From Texts to Objects: Digitizing Rare Books

Unique artifacts are what make digital collections special but come with challenges for archivists

Posted on June 17, 2026 in Podcasts

In April, we shared the first part of our podcast series with Gale acquisitions editor Eleanor Leese, discussing the preservation and digitization of rare and understudied materials now available in Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) Part III. The conversation focused on tiny books. Exactly what they sound like, tiny books measured about three inches wide and served as sentimental keepsakes or amusements in the 19th century. Unique artifacts, such as tiny books, offer scholars an interesting new vein of research, but for archivists, “uniqueness” often comes with many challenges and demands innovative solutions.

In this installment, Eleanor focuses on the logistics and difficulties of digitizing these books, as well as the experiments that went into coming up with a solution. Eleanor shares how Gale worked with library partners to determine what to digitize—a conversation you don’t want to miss because it raises the important question of whether to keep or discard a hundreds-year-old bug stuck between the pages. The episode wraps up with Eleanor’s thoughts on remediation, exploring how books are transformed from texts to objects when digitized.

Listen in:

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About the guest:

Eleanor Leese
Acquisitions Editor
Gale Primary Sources

Eleanor Leese is an Acquisitions Editor for Gale Primary Sources, where she develops new archival projects that expand research access to rare and understudied historical materials. Before joining Gale, she worked as a freelance editor supporting trade and academic authors, particularly in history and narrative non-fiction. She brings a background in historical research and editorial development to her work, with a focus on identifying collections that illuminate everyday lived experience and lesser-heard voices in the historical record.

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