Aldus@SFU is the digital home of Simon Fraser University Library’s Wosk–McDonald Aldine Collection – a remarkable selection of sixteenth-century editions from the press of Aldus Manutius (ca. 1451 – 1515), Renaissance Italy’s most innovative publisher. In addition to showcasing fully digitized volumes from the collection, the web-based resource features a range of interpretive material contextualizing Aldus’ works and achievements as a printer and scholar. Currently the world’s richest online repository of Aldine Press books, Aldus@SFU was intended from its inception to be a pedagogical and scholarly online environment fostering openness, engagement, and collaboration among various communities, within and beyond the academy. After an overview of the project’s context, content, and significance, the lecture will explore the benefits of remediating and (re)publishing these materials of exceptional value for contemporary audiences in an open, networked online environment. A key issue to be discussed will be how – and to what extent – it is possible to strike a balance between faithfully representing the original resources and describing them in a way that is meaningful to today’s (and future) audiences.

John W. Maxwell is Associate Professor & Director of the Publishing Program at Simon Fraser University, where his focus is on the impact of digital technologies in book and magazine publishing. His past research has focused on the cultural trajectory of personal and educational computing over the past four decades, and his current research interests include the evolution of publication technologies, the emergence of digital genres, and the history of digital media.

Alessandra Bordini is a Master of Publishing graduate and researcher at Simon Fraser University. Her research interests include scholarly communication, academic publishing, and the intersection of digital media with the history of publishing. Alessandra holds an MA in Translation Studies from the University of Siena and an honors degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures from the University of Naples “Suor Orsola Benincasa.” She is also a poetry translator and has worked as an editor for several publishing houses in Naples and Milan.