I thought this might be of interest to the list in light of interest in 
high quality digitisation of rare books and manuscripts.
Warm regards
Catherine


New technology allows scholars and the general public alike to explore 
priceless manuscripts thanks to a ground-breaking project with The 
University of Sheffield and IT experts Tribal.  Kiosque will be on show 
for the first time as a core part of a new exhibition at the Royal 
Armouries in Leeds from 8th December, a fascinating exhibition that uses 
cutting-edge digital technology to reveal the secrets of exquisite 
medieval manuscripts in vivid, colourful detail.  Normally the £3m+ rare 
and valuable manuscripts are only available on special request to 
researchers and not usually accessible to the general public, as the 
original manuscripts have to be preserved in special storage conditions 
requiring humidity, light and temperature control.  From 2008 Tribal 
expects to make the software available to organisations across the arts, 
heritage, museums and libraries sectors.  

The interactive technology allows high quality digital pictures of the 
manuscripts to be manipulated in a way that was previously impossible, 
allowing viewers to zoom in and out to view the documents in extraordinary 
detail.  It also tells some of the stories that appear in the manuscripts 
in a way that is engaging for ordinary visitors.  The web version can be 
used to support continued learning when visitors return to school, or 
home.  Kiosque can be accessed via touch screen at the new exhibition The 
Chronicles of Froissart which opens a window onto the colourful and 
turbulent world of the Hundred Years’ War between France and England from 
1337 to 1453 and on an ongoing basis over the web for the Online 
Froissart. 
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/hri/projects/projectpages/onlinefroissart/overvi
ew.html

Kiosque has been created as part of a ground-breaking Knowledge Transfer 
Partnership (KTP) initiative between Tribal and the University of 
Sheffield. The partnership secured England’s first KTP for languages - 
worth £100K and supported by the DTI.  Key aspects also enjoy the support 
of the EPSRC e-Science and UK core e-Science programme (Arts and 
Humanities). 

Bob Banks of Tribal says, “Kiosque enables people to explore priceless 
manuscripts in their own time, as if they had them in their hands.  It 
provides visual pathways through the manuscripts which make sense to the 
particular audience, guiding them to the part of the manuscript that tells 
each part of the story.  It allows multiple media to be launched, for 
example video and sounds.  It can be accessed over the internet, as well 
as in exhibitions, allowing visitors to follow up explorations at home or 
school and to link the exhibition into school activities.  It can be 
adapted and configured to any set audience and set of images.”

Peter Ainsworth, Professor and Head of French at the University of 
Sheffield, says, “This is a fascinating exhibition that uses cutting-edge 
digital technology to reveal the secrets of exquisite medieval manuscripts 
in vivid, colourful detail. The manuscripts remain a prime source for 
historians of society, politics, culture, warfare and narrative.  Most of 
the original manuscripts are still not available in scholarly editions.” 

Useful URLS:
www.tribalgroup.co.uk/
www.royalarmouries.org/
www.sheffield.ac.uk/hri/projects/projectpages/
www.stonyhurst.ac.uk