The ENRICH project: Towards a European digital manuscript library

Abstract

The idea of using computers to provide greater access to medieval manuscripts and  other  primary  sources  dates  from the  late 70s and early 80s, when a number of attempts were made to apply relational database technology to manuscript  studies, in particular in the form of searchable electronic  catalogues.
Unfortunately  –  but  understandably  –  these  projects  generally  relied  on  locally developed or proprietary  software,  with all the problems  for  long-term maintenance and interoperability that entails. Moreover, each system tended also to have its own standards with regard to the nature, extent and organisation of information included, reflecting the lack of often even national standards for manuscript description at the time.