E-manuscripta.ch
e-manuscripta.ch is a presentation platform for digitized manuscripts that was set up by the three Swiss university libraries Central Library Zurich , University Library Basel and the ETH Library Zurich . So far, 12,000 handwritten sources have been digitized (as of March 2013). The spectrum ranges from texts from individual and collective manuscripts, letters and archive material to music manuscripts to manuscript cards and other graphic materials. It is up to each participating institution to select, digitize and publish the collections that distinguish them within the framework set by e-manuscripta.
The office of e-manuscripta.ch is located in the central library in Zurich, while the ETH library in Zurich takes on hosting and IT coordination as a service provider. The University Library of Basel is committed to the further development of cataloging standards as the coordinator of the Union Catalog of Manuscripts, Archives, Legacies (HAN).
The basis is the Visual Library system from semantics GmbH and Walter Nagel GmbH & Co. KG. The project uses the experiences of e-rara.ch and is carried out in the context of the innovation and cooperation project e-lib.ch. As the content of e-manuscripta mainly focuses on modern manuscripts and archival material, the e-codices portal will be complemented.
Project goals
As a presentation tool, the platform complements library portals and archive databases; it also enables cross-institutional searches and virtual consolidation of scattered holdings. The documents are also found by search engines. The digital copies are usually in the public domain, they can be viewed online for free or downloaded as a PDF. The offer is continuously expanded.