About

About the Database

This database is a new iteration of the VARI database created by Drs. Eugenio Refini and David Lines, which emerged from the AHRC-funded project 'Vernacular Aristotelianism in the Italian Renaissance' (2010-13) and launched in May, 2012. Database migration, re-structuring, and interface redesign including Omeka customizations and custom plugins were carried out by Dr. Bryan Brazeau in 2015-2016, a fellow on the ERC-funded 'Aristotle in the Vernacular' project (PI: Marco Sgarbi, Ca' Foscari, Venice).

The last substantial update to much of the data contained here was effected in July 2013; though it is hoped that the database will continue to grow and be updated further on this new platform.

About the Migration from VARI

The initial VARI database was designed with a rich relational data structure in Filemaker Pro. VARI 2.0 runs on Omeka, a free and open-source platform designed by the the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. Omeka was chosen for the database legacy migration as it allows for sustainable growth of the data over time, and permits myriad customizations. An important element of the transition to VARI 2.0 was the harmonization of VARI's metadata with Dublin Core conventions (see DCMI metadata terms). Whenever possible, metadata elements were mapped onto Dublin Core properties, though in several instances unique "Item Type Metadata" elements were created to prevent data loss.

While the relational structure of the previous database was not able to be preserved, VARI 2.0 employs the "Search by Metadata" Omeka plugin, allowing users to click on relevant metadata elements and perform an immediate search for records of all types with identical values. For more information on the migration into Omeka or custom solutions used, please contact Dr. Bryan Brazeau.

Copyright

All records and content are © 2012— Eugenio Refini and David Lines, along with any other respective authors listed in the "Original Record Author" or "Last Updated By" fields. The data is free to be used for academic and research purposes under fair use conditions.

All templating, customizations, and custom plugins are Bryan Brazeau, 2016 and are governed by a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license.