Armadillo Systems – Home of Armadillo New Media Communications Ltd

March 29, 2023July 14, 2023 armadillo armadillo, online, turning the pages, web

Turning the Pages now supports IIIF

If you work in the digital library sector you have probably used, or are at least aware of, the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF). It is a set of standards and APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) that enable the delivery and interoperability of high-quality images and other media resources over the web. IIIF provides a framework for institutions and organizations to share and collaborate on digital collections of images, manuscripts, maps, and other visual resources in a standardized and interoperable manner.

The IIIF community has grown rapidly, with many institutions and organizations adopting the framework to enhance the accessibility, sharing, and scholarly use of digital cultural heritage materials.

Armadillo Systems are excited to announce that our Turning the Pages Gallery and Online software now supports the IIIF Image and IIIF Presentation APIs. The Image API allows users to request specific regions, sizes, and formats of images, enabling zooming, panning, and rotation without the need for downloading the entire image. The Presentation API enables the description and delivery of complex objects or collections, providing structural and descriptive metadata about the resources.

Head over to our Turning the Pages website to find out more about utilising IIIF with TTP.

Villanova Library: The ‘Prentice Bowmen of Nottingham Book Cover — Villanova Library: *The ‘Prentice Bowmen of Nottingham* [View in TTP Online] [Source IIIF manifest]

June 14, 2022July 14, 2023 armadillo armadillo, clients, turning the pages, work

Turning the Pages at Down House

If you’re a fan of Charles Darwin you should really plan a visit to Down House, found in the Kent countryside in South East England. Down House was Charles Darwin’s family home giving it a unique place in the history of science and evolutionary biology. Today it is a site of outstanding international significance run by English Heritage.

At Down House you can immerse yourself in the intimate spaces that once housed Charles Darwin, where he tirelessly pursued his groundbreaking work. Explore the study, where the masterpiece On the Origin of Species was crafted, and delve into his captivating journey through a mesmerizing exhibition chronicling his life and contributions. Adorned by exquisite gardens, which served as Darwin’s living laboratory, witness recreated experiments and uncover the profound impact of his observations on the development of his revolutionary theories.

English Heritage use Turning the Pages Gallery to showcase 30 of Charles Darwin’s notebooks, so visitors to Down House can leaf through his personal notes using touchscreen kiosks situated throughout the property, allowing them an insight into the mind of one of the greatest scientists that has ever lived.

Turning the Pages Gallery, Down House: Book Menu

Turning the Pages Gallery, Down House: Notebook

May 20, 2021May 20, 2021 armadillo armadillo, clients, online, projects, turning the pages, web, work

Exeter Cathedral launch their Virtual Book collection using Turning the Pages online

Exeter Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral located in the city of Exeter, Devon, in the South West of England. The main building was completed around 1400 and has several features of note, including an early set of misericords, an astronomical clock, and the longest uninterrupted medieval stone vaulted ceiling in the world. The cathedral is open to the public and definitely worth visiting if you are in the South West of the UK.

What may be a lesser known fact is that Exeter Cathedral has been collecting books and documents for its library and archives since it was founded in 1050, and as a result there are now tens of thousands of items in the collections, covering over 1,000 years of history. In partnership with VISTA AR, Exeter Cathedral are using digital technology to bring aspects of the Cathedral to life in new ways. Armadillo are very honoured to have taken part in this process by providing our Turning the Pages software, initially running as a touchscreen kiosk inside the Cathedral, but now also available on the web using Turning the Pages Online. You can now explore five of the Cathedral’s favourite books and documents in their online library of Virtual Books:

The Exeter Book of Anglo Saxon Poetry
The most famous book in the Library. A unique anthology of poetry written in Old English in c.970AD. It is the oldest book in the Cathedral Library.

The Exon Domesday
The south west of England’s draft of William I’s famous Domesday Survey of 1086.

Andreas Vesalius De humani corporis fabrica (1555)
One of the most famous Renaissance books on anatomy.

G.L. A Compleat Abstract of the Holy Bible…done into verse for the help of weak memories, and instruction of children (c.1715)
One of the smallest of all the Bibles in the Library, written in rhyming verse.

Mr Hart’s Famous Scrapbook
One of the most charming documents in the Archives, it is filled with cartoons and character sketches collected by the Cathedral’s head virger in the 1950s.

We hope to see Exeter Cathedral putting more of their amazing and varied collection online in the future!

April 26, 2021April 26, 2021 armadillo armadillo, turning the pages

Turning the Pages Showreel Video

At Armadillo Systems we are excited to premiere our new Turning the Pages showreel video, demonstrating the functionality of a touchscreen system which could be deployed on site in a gallery or library environment, or run on a touchscreen tablet computer.

Our gallery version of Turning the Pages is our most realistic application for creating digital facsimiles of books, featuring a true 3D environment and fully 3D modelled books, pages, and page turns. Other features include specular highlights on pages, for example gold leaf catching the light as the page turns, as well as support for 4K UHD page resolution, page hotspots/highlights, in situ page translation, and supplementary media (audio/video/image).

We hope you enjoy the video below, for more information please visit the Turning the Pages website.

November 3, 2020November 4, 2020 armadillo armadillo, turning the pages

Turning the Pages Content Management System

If you’ve ever seen or used a Turning the Pages kiosk at a library, or viewed books using Turning the Pages online, you may not realise how easy it is to build your own digital library of books. With the current world health situation forcing galleries around the world to close their doors to the public, or at best to limit on-site interactive experiences, there has never been a better time to offer content online. Armadillo Systems have helped clients build digital facsimiles of their books for over 20 years, and with the the Turning the Pages content management system (TTP CMS) individual books can be built to form digital libraries. These can then be deployed as:

3D versions for touchscreen and touchless kiosks
2D versions for the web (including a WCAG 2.1 AA accessible version)

To see just how easy it is to build a book, and create your own digital library, have a look at the following video. Follow this link for more information on the Turning the Pages content management system.

October 8, 2020October 9, 2020 armadillo armadillo, clients, iNQUIRE, projects, work

Development of iNQUIRE prototype site for the RKD

Earlier this year we were honoured to work with the Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD) to develop a prototype site for them to allow online access to some of their magnificent artwork collection. Located in The Hague, the RKD is home to the largest art history center in the world, specializing in documentation, archives, and books on Western art from the late Middle Ages until the modern era. Much of their content has been digitized and is available on the RKD website, with their main aim being to collect, categorize, and make art research available, most notably in the field of Dutch Masters.

The prototype site developed by Armadillo uses iNQUIRE, our digital discovery framework, to deliver a fast and fluid search and discovery experience. The site makes use of extensive facet and tag based searching in both Dutch and English. Naturally the site also leverages the IIIF Image API.

July 14, 2020 armadillo armadillo, clients, projects, turning the pages, work

The Royal Society launch Robert Hooke’s Micrographia using Turning the Pages online

Robert Hooke’s Micrographia (1665) is one of the most iconic books in the prestigious collections at the Royal Society. It gives the reader a glimpse in to the field of microscopy, which was rapidly developing at the time. Micrographia or, to give it its full, less succinct name, some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses, with Observations and Inquiries thereupon, is written and illustrated with 38 intricate copperplate engravings, to this day the volume remains a landmark in the history of microscopy. Hooke was the Royal Society’s Curator of Experiments at the time, and describes in an engaging manner how he used his microscope to discover the detailed structure of rocks, plants and, most famously, insects. The Royal Society’s first edition was given a much needed restoration in 2019.

This week the Royal Society is broadcasting their Summer Science Online programme which celebrates science from home. Armadillo Systems are very proud to announce that the opening presentation from this event is the digital version of Robert Hooke’s Micrographia using our Turning the Pages Online application. This digital version allows you to turn the pages of the original book, and expand the fold out pages to reveal the incredible illustrations.

The Summer Science Online video presentation can be viewed by clicking the video link below. The Royal Society’s Digital Resources Manager, Louisiane Ferlier, gives an in depth introduction to the book, why it was so significant at the time, and how it’s still relevant today.

Find out more about the Royal Society’s edition of Micrographia here, and follow this link to view the online Micrographia Turning the Pages.

Royal Society - Hooke's Micrographia (folded illustrated page) — Royal Society – Hooke’s *Micrographia* (folded illustrated page)

Royal Society - Hooke's Micrographia (unfolded illustrated page) — Royal Society – Hooke’s *Micrographia* (unfolded illustrated page)

July 15, 2019July 15, 2019 armadillo armadillo, clients, projects, turning the pages, work

The Royal Society Charter Book launched as online Turning the Pages

Timed to coincide with their Admission Day 2019, where their newly-elected Fellows will be admitted, the Royal Society have launched a Turning the Pages version of the very special book that sits at the heart of the ceremony. The Charter Book is arguably the Society’s most important historical document, initially created in 1663 after King Charles II granted a second Royal Charter to the organisation, establishing the structure of the Society. Bound in crimson leather with gilt clasps and corners the magnificent vellum folio has recorded the signatures of new Fellows and Foreign Members as they were elected year by year, as well as those of Royal Patrons, with the first signature recorded on its pages on 9 January 1665.

The online Turning the Pages edition facilitates a unique opportunity to browse through what must be the world’s most amazing collection of scientific autographs, giving a faithful reproduction of each one of the pages signed between 1665 and 2018. This particular Turning the Pages features an index of the signatories which has been added to facilitate navigation, allowing you to quickly locate which page your favourite scientist has signed their name.

Find out more about the Royal Society’s Charter Book here, and follow this link to view the online Charter Book Turning the Pages.

The Royal Society - Charter Book — The Royal Society – *Charter Book*

September 26, 2018November 26, 2018 armadillo armadillo, clients, projects

British Library: Save our Sounds

The nation’s sound collections are under threat, both from physical degradation and as the means of playing them disappear from production. Global archival consensus is that we have approximately 15 years in which to save our sound collections by digitising them before they become unplayable and are effectively lost. Armadillo have written a custom backend system which is helping The British Library preserve the nation’s Sound Archive, an extraordinary collection of over 6.5 million recordings of speech, music, wildlife and the environment, from the 1880s to the present day. Find out more about our work on the British Library AV SIP Tool here.

July 5, 2018November 6, 2018 armadillo armadillo, clients, turning the pages, work

Turning the Pages at the Diamond Jubilee Galleries, Westminster Abbey

This summer saw the grand opening of the newly constructed Diamond Jubilee Galleries at Westminster Abbey. Built at a cost of £22.9 million the new gallery space sits high above the Abbey floor, in the beautiful 13th century triforium. On display are some of our greatest treasures which tell the story of a thousand years of British history.

Armadillo Systems were tasked with creating a Turning the Pages Gallery version of The Litlyngton Missal, this missal was commissioned by Abbot Nicholas Litlyngton for use at the Abbey’s high altar and was made at Westminster between 1383 and 1385. The text and illumination (decoration using gold leaf and colour) took three unnamed artists and scribe two years to complete. This Turning the Pages features a custom user interface themed specifically for the new gallery, and specular highlights on all the pages, due to the extensive amount of gold leaf throughout the book.

Opened by Her Majesty The Queen, the new galleries are spectacular and definitely worth a visit, even the access to them is remarkable. A new seven storey tower (the Weston Tower) was built just outside Poet’s Corner, it conceals a lift shaft and spiral staircase, connecting to the building by a bridge. It’s so discreet and perfectly integrated in to the existing structure of the Abbey you might not even notice it if you were walking by.

For more information on visiting the Diamond Jubilee Galleries head to the Westminster Abbey website.