Viewer for Digital Copies of Manuscripts

A link to a digital copy of a manuscript can be added to the main identifier by adding in the <idno>↗ descendant of the main <msDesc>↗ a @facs attribute. The format depends on the location of the images.

Links to images hosted on our server

Links to images hosted on our server in the additional disks should use the relevant part of the path, i.e. BMQ/003/BMQM-003, for example. If the number of the photos are separated with two underscores, then "KAE/011/KAE-011_", see, for example, KAE-011:

               <msIdentifier>
                  <repository ref="INS0234KAE"></repository>
                  <collection>Ethio-SPaRe</collection>
                  <idno facs="KAE/011/KAE-011_" n="66">KAE-011</idno>
               </msIdentifier>
            

@n in the example above is the total number of images and it is a fundamental information to produce the links and the IIIF presentation manifest used by the viewer.

If more than one set of images are available, there is a workaround, namely, give another value in an altIdentifier. This will produce a viewer with as many loaded manifests as there are in the encoding.

               <msIdentifier>
                  <repository ref="INS0346DL"></repository>
                  <idno facs="Ham/1993/Eri_1993" n="39">Golden Gospel</idno>
                  <altIdentifier xml:id="photos1994">
                     <idno facs="Ham/1994/Eri_1994" n="19">Golden Gospel</idno>
                  </altIdentifier>
               </msIdentifier>
            

To add the value for the @facs of an image or range to be linked you can check the number in the viewer (after the above step has been saved and the images appear). The sequence number of the images is the one you want to assign. In BMLacq755 you can see in the sequence of images below the main viewer that the image of the recto side of the first folio is numbered 3. Then you will enter this number in the file, in the three digits format.

               <locus from="1r" to="2v" facs="003"></locus>
            

Libraries hosting IIIF images

Our viewer can show IIIF images hosted by other repositories. Currently enabled are: Vatican, Dublin, Cambridge, Princeton, Berlin, Sinai, Leicester, Bodleian, BNF.

For most collections, the only thing you need is to add in the <idno>↗ @facs the manifest.json URL which can be found on the web page serving the images (e.g. in the digivatlib on the left info page, https://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Vat.et.1, e.g. https://digi.vatlib.it/iiif/MSS_Vat.et.1/manifest.json).

To add the link to a <locus>↗, add @facs attributes. Please do not forget that the folio number (in the following example 3r) does not necessarily corresponds to the URL number (here 0006).

               <msItem xml:id="ms_i1.1.1">
                  <locus target="#3r" facs="0006"></locus>
                  <title type="complete">Maqdǝma wangel (Introduction to the Gospels)</title>
               </msItem>
            

For BNF, you can add the link to the gallica landing page of the digitized image, e.g.

                  <idno facs="http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b52507611w">BnF Éthiopien 14</idno>
               

Multiple sets of images and pointing to a specific image

The above instructions only cover for one set of images. You can do the same in <idno>↗ for any <altIdentifier>↗ or, if you have a <facsimile>↗ or more, you can point to that. Consider the following example from Dabra Libanos.

               <msIdentifier>
                  <repository ref="INS0346DL"></repository>
                  <idno facs="#valievaliuzzo2020" n="39">Golden Gospel</idno>
                  <altIdentifier xml:id="photos1975">
                     <idno facs="#schneider1975" n="24"></idno>
                  </altIdentifier>
                  <altIdentifier xml:id="photos1993">
                     <idno facs="#bausi1993" n="19"></idno>
                  </altIdentifier>
                  <altIdentifier xml:id="photos1994">
                     <idno facs="#bausi1993" n="19"></idno>
                  </altIdentifier>
               </msIdentifier>
            

Here the @facs links to the <facsimile>↗ elements which in turn link to the location of images. For example:

               <facsimile xml:id="schneider1975" resp="#schneider" facs="/Ham/1975/">
                  ....
               </facsimile>
            

You can thus also have multiple digital facsimiles listed as such and link one, another, some or all of them.

In <locus>↗, add @facs together with the other attributes, containing only the reference to the first page in the range indicated exactly as it appears in the URL for that page (so, not the folio number!).

               <locus target="#30v" facs="f62"></locus>
               <locus target="#86v #87r" facs="089"></locus>
               <locus target="#64v #65v #110r" facs="f134 f136 f225"></locus>
               <locus from="31" to="33" facs="f62"></locus>
               <locus from="31" facs="f62"></locus>
            

You can also add the exact link to a page in a @facs in each <pb>↗ inside the transcription of the manuscript.

Link to images not accessible via IIIF

Some Manuscripts have images published which are not accessible via IIIF, please add in these cases add <TEI>↗, between <teiHeader>↗ and <text>↗, a <facsimile>↗ element:

               <facsimile>
                  <graphic url="http://dfg-viewer.de/show/?set[mets]=http%3A%2F%2Fsammlungen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de%2Foai%2F%3Fverb%3DGetRecord%26metadataPrefix%3Dmets%26identifier%3D5247786"></graphic>
               </facsimile>
            

Add a link to partial digitisations

If only single pages of a manuscript have been digitised, add the link to the digitisation in the most appropriate place in the description, as in this example from BnF d'Abbadie 115:

                  <decoNote type="miniature" xml:id="d1">
                     <locus target="#3v"></locus>
                     <desc><ref type="authFile" corresp="AT1044Prophet"></ref>: <persName ref="PRS7181MosesM">Moses</persName> and
                        <persName ref="PRS4372Gabreel">St Gabriel</persName>.</desc>
                     <note>Digitized at <ref target="http://mandragore.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cgfbt4443">Mandragore</ref>.</note>                               
                  </decoNote>
               

Add a link to an image zone

To add an image of a feature as a specimen in your descriptions, you can use <rs>↗ with @type with value "inline".

                  <rs type="inline">
                     <graphic xml:id="g1" url="https://betamasaheft.eu/iiif/EMIP/Codices/1928/015.tif/1780,500,40,35/full/0/default.jpg"></graphic>
                  </rs>
               

IIIF server

We serve images on a IIIF server. You can read more here on IIIF | International Image Interoperability Framework. If you have new images that need to be displayed they first have to be converted to pyramid (multi-tile) tiff images. We recommend libvips image processing library for best conversion. You can run the following shell script on copying it to your image directory for batch conversion:

                  [filename: e.g. vipbash.sh]
                  #!/bin/bash
                  #script for converting images to pyramidal tiffs
                  #first install libvips https://www.libvips.org/ and add the vips directory to windows paths e g C:\Users\XYZ\Documents\vips-dev-8.12\bin
                  #on Windows install a bash/shell emulator e.g. https://gitforwindows.org/ and add the bash path (click env for environment variables and add the path to bin)
                  #copy the script to the folder with images to convert
                  
                  #harmonize extension from jpg and jpeg to JPG
                  
                  for file in *.jpg ; do mv $file ${file//jpg/JPG} 
                  done
                  
                  for file in *.jpeg ; do mv $file ${file//jpeg/JPG} 
                  done
                  
                  #produce pyramidal tiff
                  for filename in *.JPG; do
                  vips tiffsave $filename $filename.tif --tile --pyramid --compression deflate --tile-width 256 --tile-height 256;
                  done
                  
                  #clean extension
                  for file in *.JPG.tif ; do mv $file ${file//JPG.tif/tif} 
                  done
                  
               

Digitization

When digitizing manuscripts, the project aims to adhering to the best practice in digitization, both in office and field conditions. For a recent summary of recommendations and principles please consult Meyer, M., J. Moukarzel, and E. Balicka-Witakowska 2015. ‘Digitization for access and preservation’, in A. Bausi, P. G. Borbone, F. Briquel-Chatonnet, P. Buzi, J. Gippert, C. Macé, M. Maniaci, Z. Melissakis, L. E. Parodi, W. Witakowski, and E. Sokolinski, eds, Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies. An Introduction (Hamburg: COMSt, 2015), 570–580; you can also consult the IFLA Guidelines for Planning the Digitization of Rare Book and Manuscript Collections and the DFG Practical Guidelines on Digitisation

If you are planning to digitize manuscripts within the framework of the Beta maṣāḥǝft project in the field or outside of proper laboratory setting please make sure that you

(1) have the necessary equipment and auxiliaries, including at least:

1. high resolution digital SLR camera which produces RAW and TIFF (or RAW and JPEG) images
2. tripod with a moving head or cross bar allowing the camera to point down
3. camera remote control
4. baseboard or at least dense dark fabric
5. book cradle or book support (e.g. foam cushions)
6. linear colour or greyscale metric scale
7. plastic or glass page holders
8. adjustable robot arms or clips to hold the metric scale / signum mark bar
9. sufficient storage devices
10. paper and writing materials, including pre-printed metadata forms

and, if possible:

1. waterproof tarpaulin (if digitizing on the ground)
2. materials for preservation (acid-free storage boxes)
3. additional light source
4. additional energy source

(2) follow the main steps, at least:

1. check conservation status
2. assign unique and stable shelfmark (if not already present)
3. fill the basic metadata form with at least the shelfmark, main content, size, date and place of digitization (this must be photographed at least with the first opening or after the last opening to become part of the image set); prepare a small note with the shelfmark that will be photographed, together with the colour/greyscale with each frame)
4. desirably: fill the conservation status metadata form
5. foliate (in case no foliation present - use pencil and insert folio numbers in the same area on each recto. if the manuscript holders do not allow any pencil marks inside, prepare paper slips with numbers that can be placed next to the scale); recheck the foliation assigned twice
6. carry out the basic preservation measures (cleaning)
7. set up the digitization station and adjust the camera settings
8. digitize opening by opening (or page by page, depending on the requirements), make sure that the linear scale, manuscript shelfmark, and when necessary folio number slip are photographed with every frame
9. photograph the binding from all sides as well as all inserts and accompanying material
10. store images on at least two storage devices for back up, each manuscript in a separate folder named in the same way as the shelfmark

When sharing your images with the Beta maṣāḥǝft project please make sure that

1. images have high resolution
2. each image set is associated with a unique shelfmark and is accompanied by (photographed) metadata
3. each image contains shelfmark and folio information ( if foliation by pencil or foliation by added paper slip was not possible during the digitization please insert folio numbers directly into the images, preferably in the top right margin)
4. image sets are complete (if some folia were not foliated or foliated twice please specify this in the basic metadata)