Connecting Objects and Literature: A Case Study with Khipus, the “Khipu-Biblio Cross-Reference”

Abstract Within disciplines that aim to understand past cultures by studying the objects they made, research methodologies can move between example-based object-specific investigations and whole-of-corpus data-driven analyses. And when the count of extant objects is relatively small, every single individual object has the potential to uniquely contribute to new knowledge or transform existing paradigms. But how does a researcher know how many objects there are, where they are, how they have been studied and written about in the past, and which may be awaiting closer examination? This article introduces an object-literature framework that connects objects to the literature that mention them and creates an error-corrected resource that enables the tracing of objects through published literature and through time. The specific example described here applies the framework to khipus (knotted-cord recording devices from the Andes), to create the “khipu-biblio cross-reference.” Key findings include comprehending the pattern of khipu publications, identifying understudied khipus, and updating the count of known khipus and their locations. By applying the framework to any collection of objects, researchers and collections teams can draw substantial benefits and accelerate the generation of new knowledge.