Bibliotheca Eugeniana Digital—Unveiling and Visualizing the Treasures of Prince Eugene of Savoy’s Library

The Bibliotheca Eugeniana is deemed one of the most important Baroque book collections worldwide. After the death of Eugene of Savoy and its acquisition by the Austrian National Library, it became integrated into the overall collection—but without a systematic identifier in the library catalog. The project Bibliotheca Eugeniana Digital aims to make this historical collection accessible again for research and open exploration. Starting from a historical handwritten catalog and digital scans of the Austrian National Library, this project applies techniques from the Digital Humanities (HTR, machine learning) to digitize the historic catalog, to identify book covers with the historical supralibros of Prince Eugene of Savoy, and to match entries between the historical and the modern catalog. The results are made accessible in a digital edition for future research. Additionally, a collection visualization enables the visual analysis of the books’ current arrangement in the Austrian National Library, their categorical classification, and their temporal and regional origins. The visual interface also enables exploration by the wider public and aims to increase awareness of this UNESCO Memory of Austria heritage collection.