BookNET: a network for the technological study of the book and manuscript as artefact

书是我们文化遗产的主要组成部分之一，这里的“书”指的是任何便携物品，其主要目的是传递文献信息（包括图像和文字）。几个世纪以来，人们一直致力于调查和解释书面文件的内容，但相比之下，对这种媒介本身的关注相对较少。事实上，对书籍作为实物的研究在某种程度上落后于对其他文化物品（如架上绘画）的技术研究。我们建议将那些积极从事图书研究的人（包括文学和历史学者、研究科学家以及图书馆馆长和图书保管员）聚集在一个研究集群中，并通过将这些专业知识与相关学科的经验相结合，为此类研究制定研究议程。研究集群的主要兴趣将集中在“真实性、认证和安全性”这一主题上，因为了解书籍的生活史对于理解它们的内容是至关重要的。我们也会对物质对象的各种元素的转化的本质感兴趣，以及这对保护实践的影响。本书的各个组成部分之间的相互作用将是一个重要的考虑因素。因此，它也谈到了“转型的本质”这一主题。研究集群将建立在现有的研究网络“图书研究中心”（牛津大学博德利图书馆、大英图书馆、莱顿大学、巴伐利亚州立图书馆、慕尼黑大学和普林斯顿大学的合作伙伴关系）的基础上。我们相信，这一活动将促使人们在评估信息内容时考虑到书籍的物理性质，并提醒世人，实体书包含的信息比数字化图像所能表达的信息更多。产出将是一份总结当前研究状况的文件，并为未来的跨学科研究制定战略。

The book is one of the major components of our cultural heritage - by 'book' we mean any portable object whose prime purpose is to convey documentary information (including images and text). For centuries vast effort has been devoted to investigating and interpreting the content of written documents, but, in comparison, relatively little attention has been paid to the medium itself. In fact, the study of the book as a physical object lags some way behind the technical study of other cultural objects (such as easel paintings). We propose to bring together those who are active in the study of the book (including literary and historical scholars, research scientists, as well as library curators and book conservators) in a Research Cluster, and, by commbining this expertise with experience from related disciplines, generate a research agenda for such a study.A major interest of the Research Cluster will be within the theme 'Authenticity, authentication and security', since a knowledge of the life histories of books is an essential contribution to understanding their content in context. We will also be interested in the nature of transformation of the various elements of the material objects, and the implications of this for conservation practice. The interaction between the various components of the book will be an important consideration here. As such, it also speaks to the theme 'nature of transformation'..The Research Cluster will build on an existing research network, the 'Centre for the Study of the Book' (a partnership between the Bodleian Library, Oxford, the British Library, Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Munich and Princeton University).We believe that this activity will precipitate a step-change in the way in which the physical nature of the book is taken into account when the information content is evaluated, and will remind the world that the physical book contains more information than can be represented as a digitized image. The output will be a document which summarizes the current state of research, and generates a strategy for futre interdisciplinary research.