Book monuments in foreign languages ​ ​ digitized in Tula

2024: Making copies of 9 books printed in global publishing centres

ELAR Corporation has completed the next stage of digitization for the Tula Regional Scientific Library. Further cooperation with ELAR specialists was the creation of electronic copies of rare publications in foreign languages ​ ​ (XVIII century). Elar announced this on July 24, 2024.

source = Elar

In 2024, copies of 9 books printed in centers of world publishing were created, such as: Paris, Geneva, Leipzig, Cologne. Work continued to digitize the Encyclopedic character multi-volume publication Encyclopedic, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et de métiers (Paris, 1751-1765) - the famous work of a collective of prominent French Enlightenment authors led by Denis Diderot and Jean D'Alembert.

Many European scientists of the 18th century in their works touched upon the issues of the relationship and practical application of scientific knowledge and advanced technologies for that era. A vivid example is the guide for architects and designers of hydraulic structures Architecture hydraulique... (Paris, 1737-1753) French military engineer Bernard de Belidor, - said Svyattseva Svetlana Yurievna, head of the literature sector in foreign languages ​ ​ of the Tula Regional Scientific Library. - Illustrated by full-page black and white engravings, the publication served as the main textbook on hydraulics in European educational institutions until the end of the first half of the 19th century, which confirms the applied significance of this work.

Along with secular books, monographs of philosophical and religious content in Latin and Greek continued to be published in the 18th century, for example, the collection of speeches by theologian Matei Faber Opus Concionum Tripartitum Matthiae Fabri (Köln, 1739). The sermons earned him a reputation as a spiritual speaker, a defender of the Catholic faith.

Scanning was carried out on professional domestic ELAR scanners in contactless mode, which ensured the safety of valuable historical documents and made it possible to create high-quality copies of the originals.

Editions of the XVIII - the first quarter of the XIX century belong to book monuments. Thanks to the creation of electronic copies, it becomes possible not only to ensure the safety of original works, which are outstanding examples of scientific, educational and philosophical thought, but also to reveal the library fund, make it more accessible to readers, providing conditions for wide access to rare publications through the library's electronic catalog, - said Svyattseva Svetlana Yurievna.

2020: Carrying out the next stage on the digitization of rare publications

On February 13, 2020, ELAR Corporation announced the next stage of work on the digitization of rare publications for the Tula Regional Scientific Library.

The Tula Regional Scientific Library has a significant collection of book monuments, the preservation of which is among the priorities of the institution. So, in 2019, as part of the events of the national program "Culture," more than 300 documents were digitized at the expense of the state program "Development of Culture and Tourism of the Tula Region," and ELAR Corporation was involved in working with the most valuable of them. Among the book monuments, for example, "The ancient legend of the victory of the Great Prince Demetrius Ioannovich Donskago over Mamai" (Moscow, 1829).

Not only for the Tula region, but also for the whole of Russia, the memory of the Battle of Kulikovo is sacred, so the book was included in the list of documents for digitization. It was also digitized by the "Brief Russian Chronicler with Genealogy" (St. Petersburg, 1760), it was compiled by M.V. Lomonosov in 1759. It is known that there are three editions dated 1760, but differing in set and ornamentation. The digitized copy represents the rarest first edition, says Tatyana Tikhonenkova, Deputy General Director of GUK TO "Regional Library and Information Complex, Head of the Structural Unit" Tula Regional Scientific Library "

Among the digitized books is "Pleshcheev Review of the Russian Empire in its current state" (St. Petersburg, 1790), on the pages of which there is a description of the Tula governorship. Among the notable features of the city of Tula, the author notes, in particular, "a glorious iron and arms factory supplying weapons to the entire Russian army." All publications were digitized by the Corporation's specialists using professional ELAR equipment, which provided careful and high-quality scanning of the originals. As a result of the work, an array of e-books with modern search capabilities and an array of bibliographic records were created.

Digitized book monuments are placed in the full-text database of the Tula Regional Scientific Library, access to them is organized on the Internet on its website.

Considering that the database contains unique editions - manuscripts of the XVII-XIX centuries, local history literature, it is in great demand by readers. Every month, 1600-1800 remote users visit the full-text database. Despite the fact that our institution is equipped with a planetary scanner, there is a staff involved in scanning documents, in this project it was necessary to use specialized equipment and technologies to digitize book monuments. The library has developed reliable long-term partnerships with the Corporation, which has repeatedly performed the entire range of work on the digitization of funds, comments Tatyana Viktorovna Tikhonenkova

2012: Implementation of ELAR PlanScan A2.V-Ts3R

Following the results of the State Order Committee of the Tula Region auction, ELAR Corporation introduced the ELAR PlanScan planetary scanning complex A2.V-Ts3R in the Tula Regional Universal Scientific Library. The library will use the new equipment to improve the processes of providing public services in electronic form and filling full-text databases.

The equipment allows you to digitize discarded and large-format originals (up to A2) - books, catalogs, ancient tomes and others, including valuable and dilapidated documents. The device uses an innovative reprosystem of LED lighting "moving strip." Designed for the entire life of the scanner, illuminators exclude the harmful effects of light on valuable publications and provide the most comfortable operating conditions for the operator.

Currently, the State Cultural Institution "Tula Regional Universal Scientific Library" is one of the main information centers of the region. Equipping the library with modern equipment will allow librarians to effectively work on the formation of electronic resources, providing readers with access to electronic copies of rare and valuable publications and preserving cultural heritage.