Ligatus introduction
Ligatus started as a Research Unit and later Research Centre at the University of the Arts London. It aims to create a unique environment, where the study of the history of bookbinding and conservation is combined with research into modern digital data analysis and collection management tools. This was the first time that bookbinding and conservation have been made the focus of a research centre.
Name
Ligatus: Meaning “bound” or “tied” in Latin.
The name indicates the main subject area, which is the study of the history of bookbinding, but also the concept of “binding” (structure) in current digital data management systems, highlighting the technological side of the Unit.
Current activity
Since 2021, Ligatus stopped being supported by the University of the Arts London. The work of Ligatus researchers continues to be recognised as central to the discourse of book history and documentation. Ligatus is maintained with support from the Saint Catherine Foundation and voluntary contributions by its researchers.
The main activities include contributions to the Language of Bindings thesaurus, running the Ligatus Summer School and maintaining resources on the Ligatus website.
A list of projects is available.