AM landmark resource awarded Library Journal Best Reference
AM’s First Folios Compared, an innovative open access collection, has been named a Best Reference resource in Library Journal’s annual list.
The resource was originally launched to bring together institutions from around the world to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio, the first ever collected edition of William Shakespeare's plays, published in 1623.
Hosted on the AM Quartex platform, the site presents a range of powerful research opportunities for users of all abilities to view digitised copies of Shakespeare’s First Folio from around the world. The gathering and unifying of a collected set of metadata tags unlock unprecedented searchability functions, while a user-friendly split-screen viewer enables side-by-side digital comparison of the unique texts for the first time.
Each year, Library Journal reviews thousands of physical and digital library resources with only a small number awarded this prestigious title. This year’s judges noted:
This superbly executed open-access database offers an unprecedented gateway to different versions of Shakespeare’s First Folios. AM’s powerful search tools and thoughtfully selected tips and pointers allow for exciting research opportunities.
It is estimated that around 750 First Folios were printed, of which 233 are currently known to survive worldwide. AM’s online portal features digitised copies of 47 of them, from 23 locations. Most contributing copies have not been publicly available before, and several have been digitised specifically for this project.
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