The Museum of Book and Printing in Ukraine is digitizing its most valuable artifacts, including four manuscript books, 120 ancient prints, and a thousand samples of graphics. Along with scholarly descriptions, they will be included in the electronic publication "Catalog of Manuscript Books and Ancient Prints of the Museum of Book and Printing in Ukraine."
The digitized collection will be hosted on the museum's website under the section "Online Collection." The project will be carried out with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
A wide range of speakers, including Dr. Natalia Starchenko, Archbishop Igor Isichenko, academics Mykola Sulima, Mykola Zhulynskyi, Deputy Director of the Institute of Literature at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Serhiy Haltchenko, Dr. Galina Kovalchuk, writer Valeriy Shevchuk, Dr. Dmytro Stepovyk in Art History and Theology, military historian Igor Poluektov, and Ukrainian diaspora scholars Marina Trattnern and Oksana Yurchyshyn, were involved in creating scholarly commentaries for the artifacts.
They have also decided to digitize ancient chants recorded in books, with their recording voiced by the People's Artist Taras Kompanichenko.
As part of the project, laser scanning of the historical museum building, the former monastery printing house, is planned, along with the creation of its 3D model. This aims to make the UNESCO-listed monument more accessible.
Additionally, to celebrate the museum's 50th anniversary, which occurred last year, the museum staff is preparing a virtual exhibition called "Museum Magic of Numbers." They have selected 50 exhibits that illuminate the most intriguing aspects of the history of book creation and the development of Ukrainian identity as a distinct culture.
