The courtship between Filologia and Mercurio Historical heritage and archival sources in digital context

ABSTRACT This contribution aims at investigating the theme of archives in relation to digital evolution. By facilitating direct access to often unpublished sources and allowing their comparison, digital archives can open new perspectives of study and research also for the history of the project disciplines. In doing so, historians and archivists are required to develop an effective operational methodology in their relationship with primary sources. This contribution aims to deal with the main aspects related to the use of sources in the work of the historian, with the objective of understanding and analyzing the role played by the digitization of archives in relation to the possibilities of direct accessibility of documents. At the same time, the aim is to reflect on the changes in methods of archival practices in relation to the diffusion of digitization processes. In order to verify these transformations, the case of a thesis work conducted at the Polytechnic University of Bari on the issues of digitization and organization of architecture and design archives in the Apulian territory is proposed. In particular, to the work on the preparation of digital supporting tools in the updating of archival documents related to the pavilions within the Fiera del Levante in Bari.