SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
EXPLORE +
  • About infoDOCKET
  • Academic Libraries on LJ
  • Research on LJ
  • News on LJ
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Libraries
    • Academic Libraries
    • Government Libraries
    • National Libraries
    • Public Libraries
  • Companies (Publishers/Vendors)
    • EBSCO
    • Elsevier
    • Ex Libris
    • Frontiers
    • Gale
    • PLOS
    • Scholastic
  • New Resources
    • Dashboards
    • Data Files
    • Digital Collections
    • Digital Preservation
    • Interactive Tools
    • Maps
    • Other
    • Podcasts
    • Productivity
  • New Research
    • Conference Presentations
    • Journal Articles
    • Lecture
    • New Issue
    • Reports
  • Topics
    • Archives & Special Collections
    • Associations & Organizations
    • Awards
    • Funding
    • Interviews
    • Jobs
    • Management & Leadership
    • News
    • Patrons & Users
    • Preservation
    • Profiles
    • Publishing
    • Roundup
    • Scholarly Communications
      • Open Access

October 4, 2021 by Gary Price

Hill Museum & Manuscript Library Announces Launch of HMML Authority File, New Database to Assist Scholars of Understudied Manuscript Traditions

October 4, 2021 by Gary Price

From the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library:

The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) at Saint John’s University has developed a new database to support and enhance the study of understudied manuscript traditions. Created as part a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), HMML Authority File is an open-access database which establishes accurate and consistent data (“authorities”) for the names of persons, places, works, organizations, and families related to the manuscripts and artwork in HMML Reading Room and HMML Museum, which provide free access to the collections of more than 800 libraries worldwide.

Authorities are used by libraries and scholars to identify and link manuscripts and collections. Many of the manuscripts HMML has preserved in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East contain names that have not been included in international authority files, making them harder to find and study. In 2020, nearly 40 percent of HMML’s cataloged manuscripts contained names that lacked authorities in either the Library of Congress or the Virtual International Authority File. Today, authorities added to HMML Authority File are also added to the Library of Congress’s Name Authority Cooperative Program (NACO) as part of HMML’s partnership in the Program for Cooperative Cataloging.

Because of HMML’s focus on materials historically underrepresented in western scholarship, the scale of HMML’s collections, and its investment in preservation technology, HMML is uniquely positioned to build the scholarly infrastructure that currently does not exist for many traditions. This service-focused scholarship will in turn broaden the impact of digital preservation efforts around the world.

Dr. Daniel Gullo, NEH Project Director and Director of HMML’s Malta Study Center, said, “The funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities has enabled us to create a free, open-access application that will allow scholars and librarians from around the world to search and find thousands of names and titles from unique manuscripts that have been made available online for the first time through HMML’s efforts to create access to endangered and underrepresented libraries and archives.”

Currently, more than 10,000 names have been added to HMML Authority File, with more than 50,000 names expected in the coming years. These efforts will support librarians and scholars around the world to recognize previously unknown contributors to manuscripts; differentiate authors and texts that had been treated homogeneously; reunite separated materials; and trace the migration of handwritten texts across religious traditions and geographic, political, and linguistic divides.

Learn More, Read the Complete Announcement

Direct to HMML Authority File

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Associations and Organizations, Data Files, Digital Preservation, Funding, Libraries, News, Open Access, Preservation

SHARE:

About Gary Price

Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com. Gary is also the co-founder of infoDJ an innovation research consultancy supporting corporate product and business model teams with just-in-time fact and insight finding.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Job Zone

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Infodocket Posts

Not Real News: An Associated Press Roundup of Untrue Stories Shared Widely on Social Media This Week

From the Associated Press: A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were ...

New Congressional Research Service (CRS) Report: Generative Artificial Intelligence: Overview, Issues, and Questions for Congress

From a CRS “In Focus”: The recent public release of many GenAI tools, and the race by companies to develop ever-more powerful models, have generated widespread discussion of their capabilities, ...

Report: Bing Maps Global Building Footprints Released

From the MS Bing Blogs: Microsoft Maps has a dedicated Maps AI (artificial intelligence) team that has been taking advantage of Microsoft’s investments in deep learning, computer vision, and ML ...

Broward County, Florida: "'I Read Banned Books' Library Cards Spark Support and Outrage"; Wake County, North Carolina: Moms...

Broward County, Florida: “‘I Read Banned Books’ Library Cards Spark Support and Outrage” (via WFTS) Librarians Strike Back Against Comics Bans (via PW) Michigan: Book Bans Discussed on Michigan Public ...

Missouri: "Libraries Say They Never Offered 'Obscene' Materials, But Ashcroft’s Rule Has Them Scrambling"

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis-area librarians are confident their children’s sections don’t include — and never have — obscene materials, but they are spending hours examining policies to make ...

Profile: "Carla D. Hayden Wants to Spread the Wonders of the Library Into Everyone’s Lives"

From University of Chicago News: In the fall of 2016, Carla D. Hayden had just been confirmed as the 14th librarian of Congress—the first woman and the first African American to hold ...

Statement: American Library Association (ALA) Welcomes White House Actions to Address Book Bans

Fron ALA (Full Text): The American Library Association (ALA) applauds the Biden-Harris Administration’s steps announced today to address the rise in book bans and other attacks on LGBTQIA+ Americans. In ...

Missouri: A Kansas City Library System Has Banned LGBTQ Pride Book Displays in Children's Areas; Texas: “Seems Obscene” Says...

Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) ACRL Executive Director Robert “Jay” Malone is Leaving Organization, Will Be Succeeded by Interim Executive Director Allison Payne (via ALA) Databases CiteScore 2022 ...

New IMLS Releases Research Brief: Access to Public Library Services and Materials During the First Nine Months of...

From IMLS: The Institute of Museum and Library Services announced today the release of a research brief on the public library response to community needs during the first 9 months ...

Video: Poet and Author Amanda Gorman Joins "CBS Mornings" For Her First Interview Since Her Poem And Book,...

From CBS News (via YouTube): Poet and author Amanda Gorman joins “CBS Mornings” for her first interview since her poem and book, “The Hill We Climb,” was restricted by a ...

GPO and NOAA Partner to Increase Permanent Public Access to NOAA Publications

From a Joint Announcement: U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Central Library is working to add more than 47,000 unique items ...

Scholarly Communication: "Why Nature Will Not Allow the Use of Generative AI in Images and Video"

From a Nature Editorial: Why are we disallowing the use of generative AI in visual content? Ultimately, it is a question of integrity. The process of publishing — as far ...

ADVERTISEMENT

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Tweets by infoDOCKET

ADVERTISEMENT

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • Programs+
  • Design
  • Leadership
  • People
  • COVID-19
  • Advocacy
  • Opinion
  • INFOdocket
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Booklists
  • Prepub Alert
  • Book Pulse
  • Media
  • Readers' Advisory
  • Self-Published Books
  • Review Submissions
  • Review for LJ

Awards

  • Library of the Year
  • Librarian of the Year
  • Movers & Shakers 2022
  • Paralibrarian of the Year
  • Best Small Library
  • Marketer of the Year
  • All Awards Guidelines
  • Community Impact Prize

Resources

  • LJ Index/Star Libraries
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies

Events & PD

  • Online Courses
  • In-Person Events
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Submit Features/News
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Careers at MSI


© 2023 Library Journal. All rights reserved.


© 2022 Library Journal. All rights reserved.