All Things Visual: The University of Chicago Visual Resources Center

The British Library offers a very high-quality scan of the Lindisfarne Gospels online. Viewers can click and hold the mouse while moving the cursor to the left to “turn” each page. Three buttons at bottom right allow for text description, audio description, and magnification of each page.

A version for dial-up users is also available.

Before embarking on a research trip, you might prepare to photograph materials in libraries and archives. It can be difficult to capture quality images of archival materials, especially in low-light situations. A recent guest post on ProfHacker details one way of stabilizing a digital camera, which includes using a clamp, articulated arm and wired camera remote as a sort of portable copy stand.

Keep in mind that some of the processes advocated in the article will not be allowed in all archives or libraries. Check with archives, museums or libraries before your visit to ask about policies; most will have specific requirements for equipment used in reading rooms. If you have questions about cameras or other photography best practices, please contact the VRC.

Via Derivative Image.

The Library of Congress, with the help of UNESCO, recently launched the World Digital Library, an online collection of primary source materials. Contributions have been made by partner institutions in many countries. Content includes, but is not limited to: maps, manuscripts, prints, photographs, architectural drawings, and recordings. The site functions in seven different languages and can be browsed by Place, Time, Topic, Type of Item, and Institution. Browsing results within the Arts & Recreation topic, for example, can then be narrowed by place, time, additional topics, item type, or institution.

Objectives of the World Digital Library include:

• Promote international and intercultural understanding;
• Expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet;
• Provide resources for educators, scholars, and general audiences;
• Build capacity in partner institutions to narrow the digital divide within and between countries.

Many high-quality images are available for download. Some rare books are also scanned in their entirety and available as PDFs, including this second Augsburg edition of Aesop’s Fables.

ARTstor announces the addition of the following images to the collection. For assistance with ARTstor, please contact the VRC.

Modern and contemporary art from VAGA member artists
The Visual Artists and Galleries Association (VAGA) and ARTstor have reached an agreement through which approximately 4,000 images by VAGA member artists are now available to ARTstor users. More images by VAGA artists will be made available as additional collections of modern and contemporary art are added to ARTstor.

Manuscripts and early printed books from the Bodleian Library
ARTstor is pleased to announce the first launch of over 4,000 high quality images of manuscripts and early printed books from the Bodleian Library at Oxford University.

Architectural history of Venice, Italy
ARTstor has added approximately 200 photographs from Sarah Quill’s unique photographic archive depicting the buildings and civil live of Venice.