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The challenge of the visual: making medieval seals accessible in the digital age

John Alexander McEwan (Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri,USA)

Journal of Documentation

ISSN: 0022-0418

Article publication date: 14 September 2015

739

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present and evaluate an innovative classification system for medieval seals that was created as part of the Seals in Medieval Wales (SiMeW) project, funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). The classification system developed in response to the cataloguing challenges associated with rapidly gathering sigillographic information on about 2,500 medieval seals from a number of collections in several UK repositories.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper outlines the challenges involved in recording and classifying medieval seals from the British Isles, and describes existing systems for organizing sigillographic information. The SiMeW system is explained as a response to the limitations of existing systems.

Findings

Designers of systems for recording seals need to take into account the physical characteristics of seal impressions, matrices, and casts, the strength and limitations of digital media, as well as the need of cataloguers and users.

Originality/value

In recent years scholars have systematically investigated the problems associated with text-based image indexing and retrieval. Nonetheless, medieval seals have been largely overlooked, even though they are common in UK repositories. SiMeW’s system offers cataloguers an example of an approach that they can use in new and existing seal catalogues, to generate metadata that can help make seals, which are a key component of the cultural legacy of the Middle Ages, more accessible to users.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Seals in Medieval Wales, 1,200-1,500, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/G010994/1): principal investigator, Phillipp Schofield; co-investigator, Sue Johns; senior research officer, Elizabeth New, and research officer, John McEwan. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the “Digital Resources for Palaeography” symposium held at King’s College London, in September 2011. The author is grateful to the fellow speakers and audience members for their comments and suggestions. The author also wish to thank Dr Elizabeth New for her generous assistance.

Citation

McEwan, J.A. (2015), "The challenge of the visual: making medieval seals accessible in the digital age", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 71 No. 5, pp. 999-1028. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-12-2013-0163

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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