A New Age of Photography: ‘DIY Digitization’ in Manuscript Studies

Abstract Since c. 2008 many special collections libraries have allowed researchers to take photographs of medieval manuscripts: this article calls such self-service photography ‘DIY digitization’. The considers some possible effects digital tool for research on book history, especially palaeography, comparing it in particular the institutionally-led digitization. digitization’ does assist with access manuscripts, but less easily and open data than institutional digitization does. Instead, allows researcher’s intellectual agenda guide selection what photograph. photographic process thereby becomes part analysis. Photography by researcher is therefore limited subjectivity also helps highlight role subjective perspectives scholarship. It can balance a breadth or depth perspective ways different from could theory foster increased textual scholarship practice has fostered attention materiality text.