Nfts
Sacred tokens? The Vatican Library offers donors Soulbound NFTs
The Vatican Library appeals NFT to strengthen its online audience, giving new meaning to the term “soulbound token” for users in Italy.
The library established in the 15th century announced Monday that NFTs would be distributed to supporters of its manuscript collection as part of a deal with NTT DATA Italia, a multinational IT services provider, according to a translated document. Press release.
“The project aims to expand the online community of the Vatican Apostolic Library by putting the cultural institution in contact with its supporters through Web3 technology,” said the institution, which maintains 180,000 manuscripts and more than 1, 5 million pounds, in a press release.
Launched in Japan last year, the project is expanding to Europe, starting with users in Italy. People in the region who share its “Web3 Support Project” on social media until July 16 will receive a so-called Silver NFT that unlocks access to 15 different manuscripts, the library said.
Those who donate on behalf of the library will also receive a “Gold NFT,” which will provide access to 21 manuscripts in total. Described as non-transferable, NFTs appear soul-bound, meaning they are non-financial and tied to a wallet in perpetuity.
A proof of concept for the project listed on OpenSea show that PolygonNFTs based on NFTs have been distributed among 419 separate owners so far. NTT DATA did not immediately respond to a request from Decrypt seeking confirmation that Italian users will receive NFTs on the Ethereum network scaling.
NTT DATA has played a crucial role in preserving the historic documents of the Vatican Library, library prefect Don Mauro Mantovani said in a statement, adding that the company’s digital archive service, AMLAD, could be applied in various contexts around the world.
The company has collaborated with the Vatican Library since 2014 and NTT DATA’s dedicated archive includes more than 2 million assets, according to the company’s report. website. In the future, the library said immersive experiences could be created to view historic properties through extended reality.
Located in Vatican City, the library building dates back to the end of the 16th century. According to his websitein addition to books and manuscripts, the institution preserves 200,000 photographs, more than 150,000 prints and more than 300,000 coins and medals.
“Our goal remains to make the priceless cultural heritage of the Vatican Library accessible,” Ludovico Diaz, CEO of NTT DATA Italia, said in a statement. “We will continue this important conservation work, […] expand the use of blockchain technology to other sectors.
Edited by Andrew Hayward