About Simurg

Simurg is CSIC's collection of bibliographic and archival heritage digitized according to CSIC's Digitalization Master Plan. The name comes from Persian mythology, where Simurg is the name of the immortal bird that according to this mythology nests in the branches of the Tree of Science.

Since 2008, CSIC Library and Archives Network has carried out a policy of digitizing bibliographic or archival funds with internationally accepted technical criteria so that they can be consulted by potential users anywhere in the world and that the originals are preserved in the best possible conditions, reducing handling.

Throughout the successive strategic plans, the Unit  of Information Resources for Research has been promoting the dissemination and enhancement of the patrimonial funds kept in the CSIC Library and Archives Network, giving rise to Simurg, Digitized Funds of CSIC, which, to date, has managed more than 150 projects of a wide variety of documents (manuscripts, old prints, graphic material, photographs, scores, maps, etc.). Since 2015 Simurg begins to be collected by Hispana, the Spanish aggregator of digital content, since 2017 also by its European analog, Europeana.

In constant growth, today the collection has exceeded 20,000 documents, representing more than 1.5 million images.

Simurg policies

The Simurg collection has been born and grown under the protection of a theoretical and practical documentary corpus that has made it possible to set a unitary policy for the development of digitization projects.

The funds that make up Simurg are patrimonial funds in the public domain and kept in the libraries and archives of CSIC.

To enlarge the Simurg collection, digitization projects must be carried out that follow the standards and guidelines established in CSIC's Digitalization Master Plan.

The Unit  of Information Resources for Research is at the disposal of all who request or wish it, both in advice and coordination on digitization and in project management.

Documents and guidelines on digitization

• CSIC Digitization Master Plan
• CSIC Technical Manual for Digitization
• Mets Profile of Simurg

Cooperation and dissemination

• Latest news
• Courses, lectures, conferences

Digitization and reproduction service

• CSIC Library and Archives Network offers its users a digitization and fund reproduction service. The general and specific conditions of the service and the rates that apply are included in the Regulations for the reproduction and use of funds of CSIC Library and Archives Network.

• It is possible to propose the digitization of documentary collections of the CSIC that are considered of interest so that they are available in Simurg, the portal to CSIC digital heritage. As a general rule, the bibliographic or archival, textual or iconographic funds that are to be digitized must be in the public domain and not be found in another free access digital library. The Network will assess the relevance of each request due to the relevance of the fund, the risk of impairment, the interest for the investigation, etc. and does not acquire any commitment to whoever makes the proposal. Suggestions, which will not entail any cost to the applicant, will be made through the form established for this purpose.

• All the information is available in our Reproduction and digitization service.