The Birth Of A Digital Facsimile

                                          ~  Nusquam Productions Proudly Presents ~ 

                                         Curtsey of the course ‘Digitization of History’ 

 

 

 

 

                                                 Birth Of A Digital Facsimile 

                                                   (Digitized Duplicates) 

 

 

         

                                                               A Play by Brent Stone 

 

 

 

                             Nusquam sed scaena Digital ~ Nowhere except the Digital Stage 

                              

                                               A New Play For Fans of Digitization! 

 

 

The birth of a facsimile charts the adventures of digital duplicates within the Louvre Museum in Paris France and follows their story through a myriad of protocols, methods, standards, tools, hardware, software, storage and finally, the digital portals of the the Louvre Museum!   

                           

 

 

 

                                                           Introduction.  

Some people who are not interested in French history are interested in French food. When I was a kid, I loved the Superbowl. This was not because of the game, but because of the unusual variety of food that was available. I am not super interested (or informed) regarding French food, but I love French history. As such, digitization of the vast and various collections of the Louvre Museum is interesting and daunting and the point of this grant proposal.  

                                    Section I ~ Overview  (Act 1) 

When it comes to the national significance of the Louvre Museum in Paris France, I initially felt a little hesitant in my selection. I am after all, not a French citizen. It has come to my recent attention (via Ancestry.com) that my family has French blood. Forgoing any hesitation is not due to having some French blood, but because of the realization that if the Louvre Museum had not initially preserved items of French origin, then many other sequential historical items whether from Egypt, or the arts or records or anything not of French origin, may not have afterward been preserved.  

Put another way, in some respects, without the initial national significance in preserving the French past, many items or aspects of international significance therein may perhaps have been prevented or excluded and lost to history. In a real sense, the national and international significance of the Louvre is linked, and this realization has implications that extend beyond the borders of France. For significance of this scale, digitization is imperative. Digitization is the name of the game, but what is the intent?                                                                                   The most expensive highway in the world would happen to surround the French Island of Reunion (400 miles east of Madagascar). The expense of this expressway was more than 2 billion USD dollars. A certain word gives a partial explanation, and that pivotal word is access. Whether it is digital or analogue in nature, the scenario of someone wanting to get from point A to point B will be a never-ending adventure. In the past, of course, this would only have been analogue in nature as the vast and recent highway of digitization had not yet made its mark on the world. And it is probable, with digitization sweeping over the landscapes of libraries, archives and museums, that with all the stakeholders involved, the total in terms of finances will overshadow the 2 billion USD dollar price tag for the highway around the island of Reunion. This grant proposal will create that digital road from ‘A’ wherever the stakeholder happens to be located, to ‘B’, the digital portal of the Louvre Museum website wherein the stakeholder will be immersed by an intuitive, easily navigational environment with new scenes that are always emerging.   

  This is a grant proposal for funding a digitization of the Louvre Museum and I am requesting a grant specific to this collection’s national significance. Even though this will be about the national significance of the Louvre Museum, there may be some prominent artifacts, documents and historical items that do not expressly fall within French history and culture but that will be included. The spotlight will, however, be mostly on French culture and history, otherwise the national significance might not be as pronounced. And for the country of France, the question of what could be as significant as the Louvre is an interesting one. The Eiffel tower would be a contender.  

                                     Act 1 – Scene 1        (Overview) 

This overview and backdrop, which covers the national significance of the Louvre Museum is Scene 1 of Act 1. The mission of the Louvre Museum in connecting the collection of the museum to its significance would be scene 2. Describing its potential would be scene 3.    Section II will be the plan of work and it will be Act 2. The workflow plan describes the process of digitization, and this is Act 2, Scene 1. How the workflow plan might be evaluated for demonstrating success in digitization is Act 2 scene 2.  

Section III will be Act 3, which will involve budgetary and staffing considerations. Budgetary considerations will be scene 1. Resources will be scene 2. Key personnel will be scene 3. 

 Section IV will be Act 4. Digital standards will be scene 1. Methods will be scene 2 and will include aspects of different applications. Copyright standards considerations will be described in scene 3. 

Section V will be Act 5. Potential will be scene 1 and limitation will be scene 2. Curtain and conclusion.  

                                                     Act 1 ~ Scene 2       (The Mission) 

What is the mission of the Louvre Museum? In previous digital visits to the Louvre, I quickly found their mission statement, but recently I have not found such a mission statement anywhere. The mission of the Abu Dhabi branch of the Louvre mentioned collecting and preserving the stories of people from history and indeed, that is something that describes the mission of the Louvre. The specific word that the Louvre in Abut Dahbi used was ‘stories,’ which is of course not the same word as history, though for people who are not historians, it is more relatable and accomplishes the intent of history 

 

 

                                    Act 1 ~ Scene 3       (The Potential) 

Access is key, and digitization amplifies access and thereby accomplishes history's intent, which is in part to better inform as to history and increase the population of future stakeholders. If history is rendered as dry dull and boring, then of course accessibility is a moot point. Who would return to a restaurant where the food was forgettable or worse, lodged in the memory of the customers because it was awful. Accessibility is all important and this concept would not be lost on commuters during rush hour. Were a two-lane highway to be turned into a four-lane highway, this would be interpreted as progress.  

When a museum digitizes, they are rolling out the red carpet to the digital masses and increasing the viewing of their artifacts to the extent that the digital views may likely outpace analogue views. Digital traffic to and from their website is a returning investment for their effort and resources spent to digitize and provide further access to their collections.   

                                    

            Section II     ~    Act 2 – Scene 1     ~     Plan of Work      ~        (The Workflow Plan) 

The plan of action is in effect describing a well-oiled machine that in part accomplished the goal of digitization from start to finish. A digital facsimile of the item or items in question must first be acquired. And so, we come to the first instance of the sort of hardware that will be needed and that would be a scanner. And of course, there are scanners for documents in various stages of delicacy, scanners for objects, scanners for images, scanners for complex geometrics and many other scanners besides.  

If the item happens to be a film roll, then the scanner in question will be a scanner that is similar in operation to and looks like an archaic movie projector that collects a digital copy of what is on the film roll. If the item is a very delicate document, then it will be conveyed to a scanner that does not compress the document but is laid on a table that is moved smoothly and directly under a stationary scanner.  

Once the digital facsimile has been acquired, then editing is called for. Cropping is necessary along with rendering the facsimile to be clearer and of course, the addition of metadata is needed, otherwise people who are not archivists or historians or Librarians will be less likely to appreciate it and thus be informed. Metadata would be information about when the document was made and why, who made it and how it descended into the condition that marked it for preservation and treatment.  The next step would be consideration of the software and storage needed to preserve the digital facsimile.  

The digital facsimile will be saved under a file type fitting for the item in question. This could be TIFF, or NPG JPEG depending on the size and item in question. This digital facsimile will then be saved in several locations which could be a flash drive, CD or media storage ranging from a memory card, a computer hard drive or a database. This facsimile is then ready to be uploaded to the section of the website wherein the item is classed.  

Because the collection of the Louvre is so large, varied and extensive, the more flexibility and versatility a software system offers, then the more advantageous and convenient it will be. It is with this thought that Minisis and its archive, library and Museum system seems to offer the most advantages.   

                                    Act 2 – Scene 2        (Demonstrating Success) 

Is the workflow an indication of success? This is a good question, and it can be looked at from the perspective of a blueprint regarding the steps, plans, procedures and protocol that are considered when a digitization project is in the works or under consideration or scrutiny. If it banishes confusion and halts ambiguity and creates an easy-to-follow map to where the project should end up, it is a good sign.   

             Section III      ~  Act 3  ~    Budgetary Considerations and Staffing 

Budgetary considerations and staffing can be a make-or-break aspect of a digitization project.  

                                        Scene 1     (Budgetary Considerations)  

There are budgetary considerations for pretty much every aspect of a digitization project. Within a grant proposal there are of course many costs. There is the cost of personnel and staff, and these would include digital technicians' preservation technicians and managers. Having volunteers with a vested interest in the digitization project also helps, though there needs to be training for them to properly carry out their duties and contribute to the digitization project.  

The individuals who are working and not volunteering would of course need to be given a salary and benefits for the length of time that they are working on the digitization project. This must be factored into the cost of the grant. There are many other costs, of course, such as software and hardware. When it comes to hardware, much of the expense will be the cost for different types of scanners for varied uses on different artifacts, and there will of course need to be computers that can interface with these scanners. There needs to be media hardware for the transfer and storage of digital media whether they are hard drives, optical discs, hard drives and micro-SD cards.  

                                               Act 3 – Scene 2      (Resources) 

For the scanners, I am considering that $5,000 will cover the different types of scanners I would need. I would consider about $5000 for computers able to run Minisis. For media storage, I would say that for hard drives, micro-SD cards, Optical CDs and archival storage, the allocation of $3000 should be sufficient. And of course, there needs to be software which, for its flexibility and versatility, should be Minisis which is normally around 35,000 USD.   

                                          Act 3 – Scene 3        (Staffing) 

When it comes to staffing, the kind of manager can make all the difference. Times change and society does as well, but there are elements of good management that are timeless and helpful in almost any setting. The following is an excerpt from a pioneer book, though not an exact quote.  

"The boss who bosses the least gets the most done, and in haying time, father said that this mentality would result in the most goodwill and work accomplished." This is not an exact quote a from a book called, 'Father and I were ranchers,' By Ralph Moody. I really enjoy reading stories about the old west. Whether they were immigrants, cowboys, Indians or early suburbanites, the day-to-day happenings and how they lived their lives are of great interest to me. In haying time, cowboys and ranch hands could count on there being no short supply of work (or food on ranch tables) but of course, there had to be someone to direct what was to happen, who was to do what and who was to deal with difficulties. 

Who wants to manage people? Well, I am an ESL teacher, though not all the same rules apply to managing adults and kids. A class textbook (Ross, Parry. 2013. Museums in a digital age) for this course mentioned that the elements needed to manage a successful project are strong management and communication skills. I happen to have a twin brother and neither of us are terrific communicators. We often laugh at our miscommunications. "What did you just say? (response) Oh, I thought you just said a swear word! Unfortunately, miscommunication in the real world seldom produces such jovial and unintended amusement, although a sense of humor can be a great diffuser. Ross Parry specifies that management and communication skills are essential for a digital project's completion. 

I don't know who said it, but the following phrase may or may not be common knowledge. "Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react. Not letting circumstances be a dictator but dictating how you will use whatever the circumstances are, to your advantage is a skill and a lifeline you throw to yourself. A manager who has this type of mindset has a definite advantage.   

Treating other people right is a major element also. Guarding the dignity of whoever you work with or for is not only courteous and sensible, but it can prevent and treat potential miscommunications, and the effort to do so is an investment in the well-being of everyone involved. We can be a thermometer or thermostat. A thermometer can only reflect the temperature whereas a thermostat can change the temperature. An effective manager needs to be good at not only foreseeing potential meltdowns but defusing them when preventative efforts have failed.  

It is not always a good idea to hire someone who has a very high IQ. Neurologists and brain scientists such as Dr. Arlene Taylor (Taylor, Arlene (2024) High IQ, Realizations Inc) who study the brain have shown that 80% of the success in life is because of a high EQ (emotional intelligence). Some hallmarks of someone with a low EQ would include a tendency of taking things personally, jumping to conclusions, needing to be right, insensitivity, blaming others and poor coping skills. These are the kind of people I would avoid hiring though spotting them from the get-go is not always easy.   

A high IQ has been shown to account for just 20% of the success someone has in life and an effective manager is someone who will prioritize hiring someone with a high EQ and proven work ethics over someone with a high IQ. If I was a manager, this would be my modus operandi. I can't help hoping that I might be employed at some point in a museum, archive or library and these considerations would certainly help me along. 

When it comes to staff, I would hire a manager and about 4 technicians. The timeframe in relation to hardware, software and resources is not dire, but it can be precipitous in considering how long the project will last and how much the staff are going to be paid and it is of course the largest expense. The project will last for about 6 months and each staff member will get paid $30 an hour, about 250 dollars a day for five working days equaling $1250 dollars a week. This would total $5000 a month and $30,000 for the length of the project. With 5 workers, not counting committed and eligible part-time volunteers (who would not be left without any perks), the total would be about $150,000 USD. 

I would request about $200,000, and I believe that with financial considerations including the staff, hardware, software and various resources, I could keep that number just under $200,000. 

         Section IV    ~    Act 4 – Scene 1    ~    Digitial Standards and Methods  

This digitization effort would not mean much if the team could not learn from the experiences of other digitization efforts. A notable one would be YUL. In 2007, Yale University Library with the resources and backing of Microsoft, attempted to digitize their entire library. Even though Microsoft later pulled out of the project, Yale University Library was still able to digitize 1/3 of their library. One could easily write an interesting short story about it, with positive and constructive implications for the digitization of the Louvre Museum.  

The Adventures of the go-getter institution, a precursor to the Louvre Digitization project! 

In the pioneering days of digitization, around the year 2007, the brave explorers of Yale University Library (comprising digital and preservation technicians, archivists and librarians), inaugurated an adventure and a trek to the fabled island known as digitization project success! Along the way there, the intrepid adventurers faced trials, delays and perplexities of all kinds! They were accosted by the wild beasts of fatigue in the paths they were second guessing themselves on! They had to scale and squeeze through the passes of bottleneck mountain, using all their creativity and resources. They had to move as a group and learn to streamline and coalesce their efforts in their quest. They had to make maps with various flowcharts and specific processes to help them on their way. 1/3 of the way into their epic journey, the colossal airship Microsoft, which has been dropping parachutes of supplies, hardware and software, headed in another unknown direction, abandoning, but not dooming the resilient and hardy YUL members. The explorers in the party of YUL did, through all mishaps, reach project digitization island. Even though it was 2/3's smaller than they thought, the victory was inescapably theirs!     

The hardy and resilient members of the project to digitize the Louvre are in search of an airship, with an eye for diversifying its legacy in the success of helping to digitize the Louvre. The new frontier of preserving the past, in unison and harmony with analog preservation, is digitization. Therefore, the standards and methods of digitization are also the fabric of preserving the past for future generations.  

At the risk of repeating myself, I have chosen the Louvre Museum as the object of my digitization effort, and these are my considerations regarding methods and standards. 

                                      Act 4 – Scene 1       (Digitial Standards) 

Unless you happen to work in a digitization and preservation laboratory for a library, archive or museum, the word scanner will usually bring one item to mind. For digitization or preservation technicians, the word ‘scanners’, is more fitting, yet not encompassing. In a preservation or digitization laboratory, different scanners would be needed for different historical items. You could not use a scanner for delicate and fragile documents as you would for film that is to be scanned, and indeed the two machines, both called scanners, look totally different.  

When it comes to hardware and software, there are several specifics to be considered. In the case of the hardware, a variety of scanners will be needed. There will be some items in the Louvre such as large artifacts. An example would be from the section housing the palace of Sargon II of Babylon. Some large items therein may require 3-D scanning tools that are more ideal for digitizing large items. A laser arm scanner is an example of a tool that would be used to scan large items that would be geometrically complex.  

For some items or artifacts, a look into their exterior and interior geometry would require delicate care, and a high-resolution micro-CT scanner would be helpful for digitizing, say, the contents of a hand sized pouch or sealed leather case that is quite brittle. There are a variety of scanners with different features. Some may be more amendable to older fragile documents and some scanners are more ideal for newer and hardier documents. There are ancient manuscripts and books hundreds of years old that require scanning. They are of different sizes, weights and in different stages of deterioration. 

                                       Act 4 – Scene 2   (Methods)  

Who wants to look like Lucile Ball frantically working at a conveyor belt with chocolates? It is my opinion that technicians for the most part would prefer to appear dignified, capable and informed regarding their work. Some may not resemble this description, but they must adhere to certain protocols despite their appearance. There are methods that ensure the safety and preservation of these documents and books.  Oil or residue from a technician's hand or fingers is prevented by gloves, and the scanners are cleaned so that when the documents are scanned, there will be no smudges included in or tarnishing them in any way. The methods in dealing with documents are to help historians prolong the longevity of historical items, whether statues, artifacts or records.  

There may not be many delicate considerations when it comes to stone statues, but when it comes to old documents, records or artifacts, humidity can be a problem, thus, with the more delicate items, the environment where they might be stored, must include climate control, to the effect that the items are preserved in the best and most natural condition as may be possible.    

Within the collection, long term digital storage, and the software needed is an important consideration. There is of course a process for a physical document, or item or artifact to pass through in order to go from point A, the physical item, to point B, a digitized copy or a digital representation of whatever the item or artifact happens to be. If it is a large item, then 3D scanning tools would be of help. Once the entirety of the item or object has been digitally mapped, it could be converted to be displayed with a 3D toggle to enable the viewer to inspect it from every angle. The process for a document would entail the scanning of the document. After scanning would come the editing and addition of metadata as needed. It would then need to be saved in a file appropriate for its purpose. If it was a very large file, then the advantages of using TIFF files for saving space yet keeping the same amount of digital information is invaluable and if it is not a large file, then jpeg would be useful.  

This document, whatever the size and file under which it was saved, would be ready to be stored in archival storage, or sent to be displayed in a digital museum or collection. The files could then be sent anywhere the institution desired.            

                                 Act 4 – Scene 3        (Copyright considerations)                 

I was in Egypt about a month and a half ago, and when I was in the Museum of Egyptian Civilization, I noticed something interesting. The mummy of Ramses II was there, but his sarcophagus was not in the display case. Instead, there was a note that communicated the fact that his coffin was on loan, though it did not specify to which museum it had been lent. In the case of the Louvre, items that have been lent to the museum should not be digitized. There are a variety of good reasons, and one reason is that whatever the item is has been copyrighted. Although Museums frequently lend to other museums, it is with the understanding that each respects the other’s copyright. Opportunists, however, have no such compulsion, and some, if they get away with copyright violations, will pat themselves on the back and use it to their own financial advantage.   

A standard that is imperative and a pillar of honesty and transparency is the avoidance, at all costs, of copyright infringement. When producing digital facsimiles, extra care must be taken so that there will be no chance of accidentally digitizing something with a copyright on it, and the staff who will be hired will be presented with this important point more than once. 

Whether in archives, or in a digital collection, historical items would be considered as part of the assets of the institution in question. It would be the result of the resources and effort expended by the institution, whether a library, archive or museum, to better preserve their collection. It is an investment and promotion in the value of the collection owned by the institution. It is natural that any such institution would desire to guard and preserve such an asset.  There is always the chance that copyright considerations may occur, and in this project, a specific focus would be that whatever is digitized and added to the collection would first undergo an examination to ensure that it would not be claimed as infringing on any copyright laws for a similar item in another prominent museum or collection. 

With respect to software, I am going to use Minisis because it has the flexibility and valuable versatility to be able to be used in a museum, archive or Library, and given the scope of the Louvre Museum, I believe it is the best bet though expenses may dictate a reversal and the project might go under Archivespace.  

           Section V    ~     Act  5     ~       Project Potential and Limitations 

                                                  Scene 1     (Potential) 

Several years ago, when I first embarked on the rather daunting prospect of getting an M.A, one of the first assignments I worked on was the French Revolution. As a kid, I frequently saw black and white movies like Dicken’s “A Tale of Two Cities”, or Baroness Orcys “The Scarlett Pimpernel.” And I had heard of Carlyle’s French Revolution, though I have not read it. I knew a bit about the French Revolution, but not any minute details. Searching for those minute details for a newbie graduate was a challenge, and I often wished that there was an easy way to get such information. As such, I can appreciate the convenience my digitization of the Louvre Museum would have offered me years ago when finding very specific information on the French Revolution would have been very helpful.  

To my audience, I might say something like the following. “What you ever lost anything? What about your sanity when your children or students can’t relate to history? (This would be a nod to the international significance of the Louvre Museum). Have you ever lost interest in history?” Naturally, some people might raise their hands, at which, I would begin a stunning presentation of a sample of what the Louvre Museum could offer in its digitized form, and I would ask questions like, “would you or your students or child be interested in a history based, digital escape room set among the artifacts of ancient Egypt (with background music and sound effects), in which, a very elementary knowledge learned at the Louvre of ancient Egypt would enable them to overcome the aforementioned escape room. This is an example of what digitization could offer to all categories of stakeholders and more could be added also.  

                                        Act 5 – Scene 2   (Limitations) 

It is important to keep in mind that even with digitization, history will not attract everyone, but the way in which digitization amplifies history is worth investing in. Even with limitations, we should not see any of them as a barrier or reason not to invest, but a tool to somehow enhance, enrich and increase digitization. 

                                          Conclusion & Curtain. 

I would like to ask that _____ would consider the funding of the digitization of the Louvre Museum as an investment that will impact the lives of millions and that would not only inform society, which is not only the bedrock of stability and progress, but to prolong the progress of societies everywhere from the United States, to France, to South Korea! Thank you!  

                           A huge thank you to our patrons and audience! 

                                                         The End 

 Sources: 

1. Ross, Parry. (2013). Museums in a digital age. In Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203716083 

2. Billington, James. 1995. “Technical Standards for Digital Conversion Of Text and Graphic Materials.” The Library of Congress. 1995. https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/about/techStandards.pdf. 

3. Peterson, Kit. 2004. “Standards Related to Digital Imaging of Pictorial Materials.” Library of Congress. September 2004. 24AD. https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/tp/DigitizationStandardsPictorial.pdf. 

4. Weintraub, Jennifer and Melissa Wisner. "MASS Digitization at Yale University Library: Exposing the Treasures in our Stacks." Computers in Libraries 28, no. 9 (10, 2008): 10-16. https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fmass-digitization-at-yale-university-library%2Fdocview%2F231152981%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D3783. 

5. B, Petersohn, T, Drummond, M, Maxwell and K, Pepper (2013), "Resource Leveling for a mass digitization project", Library Managment, Vol. 34 No. 6/7, pp.486-497. http://doi-org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1108/LM-05-2012-0029 

6. Taylor, Arlene (2024) High IQ, Realizations Inc, https://www.arlenetaylor.org/taylors-articles/1060-emotions-feelings-and-eq 

7. Hirtle, Peter B., Emily Hudson, and Andrew T. Kenyon. 2009. Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for Digitization for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums.

   www.proquest.com%2Ftrade-journals%2Fconstructing-museums-copyright-policy%2Fdocview%2F274617266%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D3783. 

   9. Clarke, Cheryl. 2001. Storytelling for Grantseekers: The Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA63723301. 

   10. Stone, Brent Allen, (2024, Feb 18th) Reworded material written by himself and relevant to final project. 
       

Digitization and Access

 

Greetings! The most expensive road in the world would happen to skirt the French Island of Reunion (400 miles east of Madagascar). The cost for this road was more than 2 billion USD dollars. A certain word does give a partial explanation and that word is access. Whether it is digital or analogue in nature, the scenario of someone wanting to get from point A to point B will be never ending. It goes without saying that museums would desire the digital roads to their collections to have more traffic than less and digitization is the answer. Access, or a system of access is key. Inevitably, more visitors would mean a greater number of potential stakeholders. The Handbook of Digital Projects has this relevant and corroboratory thought regarding the word access. 

"Preservation in the digital context has little concern for the longevity of optical disks and newer, more fragile storage media. The viability of digital image files depends far more on the life expectancy of the access system -- a chain only as
strong as its weakest component." 

As someone whose available time seems ever shrinking, (I think everyone here can relate to this,) access is once again key. If the access is smooth, timely and attained with ease, time is not so much of a bother. In using digitization, museums throw their doors open to the wide world by making their collections more available and convenient, and it can be available anytime day or night if you have an internet connection. And of course, some museums or institutions present better digitization results than others do. Of course, digitization cannot be characterized as a walk in the park. Quite the opposite.

There are numerous potential snags to the successful launch and continued display of a digital collection. One we could mention in passing is resource allocation, which has a multi-varied collection of potential circumstances susceptible to Murphy's law. (Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.) I have known some paranoid co-workers who have sharply discouraged any mention of Murphy, perchance that he might show up like an IRS agent on payday. In light of the reference below, it might be easy to see how Murphy might cause some to seem slightly superstitious. 

"The essence of traditional preservation management is resource allocation. People, money, and materials must be acquired, organized, and put to work to prevent deterioration or renew the usability of selected groups of materials." 

And yet, many museums have launched successful and engaging digitization efforts that are available and once click away via a web address on the internet. The following are three such institutions as well as my observations as to the viability and professionalism of their digital exhibits. Naturally, these institutions, or the exhibits therein, have been chosen because they are in the realm of the topic of my Capstone project, which would be ancient Egypt as well as other ancient records. 

The Louvre - https://www.louvre.fr/en/explore/the-palace/the-guardian-of-egyptian-art

The Louvre has two floors dedicated to the history of ancient Egypt and it makes sense given that France, due to Napoleon, was first on the scene in archeology and research when it comes to ancient Egypt. The website, or this specific exhibit opens up with a curtain effect that is not choppy or awkward, but smooth and flowing. And they had statues that were particularly of interest to the era I am researching which is from the 12th to 18th dynasty.  I look forward to exploring this section in person at some point, and the digital collection, while lest extensive that I had thought, certainly whetted my appetite.

The MET - https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/collection-areas/egyptian-art

                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4SMLU0NEQ4   (The MET Egyptian exhibition on YouTube)

I met someone who had never tried basil pesto and I was tempted to be surprised, but I had never heard of the MET museum in NYC before I became a reluctant graduate student. I had no desire to go to NYC at all, but when I saw the digital collection on ancient Egypt at the MET, I was amazed, and I have a reason to visit NYC now. While their collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt are fascinating, their digital collection is quite impressive and inviting also. I could call it elegant and uncluttered.  There are of course many interesting images and there are articles and videos as well. I could definitely say that their ancient Egyptian exhibit is first class and I can't wait to see the physical exhibit in person. 

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Austria

https://www.khm.at/en/visit/collections/egyptian-and-near-eastern-collection/selected-masterpieces/

My reasons for choosing this institution is that besides having a great collection and an impressive digital collection, this museum was likely to have a more on the Hyksos which is part of my capstone topic. The digital collection has many images of statues and other important artifacts. 

Sources

1. Ross, Parry. (2013). Museums in a digital age. In Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203716083
2. https://www.nedcc.org/assets/media/documents/dman.pdf
3. https://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/AAOSv074-Session406.pdf

Timeless ~ Chapter 1

 

Chapter 1

-Is Heaven a Dream?-

This is the story of someone who had a very unusual experience, which she did not often share because it sounded too much like something you might see in a tabloid magazine from a checkout line. After the experience Kim would have long conversations with herself over whether or not the experience had been a dream. There seemed to be good reasons for looking at it either way. Kim had never heard of anything like her experience happening to anyone else. It was always a bright spot in her memory and time would not diminish how vividly she would remember what had happened from the moment the whole adventure started.

As quickly as a twig snaps in a quiet forest, Kim awoke and began to think as clearly as if she had been in a math class working out algebra problems on a white board. She would later remember that it was a bird call along with an unidentified sound or sounds that were the cause though at first she did not give any thought to what they were. She began asking questions about what was going on and quietly commenting on her situation to no one in particular. “What is that aroma?” She realized that even though she had just woken up, her mind was unusually awake and aware.

            “When has this ever happened,” she questioned with a lackluster yawn and a shake of her head.

There was an odd absence of the groggy, befuddled thoughts that usually occurred when she would first wake up. Like most people, the longer Kim was awake after a night’s rest, the more clearly, she thought. But now there was only clarity and a kind of mental focus which she had never experienced.

“Why do I feel so refreshed? And why so soon after waking?”

Almost immediately after waking up, she noticed that something was very different, and even though she would relive the experience many times, it would never get old or seem boring.

“What's this? The bed…feels like...”

She realized that she was in a sleeping position on her side with her knees bent at an angle and her head resting on one folded arm. With her eyes closed, the fingers of her hand that was not under her head felt their way downward from where they rested on her upper leg to what should have been her bed. It was not flat like her bed, or indeed as all beds should be, but it was very comfortable, with the feel of a soft, shag rug spread over what might have been memory foam cushions. If it was not her bed then why didn’t she feel alarmed? “Well, sometimes dreams are like that,” she rationalized to herself.

“But...when was the last time I was rational in a dream? Where are the socks I remember putting on last night? Should I open my eyes now? If I keep them closed then maybe I can fall back asleep again. When I am so awake? Come on! What is this...I must be wearing a thin bathrobe. But why?”

The night before when she had gone to bed, she had changed into some new pajamas with different brands of breakfast cereal printed all over them. In addition to having a sister and two brothers, she had an older cousin named Jack and he had given them to her as a sort of joke. They were not what she would have chosen for herself, but they were comfortable.

“Why aren’t I feeling my cereal pajamas?”

She was still on her side with her knees at a comfortable angle. Kim kept her eyes closed but she felt quite alert. She straightened her legs, rolled on her back and sat up. As she pulled her knees close she smelled a fruit smell, but this realization was cut short by another realization.. Just after she had sat up, it dawned on her that the light had become exceptionally bright. She supposed that someone with very light feet and a bad sense of humor had somehow turned on the light without making any noise and had put it right in front of her face.

“Okay. Whoever you are, you have a dangerous amount of nerve coming into my room and blinding me first thing in the morning...well? Hello! Is anyone there?”

Kim did not want to open her eyes, so with her knees pulled even closer with her left arm, she put her right hand on her left hand and slowly yet anxiously felt up her arm towards her elbow. Whatever she was wearing did not feel like her cereal pajamas. But it must be her cereal pajamas! Whatever explanation was there? Except for her own breathing and some vague sounds that should not come from inside a room, she heard nothing.

“So…why aren’t I hearing anyone in here…if it is my room. Why shouldn't it be? Didn't I go to sleep in my room last night?”

Nobody answered her questions and she felt a little silly even if someone had blinded her first thing in the morning. All this takes time to naarate, but her right hand was slowly inching up her left forearm. Despite what she felt she was wearing, her brain told her to expect to feel her cereal pajamas, but at the elbow she felt something a lot smoother and lighter on her arm. Her simple expectation of normality was shattered and she jolted a little in surprise. Various scenarios suggested themselves to her over-active imagination.

“Have aliens abducted me,” she said in a non-serious tone. “Maybe…this is a bizarre Aprils 1^st joke? But…this sort of prank is too complicated for anyone who is not a professional to pull off. Oh, maybe I have amnesia and I am in some sort of mental hospital! How awful! But, how would that have happened? I’m don’t hurt anywhere. And if something had happened to me…an accident perhaps, and if I have amnesia, I could not have remembered it in the first place. But still...nothing hurts, well except perhaps my eyes. Who turned on that light anyways and why aren't they making any noises? I should at least be hearing some kind of muffled snicker.”

Kim had been too distracted to notice a variety of sounds she had not thought to pay any attention to until that moment. Sounds that should not come from inside a room. And as soon as she began thinking about these sounds, she again noticed some very unusual but pleasant and...fruit like aromas. Where was that faint music coming from and why was it so…perfect?

Somewhere nearby she heard the buzzing of bees. And now...was that the same bird call that awoke her? And there! Was that the sound of running, splashing water? Something the size of a large dog brushed by her side and she was sure she could hear loud purring. Was there a cat or a dog next to her? Somewhere nearby she could also hear the melodic warbling of another songbird of some kind. Kim was still in a sitting position with her knees drawn comfortably up. She could feel a breeze playfully sifting through her hair.

“What in the world is going on? I guess I’ll have to open my eyes sooner or later. Where am I anyway? Why should I be feeling so...calm?”

The clothes she was wearing were not her cereal pajamas and she knew she needed to open her eyes. Slowly she shifted to where she was not on what must be a memory foam cushion and assumed a cross-legged position on what felt like a sort of comfortable moss and yet grass at the same time. She felt behind her and there was what felt like a memory foam cousin covered with a shag rug. The light was very bright even with her eyes closed, and even though she opened them quickly, she could not close them quickly enough.

“Oh! Too bright, too bright!”

Kim closed her eyes instantly and for a second or two tried to bear with the pain of allowing too much light into her eyes all at once. Then she was tempted to doubt what she had seen from the split-second image imprinted on the insides of her eyelids when she had had her eyes open.

“This is getting weirder and weirder! How can I have seen two suns? Why ever are there two!”

The light had been too bright and nothing had prepared Kim for the sight of two suns. Had she seen double vision for the split second her eyes had been open? This was all too weird. Kim was used to only seeing one sun in the sky, not two. She put her right hand over her eyes and opened them again. Her hand was able to shut out most of the glaringly bright light. Shielding part of her right hand with her left, she peeped through the lattice her fingers made before closing her eyes once again with that sort of almost overpowering tearful reaction people often have to a very bright light. After she closed her eyes again, she could see big blue dots swapping places inside of her eyelids. Why were there two suns and why were they so much brighter than the sun she remembered?

“Have I slipped into some strange alternate reality? Why don't I remember coming here?”

Kim kept her eyes shut, and yet the intensity of the light was so great that it penetrated her eyelids. She gently pressed her hands on her eyes and could see darkness aside from the blue dots that were still there and shifting around. She took her hands away from her eyes and the light increased, so she kept them shut.

“What is going on? Weirdness! Wait…what is on my nose? Did the light dim again?”

Kim felt something alight on her nose, and the light dimmed slightly. What was on her nose and why wasn’t the light as bright as it had been moments before?

“If some creature is on my nose, why aren’t I going berserk? Why do I feel so...relaxed?”

Kim stood up but kept her eyes closed. As if she was measuring the distance from her face with a balloon, she put her hand above her face to shield her eyes from more surprises of super bright light. To her left was one bright light and she moved her hand until it was blocked out. The creature that had been on her nose alighted off of it and immediately the light from the left was brighter again. Whatever had been on her nose had shielded her eyes from the light. Kim pivoted to the right a step to where one light was behind her and her hand had moved to keep the other light blocked. Upon opening her eyes, the light was still almost painfully bright. But she could bear it this time with one sun to her back and her hand blocking the light of the other sun. Fluttering into view was the largest butterfly Kim had ever seen and it landed on her hand that was not blocking the light.

“Now I know what was on my nose.”

Sure enough, Kim was not in her bedroom and the first thing she was curious about was her clothes. There was also something else...something which at that moment was rather ambiguous, but was a morning routine which, out of habit, she felt needed tending to. But in the corner of her eye, she saw on her shoulder the strange garment, and the ambiguous thought was forgotten. Kim slowly and warily glanced down from her shoulder. She saw that she was wearing some sort of elegant white gown that was comfortable around the middle and reached to her mid calves.

In some ways it reminded her a little of the white coat she had seen her family doctor wear more times than she could count. It came to the elbow and about an inch below the neckline. It was a lot more comfortable than anything she had ever worn and fitted better than any clothes she had. It was not too clingy, nor was it loose. It was very tasteful and did not look either feminine or masculine. She reached towards her hair and felt what she perceived to be a sensible and well-groomed haircut. She continued glancing down at the garment she wore while talking to herself and caressing the super light, silky rich fabric over and over with her fingers. She felt that she could never caress that soft smooth glowing fabric enough.

“Okay, where am I and how did I get here? I must be dreaming! Ah, but when was the last time I thought about my hair in a dream? When was the last time I thought about how anything smelled in a dream?” But…what other explanation is there? Maybe…”

At that moment she heard something that sounded like a cat meowing and she followed the sound to where she spotted a furry, snow-white cat with ocean blue eyes in a tree not far from her. For a moment she felt like her depth perception was off.

“That can’t be a small tree, but...why is that cat so…large?”

She kept looking at the cat, and realized it was a house cat the size of a St. Bernard dog. But oddly, she did not have a feeling of fear as she looked at it. The cat was in a large tree and it's enormous size had made the large tree look smaller than it actually was. She could see that the cat was eating some of the fruit that hung down. It looked like a cherry tree; only the cherries were the size of tennis balls.

Kim looked behind her and saw a sort of cushion like oblong lump where she had been sleeping a minute ago. Then she looked more closely at the soft green grass under her feet. It was not cut short, but seemed to stop growing after about three inches. Kim moved her feet very slightly and the feel of cool grass between her toes as she wriggled them gave her a feeling of carefree joy. Kim glanced up at the branches of the tree some distance away and saw where the cat was curled up. The branches reached far out and Kim could see some of the large, luscious, cherry like fruit that grew on it. Most of the fruit was far out of reach, but there was a branch hanging only a foot or so over her head with two pieces of fruit on it. She was hungry and began to wonder why she did not feel the need to look for a restroom.

“As if I could find a restroom in a place like this,” she commented to herself.

Just then something happened that scared Kim at first. She began to hear a high-pitched musical hum coming in her direction. Into her field of vision came a mosquito that was at least the size of a tangerine. Hardly before Kim could react, it looked like the monster mosquito was going land on her forearm.

“Oh no!”

The mosquito quickly flew right by Kim’s arm and up to the fruit where it landed. She watched it and realized after a few seconds that it was sucking juice from the dark, cherry like fruit.

“It doesn't want my blood!”

The cat looked over to her as it heard her exclamation. The corners of the cat's mouth were slightly stained by the juice of the dark red fruit, and Kim could still hear it purring. It stirred and then stood up. It moved like a pet rather than a predator, and its mouth and teeth did not look like any cat she had seen. All the cats she had seen had the mouth and teeth of a carnivore, and while this cat looked like cats should, it’s teeth and mouth were not shaped like a normal cat’s and while Kim could not describe the mouth and teeth of this cat, she liked it more.

“What kind of place is this? Carnivores eating fruit and giant mosquitoes that don’t like blood?”

The cat leapt off of the large branch that was higher than Kim’s head and approached her, purring as it brushed up against her about ten seconds later. The cat had absorbed Kim's attention and it was bigger than she thought. It came up past her waist, but there was no danger because the cat just wanted a friend. As Kim reached out to pet it's large head, its fur, like her garment was super soft to her touch.

Into her field of vision came another butterfly with a riot of harmonizing colors on its large wings. From wingtip to wingtip, it was wider than a basketball. She did not take her eyes off of the butterfly until it began to flutter around and away as she absentmindedly continued to stroke the white cat's head while it watched her. The scenery the butterfly was passing began to take Kim’s interest and she began to soak in everything that was around her. The large house cat meowed and continued to purr and brush up against her until it had almost nudged her over, but she could hardly notice it now though she unconsciously stroked its beautiful soft fur as she looked in one direction after another. Words like beautiful, lovely, gorgeous and awesome fell so short of describing this place.

Tears slowly filled her eyes like a mist as she stared at the beauty and wonder of the place. How could words ever convey meaning in a place like this? Could heaven possibly be any better? There were so many things to see in every direction. Orderly yet gorgeous flower beds next to gold paths with flowers of every color, elegant bridges, a sparkling sea in the distance, luscious green grass everywhere, stately streams, trees in the distance that were taller than any she had ever seen.

As she looked in one direction after another, she saw that she was almost in the center of what looked like a large sort of garden like park, with multiple-colored roses over jade archways over gold-colored paths, and a rich carpet of green everywhere. Flowers surrounded the gold paths on every side. A number of the trees had blooms similar to cherry blossoms. All the sounds she heard earlier were still ehcoing. The fruit and the flowers were perfuming the air; the perfect, majestic and harmonious singing was still coming from somewhere. The breeze on her face, the beautiful cat next to her, the water splashing in a nearby fountain. She looked up and saw a number of brightly colored birds sail by. Some of them were macaws and looked abnormally large. She looked in several directions and could see that that the center area she was in was elevated.

The center itself must have been the size or area of perhaps four large soccer fields. It was oval in shape and had some very tall trees surrounding a round fountain the size of a large Olympic swimming pool. In the center of the fountain was a multi-jeweled pedestal rising out of the water with the statue of a man in a style of clothing Kim was unfamiliar with. There were holes in the wrists of the large statue, and the water was coming out of the holes in the wrists of whoever the statue represented. Behind her was the tree where she had first spotted the white cat that was now next to her. The tree was very large, but much smaller than the other trees which could have been the height of redwoods, but of different shapes. She could see a shaded area of cushion like moss near the tree where the morning had started not too long ago. She realized that she had been walking here and there without realizing it. That was if this was not a dream.

She was closer to the tree she had woken up under than any other tree. She could hardly see through it and not because of the dense branches and leaves but because there was a very bright light behind it that filtered through it's foliage. It seemed brighter than the two suns. It was hard to see, but she thought that the large and tall tree was concealing perhaps…a city of some sort behind it. What kind of light from a city could be so bright? The bright light continued to sift through the thick tree, and Kim’s eyes began to water again because of how bright the light was. Before she blinded herself, she looked in the other direction and she still had to shade her eyes since either of the two bright suns could blind her if she was not careful.

To her right was the large, emerald green fountain. To her left was a cross between a grand staircase and a forest path that led down into the garden like park. This place reminded her of some majestic, stately rose garden's she had seen on the internet from Europe, but none of the wonderful rose gardens she had seen, some of which were probably a king's ransom to keep up, were worthy to be compared to this place. Only a super-human sense of beauty and elegance could be behind such splendor and good taste.

Each view and each glance could have soaked up an hour of her time, but there were such vistas everywhere. In front of her was a path that led past the fountain on her right and the staircase on her left. The path curved off to the right and Kim suspected that it encircled the fountain. Lining the path on either side and spaced evenly, fruit trees and flowers were arranged according to what seemed like a pattern of colors and shapes, blended in a skillfully aesthetic manner next to the gold paths. They did not obscure scenery below, but seemed to compliment it. She looked at the path, and had to look again. Kim knelt down to look closely at the path. She gasped a few seconds later after she had knelt and touched the path.

“It’s gold! The path is made of gold! Whose country is this anyways?”

The gold was so pure that it almost reflected the sky, and she avoided looking where either of the suns made a reflection. She looked to her right and approached the fountain. The fountain spray created what must have been a perpetual mist and it alighted on Kim face with a freshness and coolness she would not have felt in a dream. The mantle of the emerald green fountain must have been pure gold too. She reached the fountain and looked into the water that was as clear as crystal.

Just then another gorgeous butterfly landed on her hand, and the large white cat curled up on the grass next to the path and near the fountain. As Kim looked into the fountain, she could see on the floor of it that there was a mosaic of jewels and diamonds in the shape of a squarish city with what looked like twelve gates, three on each of it's four sides. The large gorgeous butterfly was still on her right hand, so she reached her left hand down as far as she could into the fountain and cupping her hand, she brought the water to her lips. The butterfly on her other hand was not alarmed and remained where it was. Kim was not prepared for how good the water was.

“It’s so delicious! Where does it come from?”

Kim swallowed a few more handfuls of the wonderful water, and she looked up just as another brightly colored butterfly fluttered by and the butterfly on her hand followed it. She watched them, spellbound as they crisscrossed each other’s trajectory. She expected them to outpace her quickly, but she was surprised that she was able to keep up with them walking rather than running. Their flight was not exactly a waltz, but there was a definite pattern in the way they flew.

As she followed them, she noticed one bench against the fountain. She looked and saw another bench along the side of the path, with flowers surrounding them on every side. If she got sleepy, she could always take a nap on one of them, although the cushioned moss would be more comfortable. She looked away from the bench and the butterflies were outpacing her, so she quickened her pace and was soon not far behind them as they continued their waltz like flight.

After about a minute of following the butterflies, Kim suddenly realized that she was approaching the shade of another gigantic tree near the fountain and she stopped abruptly. Underneath it, leaning against the tree was a person. Kim could easily tell that the person was much taller than she was. He looked like he might be taking a nap. His arms were folded on his broad chest and his legs and clean bare feet were stretched out before him with one on the other. Kim was intrigued and quietly tiptoed closer. From a distance she could see that he was dressed like she was. He had brown hair, a garment similar to hers, and a bright crown on his head with many stars on and in it. Kim supposed that with a crown like that, he must be a king of some sort. Certainly not a president.

His eyes were closed and his face had the most carefree and relaxed expression Kim had ever seen. She did not want to alarm him if he opened his eyes only to see someone gawking at him. So, amid a one-sided dialogue, she quietly began to edge away even though she was very curious about him.

“He could probably tell me where I am. He could tell me what this place is unless…he is also a figment of my dream, if this is a dream at all. Oh! Does he speak English? Who is this person and why is he so…perfect? No wrinkles. No lines. No gray hair…nothing. He looks old, but young too. How can this be? Who is he? Is he the king of this place? He does not look like the statue of the person in the center of the fountain.”

Suddenly he smiled, opened his eyes slowly and turned towards Kim. She caught her breath and she could suddenly feel herself blushing furiously. His bright green eyes expressed kindness and wisdom. He truly looked like a king. Kim had seen plenty of models and super models on magazine covers in bookstores and libraries, but as hard as she tried, she could not bring a single mental image of one to mind. This man, this giant with a perfect face and form had an expression of joy and a demeanor of gentle manners. She was at a loss for words and did not know what to say.

“Well, hello there friend.”