British Library Digitizes the Hellenic World

Recommended by elsterama on September 28, 2010 via ReadWriteWeb

In an ongoing project to put its whole collection of Greek manuscripts online, the British Library has just announced that 280 volumes are now available on its Digitised Manuscript website.

Free to anyone, not just scholars, the current digital collection contains over a quarter of the library's collection, including 1,000 manuscripts, more than 3,000 papyri and a collection of early Greek printing.

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We've reported before on the importance of the online world as a gateway to information that has been, for one reason or another, horded before. As important a collection as the British Library's, and as important a culture as the Hellenic, materially increases the store of important knowledge freely available.

Cambridge Classics professor (and A Don's Life blogger) Mary Beard told Reuters much the same thing.

"This is exactly what we have all hoped for from new technology, but so rarely get. It opens up a precious resource to anyone -- from the specialist to the curious -- anywhere in the world, for free."

Amen, sister.

The British Library is a leader in scholarly digitization and the sophistication and ease of use of their viewer is a result of that dedication. It provides easy-to-consult content information, manuscript ID and the ability to switch between single-page, open-book and folio views.

For other online manuscript collections, read our earlier post on the topic.

And this time, my dear scroll beetles, if you have something to add, don't hole up in your academic chat rooms muttering. Pop on down to the comments section and de-dumbify us. We're all ears.

Via A Blog About History.