Daniela Rovida, rare books cataloger and metadata librarian at the Hesburgh Libraries, was recently awarded a Research and Scholarship Program — Initiation Grant through Notre Dame Research.

The internal grant will allow Rovida to travel to Venice later this year to further her research, uncovering the hidden stories of women who worked as printers during the hand-press era in the 16th century.

"I'm excited about this grant because it allows me to research primary sources and really try to dig deeper into some of these women's roles and impact in the dissemination of information during a time when every aspect, from paper to binding, was carefully handcrafted," said Rovida.

The competitive funding opportunity, administered by Notre Dame Research, was awarded to five recipients during its most recent cycle to provide seed funds to established faculty initiating new programs of research, scholarship or creative endeavor, as well as to early career faculty beginning their research programs.

“Daniela's project delves into the roles of women, convents and monasteries in early modern Venetian printing in intriguing ways,” said Erika Hosselkus, associate university librarian for scholarly resources and services. “In particular, her work through this grant seeks to go beyond simply naming notable female printers to explore what can be known about their identities, professional accomplishments and roles within their socioeconomic context. The connection to Daniela's work as a rare book cataloger in the Hesburgh Libraries is evident here, and I am certain that the deep expertise that Daniela develops through this project will also benefit the users of our collections and the broader field.”

Through her research, Rovida wants to give a voice to people who have been historically overlooked. She hopes to uncover the names and stories of women who worked as printmakers during this era and add their names to the historical record.

“Women often became printers because they were widowed and had to continue their husband's shops,” Rovida said. "They continued publishing under their husbands' names, often resulting in their own names being omitted from publications. In certain instances, they faced challenges in obtaining printing rights and in establishing connections with booksellers and paper manufacturers, among others. Yet, the contributions of these female printers have been overlooked by historians and bibliographers. This is why it is important to shed light on these women's identities and contributions."

In addition to researching individuals who contributed to the art of printmaking, she also plans to visit the "il Convento delle Convertite," which still stands today. The former convent served as a print shop during the 16th century and became a refuge for women facing difficult circumstances.

Rovida sees her research uncovering the names of the women who worked as printmakers and restoring them to the historical record as an extension of her job cataloging rare books. She would like to connect the names she resurfaces with the works they printed, especially those held in Notre Dame’s collections.

"In cataloging and metadata work, we create descriptions to enhance the discoverability and accessibility of items,” she said. “The bibliographic records we generate not only aid researchers but also support other librarians in offering reference services and assist acquisition, teaching, and managing the materials within our libraries and archives."

In addition to attaching their names to the works these women created, Rovida has also started contributing the information she has discovered into Wikidata. This publicly accessible, open-link data tool allows anyone to explore her research findings and/or add additional data. Over time, this data will grow from her contributions and those from other users, letting her explore information and connections she may not have otherwise seen.

"I hope that the findings of my research, and the possibility of integrating them with other data, will empower researchers to navigate, explore, and analyze information in a more interconnected and comprehensive manner, ultimately enhancing the quality and depth of scholarly work," she said.