduced in Vol. 1, to differentiate between inadvertent from targeted wear and to further identify habits of touch under the latter category. These include intentional interactions with the text and images, such as wet-touching, dramatically gesturing with the finger, aggressive poking, and wiping with a cloth, each revealing the intentions and emotions behind the contact. The method—use-wear analysis—infers the specific gestures based on the marks made on manuscripts, which, whether through wet-touching or dramatic pointing, signify different forms of interaction and intention. The study considers the impact of these practices on the manuscripts themselves, which, when touched, kissed, or manipulated, not only served their utilitarian purpose but also became actors in the rituals they facilitated. Manuscripts were adapted to serve as instruments of social cohesion. The study explores the taxonomy of touching, where manuscripts in various forms - from charters to codices - were used in educational settings, courtly environments, and religious communities to establish identity, authority, and communal bonds through deliberate touch and handling.

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Experiencing medieval manuscripts using touch technology

Cited by 9 publications

References 6 publications

Implementing Library Maker Projects Outside of the Makerspace

Implementing Library Maker Projects Outside of the Makerspace

Touching Parchment: How Medieval Users Rubbed, Handled, and Kissed Their Manuscripts

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