Sometimes the most interesting things that technology can help libraries with is understanding the past. And especially communicating about that. I recently read an article about the Laurentian Library that Michelangelo designed. The library is in Florence, and apparently there are panels in the pavement underfoot that form some complex pattern.

There are some really excellent websites that have been created to describe or try to explain this phenomenon. http://bennicholson.com/ma/maessay.htm is a long essay that has incredibly detail about the history and analysis of this library and its floor. A cool feature on this site is that there are links to images throughout the essay, and clicking on them will bring up the image in the sidebar on the right, while allowing you to keep reading on the left. VERY nicely done and makes you feel like you’re doing research! :-D

Another good site is from Great Buildings Online, where they’ve made available several different 3-D models of the library, and for various platforms as well, including Windows, Macintosh, and Platform Neutral. Once you download one of the models, you can “walk around” in the virtual 3-D space. Very cool!

Visit Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana for a history of this library.