The Public Historical Library of Andritsaina: the new challenges and the digital era

Inaugurated in 1879, the Public Historical Library of Andritsaina, one of the richest and important libraries in Greece, houses rare manuscripts and books that date from the first period of typography and the printing press to the 19th century. In a period of technological wonders and of the public’s predilection for innovative tools, the Library of Andritsaina, a provincial library, aimed at responding to new currents and needs and showing extroversion in order to expose its unique collection to a wider public. In 2019, the Library of Andritsaina in partnership with Clio Muse Tours, a company specialized in self-guided audio and virtual tours, created a self-guided audio tour, available in smartphones, pc, and tablets, where a number of its collection is presented, while in 2020 the Library, always in collaboration with Clio Muse, conceived and produced a digital interactive timeline with a map and images, that includes valuable information about rare publications of antique Greek essays, which belong to the collection, revealing, at the same time, how the collection was composed of and its journey from Paris to Andritsaina. The purpose of this communication is to expose the concept behind this collaboration, how and in which terms a traditional institution desired to modernize its image, and the way of approaching the public, especially the young population as well as the travelers who visit the village of Andritsaina. Additionally, the audio tour and the timeline, that was created by Clio Muse, are going to be presented giving emphasis to the challenges, occurred during 2 this technological transformation of a part of the collection, while user interactions statistics are going to be provided