MU Special Collections and UMKC are involved in the Inter-Campus Research Program grant project named “Multispectral Analysis of Missouri’s Cultural Resources.”
The project has two primary aims:
1) to study rare manuscripts held by the MU Special Collections and in UMKC, using techniques of multispectral analysis, and
2) to develop an affordable mechanical apparatus and technology for its use that other libraries can adopt in order to advance the study of their own collections.
Multispectral analysis allows for the examination of ink application and prior removal of the text, of the compositional layering, and of “dirty” fingerprints in rare books that may reveal patterns of usage. Using the results gained from multispectral analysis, researchers and students can decipher a book’s production and reception history.
This past Friday the first meeting of both teams took place at UMKC, at which goals and plans were discussed, and the prototype of the apparatus viewed.