Discovery and Democracy: The Role of the Digital Image in the Transformation of the Cultural Heritage Landscape

The digital image is not a surrogate for the original book. It is a primary resource in its own right, responsive to questions, subject to powerful manipulations, and open to deployment in contexts of which the physical book could only dream – if only it could think. The digital image also opens the world of rare books to an audience of millions.

In this talk, William Noel, Associate University Librarian for Special Collections, will discuss some of the potential of the digital image to transform the world of cultural heritage. He will also reassure that unique and material aspects of rare books will always remain at the heart of any Special Collections endeavor.