Looking Toward the Future

While microfilm has been the standard medium for manuscript photog-raphy since the 1950s, digital imaging is beginning to revolutionize manuscript research by providing broader and lower-cost access to higher-quality manuscript images. New digital imaging technologies like ‘multi-spectral imaging ’ are also capable of improving the legibil-ity of damaged texts far beyond that achievable with conventional film. The potential of these new technologies for manuscript research may be seen with digital imaging projects focusing on such important texts as the Codex Sinaiticus and the Herculaneum papyri. For all its advan-tages, digital imaging poses for us further technological and archival challenges