IVS Commune online (ICo) is a digital tool meant to host analytical descriptions of legal texts transmitted in either manuscripts or printed editions and published from medieval to early modern age. The main purpose is allowing for a comparative study of the transmission of texts over the centuries, but also to facilitate the study of the evolution of the book as a material object. The ICo database did not start from the ground; it was inspired by the work done on the texts printed in the incunabula editions and described in the TEXT-inc database (http://textinc.bodleian.ox.ac.uk). ICo was actually conceived as an expansion of TEXT-inc, from which it took the core design and all relevant data: about 250 records related to editions of legal texts plus the indexes of authors (an agreement between Cristina Dondi and Alessandra Panzanelli was signed for the purpose). On this basis, some work was done to create a new tool capable of hosting texts from later editions and manuscripts, plus several other features. The very structure has been fully revised (the db management system has been changed, from PostgreSQL to MySQL; more details can be found in the technical descriptions provided by Luigi Tessarolo who developed the new database).

At the core of the database there are two sections: one dedicated to the analytical description of the texts (Content Analysis) and another section dedicated to the analysis of the book in its materiality (Bibliographical analysis). All data, however, are recorded to provide information on the transmission of the text. Indeed, data pertaining the construction of the book (e.g.: material support, sheet size, collation, writing system, typeface, illustrations, even the layout as a whole) are recorded to be analysed as evidence of the evolution of the texts. Indeed, the editor is given the opportunity to start the data analysis already in the moment of its recording, e.g. by linking editions on the basis of analogies found also in material aspects. As for texts, ICo aims to facilitate the identification of the work (through a uniform title) and related apparatus of paratextual material. The link between main record and indexes has been enhanced as well as the semantic analysis and the interoperability by adding a direct link towards several digital tools which are considered most relevant. From book privileges to illustrations, from MANUS online to HPB, ICo aims to present itself as part of a network of tools which all contribute to the study of the written cultural heritage. Most important, work was done on the display of the search results, which aims to allow a comparative study of the texts.

ICo was created to realise one of the main goals of the Project “The sources of the law in Europe in late medieval and early modern times. Towards a corpus of Texts of the Ius Commune from manuscript to print (1350-1650)” funded by the Ministry of University and Research within the Programma Giovani Ricercatori “Rita Levi Montalcini” (Call 2017) and led by Alessandra Panzanelli in the Department of Historical Studies of the University of Turin (2019-22). Since December 2022 ICo is being developed and enhanced by the research activities conducted within the framework of the Extended Partnership CHANGES, Spoke 3 (Digital Libraries, Archives and Philology). ICo is freely available on the web; editing data are also free for all who work on the transmission of legal texts and who would like to use ICo as a tool for analysis. Those who like to join the project, please get in touch (write to the General editor: mariaalessandra.panzanellifratoni@unito.it).