The Research Unit of the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio serves as the operational core of the MeMo – Memory of Montecassino project, developed within the LIBeR (Libro e Ricerca) laboratory. Conceived by Roberta Casavecchia, Marilena Maniaci, Giulia Orofino, and Nicola Tangari—who also acts as national coordinator—the project is part of a broader strategy for the study, preservation, and enhancement of the manuscript and documentary heritage of the ancient Abbey of Montecassino.

During the PRIN 2020 triennium (CUP H33C22000060001), the unit coordinated an extensive campaign for the inventory, scholarly description, and digitization of over 270 manuscripts from the Montecassino Archive, selected for their codicological, liturgical, and historical-documentary significance. Among them, about 217 manuscripts were catalogued following ICCU and MOL Liturgica standards and made accessible through the Manus Online database; more than 190 were digitized in high resolution, and over 170 are now available via the digital library MeMo.dl and the Omnes portal.

This work was carried out in close collaboration with the technological partner DBSeret, which designed and developed the interoperable MeMo.dl platform. The platform is based on open standards such as IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) and TEI msDesc, allowing for a rich integration of textual metadata and digital imagery. The synergy between academic rigor and digital accessibility enables advanced forms of access and dissemination.

The activities were coordinated by Federica Gargano, with the collaboration of Angela Cossu, Chiara De Angelis, Federica De Angelis, Mariangela Palombo, Nina Sietis, and Elvira Zambardi for cataloguing; Giuseppina Civitilloand Ylenia Nardone for digitization; Fabio Brandi for image post-production; and Marta Silvia Filippini for the analysis of the manuscripts’ conservation conditions. [see About Us page].

A distinctive aspect of the project has been the active involvement of young researchers, who took part in the cataloguing and descriptive work through training programs, master’s theses, and doctoral projects, fostering a process of knowledge transmission and research-based learning in the field of manuscript studies and digital humanities.

Among the project’s highlights is the digitization and enhancement of Cod. 318, a musical manuscript in Beneventan script containing Guido of Arezzo’s Micrologus, now available online in high resolution and accompanied by a detailed descriptive record reconstructing its history, musical content, and material features.

The Cassino unit continues to serve as a hub for expertise and innovation in the digital humanities applied to manuscript heritage, with a strong commitment to preservation, interoperability, and open access to cultural content.