Specialists from Spain and Italy provided training in Peru on conservation of documentary heritage

Course was held in San Pablo within the framework of the international project Codicis

Specialists from the University of Barcelona and the University of Catania arrived at the San Pablo Catholic University (UCSP) in January 2023. They taught classes and held training workshops, within the framework of the international project Codicis, which seeks to strengthen capacities for the recovery and conservation of documentary and bibliographic heritage in Latin America.

Berta Blasi, expert in Conservation and Restoration of Graphic Documents, and Simona Inserra, researcher in Archival Science and Library Science, participated from the University of Catania. Also, Miquel Térmens, dean of the Faculty of Information and Audiovisual Media and Jesús Gascón García, graduate in Documentation, both from the University of Barcelona.

They discussed conservation, digitization of ancient documents and the history of the book. San Pablo personnel who work in areas related to the management and production of books and other texts and personnel from the University of Piura, who also arrived in Arequipa for this course, received the training for 10 days. Both study houses make up the Codicis project in Peru. Similar courses have been held in Bolivia and Mexico, partner countries of this initiative.

San Pablo is the leading university of this initiative that brings together 9 institutions from Europe and Latin America. It is co-financed by the European Union (EU) through the Erasmus+ program. Its development is possible thanks to the fact that this academic institution won one of the EU calls. Currently, it is in its third year of execution.

The UCSP professor and project coordinator, Francisco Rizo Patrón, explained that this first training was for personnel from the partner universities in Peru, because it is the prelude to the training course that will be carried out with personnel from other institutions that work with documentary heritage. and ancient texts. This course will be held this year in Arequipa. Participants will be selected and will receive an invitation to apply, as there will be no cost.

He also specified that it is a complete training, since the management of documentary heritage does not only imply its digitization, that is, transferring physical texts to virtual formats, as is usually thought, but also requires a series of previous steps, as well as actions that bring this material closer to the population so that they know how to value it.

In the course carried out at the UCSP, use was also made of the new conservation and management of heritage collections laboratory at San Pablo, and visits were made to archival and library heritage centers in our city.

In addition to the partners from Peru, Spain and Italy, the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla and the Universidad Panamericana, both from Mexico, are part of Codicis. The universities Mayor de San Andrés and Católica Boliviana San Pablo and Incoma, a Spanish research and research consultancy, are part of Bolivia.

Arequipa, February 2023

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