Current research projects

Project title: Next Generation Analytical Tools for Heritage Science (NextGenHS)
Period: 1.7.2024-30.6.2027
Coordinator: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
Head of the project in NUK: Dr Jasna Malešič
Partners: National and University Library, Biotechnical Faculty and Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of the University of Maribor, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute and National Institute of Chemistry.
Co-founded by: Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS)
Project description: NextGenHS focuses on the development of new analytical methods and techniques for historic biomaterials, for the purpose of their better interpretation, management and conservation.
Project website: /

Project title: ARRS Project Z1-4404: Characterisation and stability of inks on paper
Period: 1.10.2022-30.9.2024
Coordinator: ZVKDS, postdoctoral project Klara Retko
Postdoctoral project advisory board: Dr Polonca Ropret (ZVKDS), Dr Jasna Malešič (NUK), Dr Matija Strlič (UL FKKT), Dr Silvia A. Centeno (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), Dr Tilen Knaflič (ZVKDS, Jožef Stefan Institute), Dr Matej Huš (Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana)
Project leader in NUK: Dr. Jasna Malešič
Co-founded by: Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS)
Project description: Due to the inestimable value of the selected objects, we will upgrade the analytical methods for minimally invasive and non-invasive measurements and for in situ analyses, and optimise the Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) procedure.
Project website: https://www.zvkds.si/sl/projekt-arrs-z1-4404-karakterizacija-stabilnost-crnil-na-papirju

Project title: Boris Pahor's Literary Republic
Period: 1. 10. 2022–30. 9. 2025
Coordinator: Institute of Cultural History, ZRC SAZU
Head of the project: Dr Urška Perenič, Associate Professor
Partners: National and University Library
Head of the project in NUK: Manuscript Collection of the National and University Library
Co-founded by: ARRS (Slovenian Research Agency)
Project description: The project Boris Pahor's Literary Republic (1913–2022) will be the first in Slovenia to examine more broadly the question of the textual structure of the autobiographical ego, with regard of the entire oeuvre of until recently the oldest living Slovenian writer from Trieste. The opus also equivalently includes the entire pre-bequest collection acquired over the last decade by the National and University Library in Ljubljana. The key and mutually compatible, complementary tasks and the aim of the project is to study the entire oeuvre and to focus on the pre-bequest. It should be pointed out that the project, based on paper material, most of which is currently held in the Manuscript Collection is being acquired at the time of the decline of the manuscript and letter tradition of civilisation. Among the important parallel objectives of the project that should be highlighted, is to analyse and present, the writer's Republic of Letters, with emphasis on the writer's openness to multicultural personal and institutional networks, and in the terms of time and space dimensions.
Project website: https://ikz.zrc-sazu.si/sl/programi-in-projekti/knjizevna-republika-borisa-pahorja

Project title: E-ROUTES: Time travel routes through Europe (=Časovne potovalne poti po Evropi)
Period: 1. 7. 2022 – 30. 6. 2025
Coordinator: Serbian Library Association 
Head of the project in NUK: dr. Renata Šolar
Partners: Serbian Library Association, Icarus Hrvaška (Croatia), Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II,National and University Library
Co-founded by: European Commission, EACEA, CREA-CULT-2021-COOP
Project description: The aim of the project is the selection, classification, description and digitization of travel materials (travel books, photographs, travel reports and diaries, etc.) from the 18th century to the present day, as well as the creation and presentation of new (tourist) thematic routes. Through selected and digitized material and its placement in a new context, the cultural and historical heritage of Slovenia and other participating countries will be presented in an innovative way. By including the material and created stories in the digital collections of the Europeana portal and the mobile application developed for this purpose, the newly created content will serve virtual tours from home, and will also represent added value for live tourist tours. The promotion and actualization of the cultural and historical material of various countries in the region encourages cross-border cooperation and intercultural communication, thereby positively influencing understanding beyond national boundaries.
Project website: https://e-routes.eu/ 

Project title: ABC – Ancient Book Crafts
Period: 1. 7. 2022 – 30. 6. 2025
Coordinator: BOKU – University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria
Head of the project in NUK: dr. Jasna Malešič
Partners: ÖAW – Institute of Medieval Research, Austria, UL – Heritage Science Laboratory Ljubljana at UL Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology with cooperation with NLCR - National Library of the Czech Republic and KN– Abbey Library and Archives of Klosterneuburg
Co-founded by: WEAVE programme in collaboration between FWF (The Science Fund – Austria) and ARRS (Slovenian Research Agency)
Project description: The ABC project will explore, validate and evaluate the robustness of dating of library materials on the basis of infrared spectroscopy. Dated materials from Klosterneuburg (Austria) and NUK will be used for the research.
Project website: https://hslab.fkkt.uni-lj.si/2022/04/11/abc-ancient-book-crafts/

Project title: Incunabula Slovenica
Period: 1. 1. 2022–31. 12. 2030
Coordinator: UNESCO Memory of the World Committee in cooperation with the National and University Library (Project Operator)                                                                                                                           
Head of the project in NUK: Dr. Ines Vodopivec, Assist. Prof.
Partners: UNESCO Memory of the World Committee, The National and University Library, The Archives of the Republic of Slovenia, The Central Library Srečko Vilhar Koper, The Ivan Potrč Library Ptuj, The Franciscan Monastery Novo mesto
Co-founded by: The Slovenian National Commission for UNESCO
Project description: The project aims to digitise more than 800 incunabula (books printed in the early period of printing up to the end of the calendar year 1500) in Slovenia, thus preserving and providing access to written heritage to everyone. The digital collection Incunabula Slovenica will be added to the IFLA Register of Written Heritage, the project will enable cooperation between UNESCO, various heritage institutions and the Memory of the World Committee. The project will also promote the use of new technologies and create new jobs in various areas of the cultural and creative sector. The implementation of the project will be supported by the UNESCO Conference/Meeting on Digitisation, Preservation and Accessibility of Incunabula in Digital Form.
Project website: 

Project title: UNCERTIR – Uncertainty of lifetime modelling based on quantitative IR spectroscopy
Period: 1. 10. 2021 – 30. 9. 2023
Coordinator: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
Head of the project in NUK: dr. Jasna Malešič
Partners: NUK, ZFB (Zentrum für Bucherhaltung GmbH)
Co-founded by: project of EU, the framework of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (H2020)
Project description: The UNCERTIR project will investigate library material collections using non-destructive infrared spectroscopy methods. The results of the measurements will be used to provide the appropriate procedures for safeguarding and protecting library materials. The research will take place at the Department of Analytical Chemistry of the FKKT in cooperation with the Slovenian node of the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science. dr. Coppola will non-destructively date library material at the National and University Libraries. The project mentor is prof. dr. Matija Strlič from UL FKKT, dr. Jasna Malešič from the National and University Library and dr. Manfred Anders from ZFB GmbH (Leipzig).
International website: https://hslab.fkkt.uni-lj.si/2021/11/27/uncertir/

Project title: ARMA – The Art of Reading in the Middle Ages/Umetnost branja v srednjem veku
Period: 1. 10. 2020–31. 8. 2022
Coordinator: Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica Ljubljana (NUK)
Head of the project in NUK: Dr Ines Vodopivec, Assistant Professor
Partners: 8 partners from the EU members
Co-founded by: INEA; Innovation and Networks Executive Agency
Project description: The project aims to show how medieval reading culture evolved and became a fundamental aspect of the European culture. As part of the project, the Europeana portal, a European digital library, will include 20,000 digitized objects created during the years c. 500 in c. 1550, including medieval manuscripts, early printed books, and other objects.
International website: https://www.medieval-reads.eu/

Project title: EODOPEN – eBooks-On-Demand-Network Opening Publications for European Netizens
Period: 1 November 2019‒31 October 2023
Coordinator: University of Innsbruck
Head of the project NUK: Dr  Alenka Kavčič-Čolić
Partners: 12 EU Member States
Co-founded by: European Commission, Creative Europe Programme, 607666-CREA-1-2019-1-AT-CULT-COOP2
Project description: Project description: The aim of the project is to upgrade the service eBooks on Demand (EOD) developed by the consortium from 2006 to 2014, during two preceding projects. This time the project will focus on the digitization of publications from the 20th and 21st centuries. The project’s objective is to develop a copyright clearance model for digitization of contemporary publications, their adaptation to the needs of the blind and visually impaired, and to formats for mobile applications. 

Project website: http://eodopen.eu/
NUK website: https://www.nuk.uni-lj.si/storitve/eodopen (form for digitization proposal)