Alberto Campagnolo Digital Dialogue: 'Conservation and Digitization: A Technologizing of the Book as an Object'

Books are primarily physical objects composed of leaves combined in sections, used as writing supports, and bound together. An increasing number of libraries, archives, and other memory institutions are investing considerable amount of money and resources in the digitization of cultural heritage; however, these efforts focus on the text, seldom covering also what material information can be recorded through photographic means. In addition, conservation is commonly considered as a discipline that is complementary—but for the most part separate—to digitization efforts, and little attention is generally given to the ways in which digitization, intended in its amplest meaning, can inform and help conservators in their day-to-day duties.

This seminar will showcase, through some practical examples, the ways in which data gathered through digitization means can prove meaningful and useful to conservation professionals.

Alberto Campagnolo trained as a book conservator (in Spoleto, Italy) and has worked in that capacity in various institutions, including the London Metropolitan Archives, St. Catherine’s Monastery (Egypt), and the Vatican Library.

He studied Conservation of Library Materials at Ca’ Foscari University Venice, and holds an MA in Digital Culture and Technology from King’s College London. He pursued a PhD on an automated visualization of historical bookbinding structures at the Ligatus Research Centre (University of the Arts, London).

In July 2016, he has been appointed as CLIR/DLF Postdoctoral Fellow in Data Curation for Medieval Studies at the Library of Congress (Washington, DC).

Alberto has served on the Digital Medievalist board since 2014, first as Deputy Director, and as Director since 2015. For more information please click here.