A pipeline for the digital preservation of Girifalco psychiatric hospital’s medical records

This paper presents the technical-methodological framework designed to preserve and enhance access to the medical records contained into the historical archive of the former psychiatric hospital of Girifalco (Catanzaro, Italy). To facilitate users access, it was decided to create an online platform for the consultation of medical records by outlining a pipeline that would allow its populating process. The Cambridge Digital Collection Platform (CDCP) was adopted as a model, requiring custom adaptations to ensure secure access control and seamless integration of metadata, transcriptions, and digital images. A structured workflow was designed, integrating tools such as AtoM for archival metadata management and eScriptorium for text transcription and segmentation. By leveraging digital humanities tools and archival standards, this work proposes a system to promote and ensure the preservation, the accessibility, and the usability of historical medical records. It lays the groundwork for future interdisciplinary researches and studies on this cultural written heritage.