SCIAMI | digital library

Sciami is a thematic network on Theater, Video, Sound and Performance, which publishes online the most significant research paths of researchers, scholars and academic groups. It also publishes a webzine, Sciami|ricerche. We’ve decided to go beyond the services that the Web already offers by creating a Digital Library.
Sciami|digitallibrary intends to be a place where very rare and specialized documents can be found and easily accessed, displayed and disseminated, translated and linked, shared and integrated into the most important Linked Open Data for Cultural Heritage projects. Any library (even a digital one) is defined by the community that uses it. This is why we now ask for your support, inviting you to become part of the Sciami|digitallibrary. We’ve decided to undertake a fundraising campaign to continue to develop the Digital Library.
We ask for your support to:

1. terminate the definition of digital preservation protocols, digitization and processing of metadata;
2. finalize agreements with content providers;
3. conclude the platform’s technical development;
4. digitize, compute and publish part of the historic library of the Bulzoni Publishing House

HISTORY
The idea of designing and building this Digital Library came about from a involvement in the teaching and research work carried out by a group headed by Professor Valentina Valentini and creative Zu lab (a firm specialized in designing tools for the cultural sector). From our very first meetings we felt the need for a tool that would give due value to Italy’s artistic and research experiences (past, present and future) at a nationwide level, help and facilitate the use, management and publication of materials necessary for research, bring together the multitude of testimonies scattered in a myriad of “analog” archives throughout Italy, encourage dialogue between the various paths between them, prevent the dispersion of cognitive capital over the years, be ready to use without complicated computer skills, speak several languages for accessibility outside of Italy’s borders, and, lastly, be digital, online and in communication with the other major projects of international culture such as Cultura Italia, ECLAP and Europeana.

It was with these great challenges in mind that we set out to create a tool capable of aiding research in the performing arts, valuing Italy’ history and experiences, circulating the huge library of Italian publishers apropos of an area that all too often lies shut in file cabinets, and capable of bringing the live performing arts, the fine arts, and art in general, within the ethical and aesthetic discourse of the community.
Free services and services “PRO”
The services offered by the digital library will be divided into two parts:

• To "free" services will be accessed by all users, registered or otherwise, for free (access to textual documents, metadata and network)
• To services "pro" can be accessed by users registered with annual subscription (see the documents in their original format, high-resolution video, high resolution photos, translation of foreign texts, audio transcripts, documents published in the last three years)