Senior Thesis and Research Question

The working title for my thesis is "The Effect of Accurate Reproductions in the Research Environment: The Use of 3D Facsimiles in Replacement of Fragile Objects." The question this thesis will answer will be "what are the implications of creating and using accurate reproductions of objects for the research environment for in person and online use?" The object that will be featured in this thesis will be picked from the Melbert B. Cary Graphic Arts Collection's vast resource of rare books and objects with the help of Dr. Galbraith. I will try to work with The Construct - that I have recently visited - to scan fragile objects in three dimensions. If a book is chosen as the featured object, it will be reproduced online as well as a 3D object. As a purely digital object, this data can be used to give access to these materials online on the Cary Collections website. To make an accurate reproduction of a book as a replacement object the surface of the cover and spine will be scanned with the 3D scanner and printed if it has a notable topography such as the bolt book. Its pages will be photographed and printed in a high resolution. To use this item as a replacement object the pages will be bound and the 3D cover will be adhered to that foundation. After, the way these objects are interacted with will be recorded and analyzed. I can also look in to creating a perfect copy of an deteriorated object to show what the object might have look like when it was first created or look into printing the final object in a 3D press that uses layers of paper rather than plastic.