Using Innovative Technologies in Preservation and Presentation of Endangered Archives

This paper presents an in depth review on the project “Safeguarding the fragile collection of the private collection of the Lazic family”. Namely, University Library in Belgrade (ULB) received a grant of the British Library in the framework of Endangered Archives Programme for this project. The aim of this project primarily was to digitize and thus preserve for posterity extremely valuable private collections. However, our intention was also to introduce the possibility of using new digital technologies in the preservation and presentation of vulnerable archival materials of historical importance in adequate physical space and to provide opportunities for the general public active participation in such activities. This cutting-edge technology is suitable for interactive presentation of materials which are too fragile to leaf through. Fully aware of the importance of the availability and open access to cultural and scientific heritage for achieving the knowledge society and the role of academic libraries in its dissemination, these extremely vulnerable materials are also presented in the open access repository, which will include research papers based on the materials available within the project. So, the objects can be analyzed both “on the outside” via the metadata and with the help of the software for editing digital repositories and “on the inside” via a concise overview of the content of individual objects. Digital objects structured in this way will grab users’ attention and bring back the historical content into focus.