Transformation of the Codex Sinaiticus into a digital tool

该项目计划耗时两年，目的是提供一个面向未来的、基于IIIF的致力于西奈抄本的在线门户网站，不仅允许学者们详细访问，还允许他们直接在门户中工作，并实现简单的机器处理。西奈抄本是现存最古老的圣经手稿之一，也是第一个完整包含新约圣经的手稿，由伦敦的大英图书馆、莱比锡大学图书馆、西奈的圣凯瑟琳修道院和圣彼得堡的俄罗斯国家图书馆以不同大小收藏。2005至2011年间，在DFG德国研究基金会资助的一个项目下开展了重要工作，其结果可在www.codexsinaiticus.org平台上查阅。该平台包括所有页面的以上高分辨率数字副本、完整文本的字母准确抄写以及对羊皮纸叶子非文本违规的详细描述。然而，所有与研究有关的信息主要是为屏幕查看而准备的，只能通过基本的、基本上是非标准化形式的界面访问。此外，该软件的界面功能已不再满足当今用户的期望。由于所使用的技术架构，要大大改进目前的门户网站需要付出不成比例的努力，因此，为了使数字数据得到最佳利用，已决定采用既定的数据储存和提供标准。国际图像互操作性框架(IIIF)将用于传输和显示数字图像及相关数据。包括莱比锡大学图书馆在内的众多知名机构正在继续努力改进标准界面和开发开放源码软件，这将大大简化计划中的门户网站的后续扩大工作。该项目涉及为西奈食典创建一个基于IIIF的门户网站，采用两种使用模式：a)直接在虚拟环境中工作；b)以现代的、可扩展的形式在免费许可证下对丰富的数据进行进一步处理。与当前的门户相比，不会损失任何功能。设计和用户体验专家将参与确保卓越的用户体验，并将征求主要目标群体的代表的反馈，即国际圣经研究人员和世界各地的圣经专家。莱比锡大学图书馆独立主办目前的演示，并计划在自己的努力下运营新的门户网站。该项目的所有开发成果都将在开放源码许可下免费重复使用。

The aim of the project, which is scheduled to take two years, is to provide a future-proof, IIIF-based online portal devoted to the Codex Sinaiticus which not only grants scholars detailed access but also allows them to work directly in the portal and enables simple machine processing.The Codex Sinaiticus, one of the oldest surviving Bible manuscripts and the first to contain the New Testament in its entirety, is held in different-sized portions by the British Library in London, Leipzig University Library, St Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai, and the Russian National Library in St Petersburg. Between 2005 and 2011, significant work was carried out under a project funded by the DFG German Research Foundation, the results of which can be accessed on the platform www.codexsinaiticus.org.The platform includes above high-resolution digital copies of all pages, a letter-exact transcription of the complete text and detailed descriptions of non-textual irregularities of the parchment leaves. However, all information relevant for research has been primarily prepared for on-screen viewing and can only be accessed via interfaces in a rudimentary, largely non-standardized form. Moreover, the software’s interface functions no longer meet the expectations of today’s users. Significantly improving the current portal would require disproportionate effort owing to the technical architecture used.Therefore, to permit the optimum use of the digital data, it has been decided to employ established standards for data storage and provision. The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) is to be used for the transmission and display of digital images and related data. A broad community of renowned institutions, including Leipzig University Library, is continuously working to improve the standard interfaces and to develop open source software that will considerably simplify subsequent enlargements of the planned portal.The project involves the creation of a IIIF-based portal for the Codex Sinaiticus with the implementation of two modes of use: a) directly working in a virtual environment; and b) the further processing of the enriched data in a modern, extensible form and under free licenses. There will be no loss of functions compared to the current portal. Design and UX experts will be involved to guarantee an outstanding user experience, and feedback will be requested from representatives of the primary target groups, i.e. international Bible researchers and Bible experts across the world.Leipzig University Library independently hosts the current presentation and also plans to operate the new portal under its own steam. All development results of the project will be made available for free reuse under open-source licenses.