ID:
509858
Duration (hours):
36
CFU:
5
SSD:
SISTEMI DI ELABORAZIONE DELLE INFORMAZIONI
Year:
2025
Overview
Date/time interval
Secondo Semestre (23/02/2026 - 22/05/2026)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to: Help students place the idea of the digital library in the broader context of Digital Humanities (DH) and the preservation of works of art, books, documents, and artefacts (GLAM). Enable students to understand: the logic, economic and organisational impacts, and technological tools underlying the evolution of the digital library, understood as an aggregate of heterogeneous objects (books, images, audio and video content), interconnected and easily accessible, with the aim of enhancing and making them available through diversified and personalised consultation channels; the role of the library as a boundary organisation and as an actor in the smart city. Enable students to apply living lab and co-design logics to the design of public digital services, as well as to analyse participatory governance structures and post-project sustainability models.
Course Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of the main concepts related to digital publishing (electronic hypertext, web document, e-book, e-reader, multimedia) is useful. However, in the second part of the course these concepts will be reviewed and explored in depth, also for the benefit of those less familiar with them.
Teaching Methods
The course includes: Lectures, possibly accompanied by ongoing learning assessments via Wooclap (Parts 1 and 2). Laboratory activities (Parts 3 and 4). Lectures use PowerPoint or PDF presentations, made available to students via the course’s KIRO platform section. The materials comply with accessibility principles for users with disabilities (structured headings, reading order, alternative text for images, self-descriptive links). Laboratory activities include: Co-design project for the Cascina Grande Library in Rozzano, including exercises on service design and living lab tools. Active participation in workshops and discussions. Attendance at lectures and practical sessions is strongly recommended. However, for those unable to attend, video recordings of each lecture will be provided.
Assessment Methods
The exam consists of an individual oral test lasting about 20–25 minutes, designed to verify the competencies acquired in relation to the course content. It is divided into two parts: Part 1 (15 minutes): Questions on three distinct topics, chosen by the lecturer, related to different subjects covered in the course. Part 2 (10 minutes): Presentation of a proposal for the regeneration project of the Cascina Grande Library in Rozzano. The student is encouraged to use multimedia materials (images, videos, graphs, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) to support their argument. The final grade is based on the depth and understanding of the topics presented and on the ability to integrate the knowledge acquired during the course. The final mark is assigned on a 0–30 scale, giving equal weight to each question. For students unable to attend classes, an alternative exam option is available: an oral presentation – possibly supported by multimedia materials – on the following monograph: Nicola Barbuti, La digitalizzazione dei beni documentali. Metodi, tecniche, buone prassi, Milano, Editrice Bibliografica, 2022.
Texts
At the end of each lecture, a bibliography relevant to the topics covered will be provided. Below is a list of monographs useful for further study: Judith Andrews, Derek Law (eds.), Digital Libraries: Policy, Planning and Practice, Abingdon & New York, Routledge, 2017. Battulga Buyannemekh, Mila Gasco-Hernandez, J. Ramon Gil-Garcia, Fostering Smart Citizens: The Role of Public Libraries in Smart City Development, in Sustainability, 16, 5 (2024), https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051750. Maria Elena Colombo, Musei e cultura digitale. Fra narrative, pratiche e testimonianze, Milano, Editrice Bibliografiche, 2020. Johanna Drucker, The Digital Humanities Coursebook. An Introduction to Digital Methods for Research and Scholarship, London - New York, Routledge, 2021. Cameron Duncan, The Museum, a temple or the Forum, in Curator, 14, 1 (March 1971), pp. 11-24; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2151-6952.1971.tb00416.x. Martin Heidegger, Brief ϋber den «Umanismus», Frankfurt a.M., Klostermann, 1949; Italian trans. Lettera sull’«umanismo», Milano, Adelphi, 1995. Martin Heidegger, Die Frage nach der Technik, in Vorträge und Aufsätze, Pfullingen, Neske, 1957; Italian trans. La questione della tecnica, in Saggi e discorsi, Milano, Mursia, 1976, pp. 5-27. Oskar Hernández-Pérez, Fernando Vilariño, Miquel Domènech, Public Libraries Engaging Communities through Technology and Innovation: Insights from the Library Living Lab, in Public Library Quarterly, 41, 1 (2020), pp. 17–42. https://doi.org/10.1080/01616846.2020.1845047. Henry Jenkins, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, New York, New York University Press, 2006; Italian trans. Cultura convergente, Milano, Apogeo, 2007. George P. Landow, Hypertext 2.0. The Convergence of Contemporary Critical Theory and Technology, Baltimore - London, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1992; Italian trans. L’ipertesto. Tecnologie digitali e critica letteraria (ed. Paolo Ferri), Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 1998. Marshall McLuhan, The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man, Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1962 and 2011; Italian trans. La galassia Gutenberg, Roma, Armando, 1976. Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Toronto, McGraw-Hill, 1964; Italian trans. Capire i media, Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1967. Charles Percy Snow, The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1959. Giuseppe Previtali, Che cosa sono le digital humanities, Roma, Carocci, 2022. Salvatore Settis, Warburg continuatus. Descrizione di una biblioteca, in Monica Centanni (ed.), Warburg e il pensiero vivente, Ronzani Editore, 2022, pp. 169-228. Francesca Tommasi, Organizzare la conoscenza: Digital Humanities e Web semantico, Milano, Editrice Bibliografica, 2022. Naomi Whiteside et al., Digital Literacy Programs in Support of Diverse Communities. An Australian Public Library Approach, in Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 71, 4 (15 September 2022), pp. 388–407. These texts are not mandatory for exam preparation but are useful for in-depth study.
Contents
The course is divided into four parts, each with the following indicative duration: Part 1 (12 hours): The debate on DH, different interpretations of the term, and the impact of the digital paradigm in the field of preserving works of art, books, documents, and artefacts (GLAM). Part 2 (12 hours): The goal of an open and interoperable digital library, its impact on economic and organisational models, and a comparison between the Google Books Library Project and the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) standard for accessing image-based digital resources. Part 3 (4 hours): Research and critical analysis of international case studies on urban library regeneration projects in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, aimed at transforming them from collection-centred institutions into civic platforms integrated into urban digital ecosystems (in particular, models, tools, and methodologies positioning libraries as hubs for innovation, digital inclusion, and co-creation, in connection with local governments, universities, businesses, and citizens). Part 4 (8 hours): Co-design project for the regeneration of the Cascina Grande Library in Rozzano (MI), within the broader context of Rozzano’s bid for Italian Capital of Culture 2028.
Course Language
Italian
Degrees
Degrees
EUROPEAN LANGUAGES, CULTURES AND SOCIETIES IN CONTACT
Master’s Degree
2 years
No Results Found
People
People
Teaching staff
No Results Found