Link: https://footprints.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/
Project Status: Ongoing
The Footprints projects is a growing database of records that aim to track the circulation of printed “Jewish books” across time and space. Though the great majority of records come from the early modern period and beyond, there are currently over 200 entries from the invention of the printing press to the end of the 16th century.
The database tracks interactions with printed books through what it calls “footprints,” which is the project’s terminology for users’ interactions with books through marginalia, ownership marks, and numerous other qualities. The project features advanced search functionality that allows a user to search by time, place, and various textual and physical properties of the printed books. There is also visualization capability to show the path of books and holdings in various repositories around the world.
Additionally, an active community of users exists on the site as well as a blog that is updated regularly.
Resource details:
Resource Type: Bibliography, Blog, Catalog, Dictionary/Glossary, Downloadable software, Linked Open Data, Map, Numeric Data, Searchable Database
License: Creative Commons, No Fee, Open Source
Modern Language: English
Medieval content details:
Dates: 1440 - 1600
Records extend from the advent of the printing press in Europe in the 1440s to the handpress period in the 19th century.
Subject: History, Immigration, Jews, Judaism, Material Culture, Print History
Type/Genre of Medieval Primary Source Material: Art and Artifacts, Material Evidence, Printed Books, Textual Evidence
Geopolitical Region: Africa, Europe, Middle East