|
Todd A. Bolen. Pictorial
Library of Bible Lands. 8 vols. Colorado Springs, Col.: setSystems,
2001. $195 (CD-ROM Format). Reviewed by J. Gregory Behle, Professor of
Christian Education, The Master’s College.
The immeasurable value of visiting the land of Israel caused the
great church historian, Philip Schaff, to remark, "I would advise
every theological student who can afford it to complete his Biblical
education by a visit to the Holy Land. It will be of more practical use
to him in his pulpit labors than the lectures of the professors of
Oxford or Cambridge, in Berlin or Leipzig, valuable as these may be. The
best thing, of course, is to combine the most thorough theoretical study
and personal experience on the spot" (Philip Schaff Through
Bible Lands: Notes of Travel in Egypt, The Desert, and Palestine
[London: James Nisbet & Co., n.d.] 15). With the practical realities
of such a trip prohibitive to many, the advent of modern technologies
opens new opportunities for those unable to make such a journey.
The emergence and rapid expansion of computer-based resources
have dramatically altered both our perception of information and our
ability to communicate effectively. The rush to digitalize the land of
the Bible is no exception. Numerous commercial products exist that
afford the viewer modern pictorial depictions of the ancient biblical
lands. These products vary dramatically in digital quality, image
availability, and fair usage agreements. To the market comes the Pictorial
Library of Bible Lands.
Pictorial Library of Bible
Lands is the work of Todd A. Bolen, assistant professor of Biblical
Studies and a resident faculty member at The Master’s College
Israel-Bible Extension (IBEX) Program in Israel. Bolen has lived and
traveled extensively in the Middle East since 1990. His personal
knowledge of the biblical sites through residential contact and direct
field teaching experience contributes to the quality of this fine work.
Previous digital archives tend to emphasize “traditional” locations
majoring in tourist interests and not necessarily those of Bible
teachers and students.
The Pictorial Library of
Bible Lands consists of an eight volume CD-Rom set containing
approximately 4,500 high resolution digital (jpg format) images of the
biblical lands. They include Galilee & the North [Israel] (1),
Samaria & the Center [Israel] (2), Jerusalem (3), Judah & the
South [Israel] (4), Jordan (5), Egypt (6), Turkey (7) and Greece &
Rome (8). The resolution of the images is high (approximately 1600 x
1200) making them ideal for projection purposes. Each CD, in addition to
the digital images, contains pre-organized Powerpoint® files that are
ready for immediate instructional usage; a screen-saver that may be
edited for personal interest, a Vueslide feature that allows one-click
access to view all images in a geographic region. CD’s may be
purchased separately or as a set.
Four points in question were particularly relevant to this
reviewer. First, the issue concerning ease of access and ability to
locate the digital file: Could the image be easily located and
retrieved? Second, Was resolution quality high enough to provide a clear
image when submitted to data projection using presentation software?
Third, To what level did the publisher permit usage beyond that of
personal benefit without drifting into grey areas of copyright
limitations—i.e., public, non-commercial purposes? Finally, What
was included in the archive? Were the images of churches and
“traditional” tourist sites primarily, or was significant attention
given to biblical locales, including those seldom visited by traditional
tourists but of importance to teachers.
Concerning the issue of accessibility, Pictorial
Library of Bible Lands images are organized logically by geographic
site or region, using a named file, assisting the user in rapid
identification of the desired image. Previous knowledge of the geography
of the biblical lands is helpful in navigating the file-directory
structure. For those less familiar with Bible cartography, a Bible atlas
might be helpful. In contrast, the Zondervan
Image Archive images need to be searched out through a less than
intuitive process and individual images were cataloged numerically as
opposed to textually. Pictorial Library of
Bible Lands can be opened in Windows Explorer or a similar file
directory navigational tool and quickly accessed.
Issues concerning resolution quality of the digital images
deserves significant attention by any potential user. Again, by
comparison, the thumbnail, low-resolution of the Zondervan
Image Archive (approx. 320 x 280) proved aggravating when clear data
projection was needed. Users were encouraged to “upgrade” to a
high-resolution version at significant additional cost if such was
desired. This reviewer was left with the distinct impression that a
"bait-and-switch" had been performed. Pictorial
Library of Bible Lands offers crisp and clear resolution that lends
itself readily to data projection—ideal for pastors and teachers that
desire something for use in their teaching. Web developers will find the
images flexible and readily adaptable to professional quality Web sites.
The images are of such quality as to be readily useable in promotional
brochures or church bulletins. This reviewer has made extensive use of
the images in course-note packets and has not been disappointed.
Third, Bolen has provided liberal permission to use his digital
images in a capacity broader than traditional copyright allows. Many
existing image archives are vague in their usage permission concerning
copyright, thus plunging the user into the murky abyss of copyright fair
use. Those individuals or institutions seeking to use images for
non-personal purposes would be advised to consider such legal issues
before purchasing other such image libraries. Public usage, such as an
Internet website, brochures, or certain instructional settings, may
place the user outside the fair-use boundaries of other such
archives—to say nothing of digital images acquired directly from
Internet websites or scanned photos of previously copyrighted works.
Finally, Pictorial Library
of Bible Lands provides a good balance of biblical sites, geographic
locations, traditional locales, and general subjects of interest.
Some sites of modern interest are also included. Additional
aerial photographs and expansion of biblical manners and customs
illustrations would be helpful but their absence does not diminish this
fine collection. In many cases, the Pictorial
Library of Bible Lands offers the user multiple images of a site
from a variety of different vantage points.
Unfortunately, the greatest handicap of the Pictorial
Library of Bible Lands is limited market visibility. Those
interested in the set will need to contact Bolen through his website.
Such limited market availability has failed to dampen the enthusiasm
expressed by previous reviewers and professors as evidenced on the
website. Overall, the CD’s are comprehensive in scope and would
satisfy the digital needs of most individuals. Users who have been to
the geographic regions covered by the collection will be pleased with
the thorough nature of image inclusion and selection. As a professor
himself, Bolen understands what
a teacher or pastor wants for his teaching—not what a tourist might
want as a memory of a tour.
Pictorial Library of Bible
Lands is a must for any professor or pastor who desires high quality
digital images of the biblical lands. Though other digital libraries and
archives exist, the general quality is inferior, accessibility and
selection are limited, and issues of copyright fair usage are
problematic. For those who desire to enhance their teaching or preaching
through the visual medium, Pictorial Library of Bible Lands is clearly superior to what is
commercially available elsewhere. Interested individuals should explore
the Pictorial Library of Bible
Lands website at http://www.bibleplaces.com.
|
