The digitalization of the incunabula of Italy: the Central National Library of Rome from IGI to the Polonski project

Abstract

Since 1932 the Central National Library of Rome has developed a specific vocation for the census and study of incunabula in a national perspective. In fact, it is the owner of the direction of IGI - General Index of the Incunabula of Italy which, published from 1943 to 1981, constituted one of the most innovative and complete European projects for the re-cataloging of the bibliographic heritage of the century of the origins of the press. The Library was followed by the Italian contact person for the ISTC - Incunaula Short-Title catalog and Incipit projects of the British Library. Recently, in collaboration with the CERL and thanks to the contribution of the Polonski Foundation in New York, it has launched a new project for the digitalization of incunabula starting from the conspicuous collection of the S. Scholastica di Subiaco library, the cradle of the Italian press, through methods and procedures. innovative products that allow a full-scale research on the specimens treated, through a specific portal and participation in other related projects, such as MEI, Text-Inc and 15cIllustration.

Keywords

• incunaboli
• igi
• biblioteca nazionale centrale di roma
• polonski foundation