Information Visualization in Semantically Enhanced Digital Libraries for Ancient Manuscripts and Books

Cultural heritage knowledge sharing through manuscripts and books has been an important method of documentation as well as communication since the use of writing media such as papyrus, bamboo, wooden strips, parchment (prepared animal skin), and paper. The origin of handwritten texts may be traced back to the early 3rd millennium BCE, when cuneiform was developed in Mesopotamia and hieroglyphs were used in Egypt. These tangible records of important activities have survived and provided great insights into the life and cultures of the greatest civilizations that exist. The move from physical libraries hosting these records to digital repositories has been unimaginable and necessary given the lifespan of tangible heritage such as manuscripts and books. The advancement of semantic digital libraries has greatly improved the preservation and accessibility of ancient manuscripts in the digital era. Nevertheless, successfully exploring, comprehending, and deciphering these abundant cultural and historical resources poses a significant obstacle due to the intricate semantic information they contain. In this paper, we examine the capacity of information visualization methods to enhance the accessibility and comprehensibility of ancient manuscripts and books in semantic digital libraries. This is done through the analysis of five case studies of digital libraries for manuscripts and books to appraise the state of the art. In doing so, we hope to bring out the key features of the information visualization identified from the case studies which can be beneficial for researchers aiming to build new libraries for ancient textual heritage.