Bibliopolis

[Henk Matthezing]

Apologies for cross-posting
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Bibliopolis, a research tool for the history of the
printed book in the Netherlands

Although urgently needed, there is as yet no overview of the history
of the printed book in the Netherlands. After the initial period
in the fifteenth century, when books printed in the Netherlands
were intended mainly for the domestic market, the book became a
vehicle for the new ideas of the Renaissance and the Reformation
during the sixteenth century. In the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries Dutch books, in keeping with the economic position of
the Dutch Republic, played a seminal role in the history of ideas
in Europe. After a period of focusing on the national market in
the nineteenth century, the Dutch book trade has now recovered
its international standing, not least because of the quality of
its typography and publishing. Although the international prestige
of Dutch book production is a reflection of our position in Europe,
the most important function of books is one of education and cultural
transfer within our own country: no matter whether it is a textbook
for schools or a pamphlet, a travelogue or a novel, a scholarly
publication or a religious tract, the ultimate object is to produce
and distribute books to be read.

Since World War II the study of the history of the book in the
Netherlands has evolved into a fully fledged academic study. The
influence of various foreign schools of thought has crystallised
into a clear approach focused on production, distribution and
consumption of printed information. Bibliology is highly
interdisciplinary by nature, with strong ties to the history of
literature, economics, art, and - more generally - cultural history.
In this mutually stimulating atmosphere the lack of an overview
of the history of the book is widely deplored, especially since
the other disciplines have had such overviews for many years and
often in several different forms. 

The Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Library of the Netherlands,
has initiated a project to create a tool for the research on the
history of the book. This tool, which will be called Bibliopolis,
will be designed as an interactive academic information system,
based on World Wide Web technology. While using Bibliopolis, the
researcher will encounter the state of the art of Dutch history
of the book, together with extensive documentation in the form
of bibliographical references, visual material, external
bibliographical databases and full text copies of important articles.
The tool is characterised by the use of innovative information
and networking technology for the processing and dissemination
of the results of research and documentation in the field of the
history of the book. The system consists of five components, that
are interlinked: an handbook-like information structure, an image
database, a documentation system, retrospective bibliographic tools,
and secondary references as full text. 

Bibliopolis will be designed, managed, maintained and published
by the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, with support from the Competence
Center for Electronic Document Engineering of the University of
Utrecht. It will be made accessible at the Internet server of the
KB. The project started in March 1998 with financial support from
the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), and
will run for four years. 

For more information about the project you are kindly referred
to the project manager:

Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of the Netherlands
Drs. Marco de Niet
Library Research Department
P.O.Box 90407
2509 LK The Hague
tel.: +31 70 3140 489
fax.: +31 70 3140 501
e-mail: marco.deniet at konbib.nl


Regards, Henk
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Henk Matthezing_________________(_)/ /(_)__/                           \
                                    'A King, Riding on Random Water'    
coordinating editor          Virginia Woolf - The Waves (orig. Manuscript)
Redactie Infoservices                 
Koninklijke Bibliotheek/SURFnet B.V.  Phone:  +31 70 3140 615
P.O.B. 90407                          Fax:    +31 70 3140 501
2509 LK Den Haag                      E-mail: henkm at python.konbib.nl
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