Some 10k books, manuscripts to be preserved, made accessible
In the coming decade, SA国际传媒, St. Louis will make some 10,000 books and manuscripts, including more than 6,000 volumes in its rare book collection,聽available to scholars worldwide thanks to the mobilization of a monumental digitization effort.
The Seminary鈥檚 Kristine Kay Hasse Memorial Library, the largest Lutheran library in North America, will begin using state-of-the-art technology in the coming months to photograph, scan and convert its most fragile and unique manuscripts and books into electronic files. It will take about a decade to complete the process of digitizing all of the materials.
鈥淭his process of digitizing our extraordinary collection of theological resources will serve to ensure the Seminary maintains it ranking among the top libraries for Lutheran resources and especially rare books,鈥� said Dr. Paul Robinson, the Seminary鈥檚 director of Library Services. 鈥淚n the library world, it is expected for libraries to have a digitized version of rare and special collections. With this new equipment, we will meet that expectation and also attract scholars who otherwise may not have known about the resources we have. Our impressive collection will be much more widely discoverable and accessible.鈥�
The Seminary鈥檚 first priority will be to scan some of its most treasured items, including manuscripts and about 50 early printed books that are believed to only exist in the Seminary鈥檚 collection. Each book or manuscript will be photographed using a high resolution camera designed to allow for scanning even the most fragile books without laying them flat and damaging their delicate bindings.
The camera鈥檚 revolutionary software, Capture One Cultural Heritage,聽automatically corrects page distortion with alignment and precise color. In addition, the software orders the pages and provides metadata indexing that will create accurate, consistent and professional images of the Seminary鈥檚 materials.
鈥淭here will still be scholars who will want to come and see the actual book in St. Louis,鈥� Robinson said. 鈥淏ut for people who want to read the book, they will be able to access the digital file from anywhere.鈥�
The library鈥檚 digitization project has been funded by Seminary donors who have contributed to Generations: The Campaign for SA国际传媒 and its successor campaign, Generations 20/20, which together have raised more than $270 million,聽including nearly $10 million for library and learning technology.
鈥淲e are so grateful to our generous donors who have made this very special and historic project possible,鈥澛爏aid Vicki Biggs, senior vice president of Seminary Advancement and chief communications officer. 鈥淚t is because of these wonderful friends and supporters that we are able to purchase state-of-the art equipment that will vastly improve the library鈥檚 digital capability. We look forward to preserving our library鈥檚 rare gems and offering increased access to the Seminary鈥檚 renowned theological resources for generations to come.鈥�
To learn more about the Seminary鈥檚 library, visit csl.edu/library.
SA国际传媒 SA国际传媒
SA国际传媒, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of聽. To learn more, visit聽csl.edu.
