The Index of Christian Art and The Internet

The Index of Christian Art is the oldest archive of medieval art in existence and the most specialized resource for the iconographer. The introduction of computers into the archive which happened in 1991 has been unequalled in terms of impact in the eighty-five years of its existence. The transfer from a paper and manual file system is currently being undertaken and this has lead to significant changes in policy and practice.

With a subscription scheme which now offers some of the resources of the Index to the world at large, the Index has had to face new and exciting challenges and opportunities. Issues such as user needs, deconstruction and reconstruction of the work of art, and image copyright have all lead to new policies and projects which will be discussed in this paper and accompanied by a live demonstration of of the database.