The cultural and historical heritage around us is beloved by the general public. Be it monuments, books, paintings or traditions, this heritage of the past is a source of inspiration and comfort due to its apparent permanence. However, it presents its custodians with two responsibilities, two sometimes contradictory roles as “purveyors”: to make it available to all by providing the means of its interpretation, and to preserve it in order to pass it on to future generations.
What is heritage? By definition, things that are very old or very rare seem to constitute heritage. But what about things made in the 20th or even 21st centuries? Some of them, which might seem commonplace to us today, are in danger of disappearing if nothing is done to safeguard them – and we may well miss them in the future. But should everything become heritage? If not, doesn’t the very decision to keep a document or object indefinitely, by creating a link between generations, make it a piece of heritage?
There are many people working to define and preserve our heritage and make it accessible in a variety of ways. In terms of written heritage, those in charge of library collections, conservators, digitisation technicians, photographers, outreach officers, researchers and teachers all contribute.
The universities of Montpellier are home to remarkable written and graphic heritage. The conservation-restoration and digitisation-photography studios of the Service de coopération documentaire interuniversitaire (SCDI) are responsible for safeguarding and promoting this heritage. We invite you to enter their world.
The heritage studios of the SCDI invite you to discover the often little-known aspects of their day-to-day lives, working closely with the written and graphic heritage held at Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3 University and the University of Montpellier.
Although the SCDI was founded relatively recently, in January 2021, the conservation and digitisation-photography studios have been supporting both universities for many years in their work to conserve and promote their written and graphic heritage.
Perpetuating the work of the bookbinder-restorers appointed in the 1980s, the conservation studio team consists of three qualified conservators, who specialise in working with books, illuminated manuscripts and graphic works. Their complementary skills and ethical approach have enabled them to develop a wide range of treatments, suitable for most of the heritage documents held in at Montpellier’s university libraries. Now one of the few institutional studios still in operation in France, it offers advice and support to those responsible for the heritage collections of Montpellier’s universities.
The digitisation-photography team is made up of two people trained in the field of documentation: one person responsible for heritage digitisation and a photographer in charge of taking photographs and managing the photo library. As the bridge between the conservation studio and the SCDI’s IT department, they provide images that are essential in promoting the heritage documents in the Foli@ digital library.
You will discover all the work being done behind the scenes so that these documents can be showcased, studied and passed on to future generations.
