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]

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.

Book of Anglo Saxon Poetry

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

Exon Domesday

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

Andreas Vesalius 'De humani corporis fabrica’

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.

Compleat Abstract

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.

Mr Hart's Famous Scrapbook

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