The Goodspeed Manuscript Collection

The Goodspeed Manuscript Collection

This collection held by the University of Chicago Library consists of 65 early Greek, Syriac, Ethiopic, Aremenian, Arabic, and Latin manuscripts that date from between the 7th and 19th centuries. These MSS were collected by Edgar J. Goodspeed, who studied at the University of Chicago and chaired the Department of New Testament and Early Christian Literature, between 1927 and 1953. The goal of the digitization project is to digitize all 65 MSS plus 114 papyri fragments in the Goodspeed Collection.

Collection Principles: The collection principles of digitized version of the Goodspeed Manuscript Collection reflects those of the physical collection itself. The principles behind the creation of the physical collection are those of Edgar Goodspeed, whose mission was to collect hitherto unknown manuscripts of the early Christian period that would provide impetus for new scholarship. Enough information about the collection is provided for the user to be able to ascertain what is in the collection, but also what intellectual property rights apply to the collection. The project is funded with support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grants for Libraries - Building Digital Resources program. It is not clear how much of the total funding is provided by IMLS, or how the University of Chicago intends to continue funding the project after the NLG funds run out.

Object Characteristics: It is clear that the University of Chicago intends to continue to support the existence and development of this digital collection. A page on the website describes the digitization process, including pixel dimensions, file sizes, and software used. The images each given a unique identifier that consists of the project acronym (GNT), the manuscript number, and a three 0-pad for sequence numbering. In order to enhance research capabilities, each image is enhanced using Zoomify. Thus, each image has zooming and panning capabilities, as well as page turning capabilities created with PHP.

Metadata: Each image also has associated technical, structural, and descriptive metadata (24 fields) associated with it. This metadata is stored in Microsoft Access. Along with the images of each object are provided the title, alternate title(s), collection, description, subjects, page information, and digital object information related to the image on the screen. There is also a link to more information on the manuscript displayed in the image. Not all of these fields are populated, and there is not always any additional information, since the project is still in progress.

Intended Audience: Clearly, the intended audience for the Goodspeed Manuscript Collection's digital manifestation is scholars of the New Testament and early Christianity. The resources that are part of this collection would not be of much use to the average, non-scholarly person. They might be of interest, however, and the capabilities that the site provides (panning, zooming, page turning) makes these object appealing to both lay people and experts.