IT'S EARLY autumn in Nafplio. Outside, people are strolling and sitting at cafes, but within one of the harbour's nicest neoclassical buildings Professor Chris Blackwell, British Library conservator David Jacobs and Graz University Library expert Manfred Mayer are gathered around a contraption called "The Cradle".

Reminiscent of an old wooden loom but made of metal, The Cradle is designed to photograph old manuscripts. It was put to use last summer at Venice's Marciana Library for the digital imaging of two of the earliest versions of the Iliad in the world.

The Cradle's new home is the two-year-old branch of Harvard University's Centre for Hellenic Studies (CHS) in Nafplio.

Mayer designed the device after Graz University, in Austria, decided to create digital images of 2,000 treasured books. The contraption supports old books on a foam surface, their wizened pages held open by a soft vacuum. A red laser beam checks alignment before the mounted digital camera snaps an image.

He and his two colleagues were in the Argolid to discuss how The Cradle could be used to digitally back up Nafplio's archives, the modern Greek state's first.

No degrees, no fees

Such exchanges are becoming increasingly common at the centre, says Classics Professor and CHS Nafplio chairman of the board Ioannis Petropoulos.

Things were busy at the former town hall, dubbed the 'Eastern Campus' of Washington DC-based CHS by its director, Professor Gregory Nagy. The past year included a lecture and cultural event series, the June 28 official opening and an increased flow of students, professors and locals.

Petropoulos says the town's response has been positive but notes the Harvard flag is often mistaken for a tutoring school. He adds, "It's not uncommon to have a mother come in and ask whether she can enrol her son in any program."

The Harvard alumnus underlines, "We do not award degrees, and we don't charge fees."

The centre does offer an e-library that's open to the public. Having taught at the University of Thrace since 1991, Petropoulos says he's "painfully aware of the lack of libraries and research facilities in Greek universities". He says that anyone can walk into CHS Nafplio, register their name, receive a brief explanation and start using a computer portal to access Harvard University's 80 libraries, free of charge.

Source : Athens News