Conveners
RT 3 - PUBLISHING CATALOGUES IN MEDIEVAL NUMISMATICS: BEST PRACTICE IN THE INTERNET AGE
- Elina Screen (Fitzwilliam Museum)
Description
Org. and moderator: Elina Screen
The publication of illustrated coin catalogues making reliable data available to scholars has advanced the study of numismatics enormously. Since the early twentieth century, the printed sylloge format pioneered by the Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum, including detailed catalogue entries and photographs of every coin, has been especially important in enabling die-studies. In today’s digital age, internet databases and online catalogues provide new ways to make large collections of coins available. Both approaches have advantages and constraints. Print catalogues are expensive to produce and harder to update but provide a stable version of record. Online databases can be updated more flexibly, but changing technology can make it hard to maintain access over time, and the quality of the data and images can depend on the subject expertise of those inputting the data (finder-submitted metal detector finds, for example). Hybrid publication, providing additional online materials alongside printed catalogues, also has its challenges. This round table, sponsored by the Medieval European Coinage project, will discuss best practice to ensure reliable catalogue data is available in stable, accessible and sustainable ways today and in the future. Contributors from different publication projects will be invited to speak for 5 minutes on challenges, opportunities and future paths of catalogue publication in the digital age (using a maximum of 3 powerpoint slides to support their presentation), to generate new perspectives on familiar problems and to share ideas and practices, and to stimulate wider discussion. Confirmed contributors include Dr Rory Naismith (Sylloge of the Coins of the British Isles project) and Dr Elina Screen (Medieval European Coinage project). Other leading digital and print numismatic publication and database projects will be approached to contribute. This session will be of interest to all users of online and print catalogues as well as those involved in publishing coin collections.
Further projects will be approached, including the Sylloge Nummorum Graecorum and leading database projects, in order to have approx. 5 short presentations with different perspectives, followed by a general discussion.
List of panelists:
Rory Naismith
Elina Screen
Mateusz Bogucki
Adrian Popescu
