Aleksandra Pawliczek: Building up a Research Infrastructure on the First World War across Borders
Abstract:
The Collaborative EuropeaN Digital Archive Research Infrastructure (CENDARI) was funded by the European Commission to create a humanities research infrastructure that integrates access to archives, connects knowledge, and supports the research process for two domains: First World War studies and medieval history. Conceptualized as more than a static portal, it will not only give access to information on archival material relevant for these two domains, but also allow for network activities of historians, archivists and librarians which will preserve the system and create new digital research space to support and enhance specific historical methods of research. This paper gives an introduction into the work of the CENDARI project, focusing on the First World War domain and putting it into relation to the Medieval Studies as well as addressing the interdependencies between cultural heritage institutions and their clientele.
Maud Medves, Laurent Romary: EAG(Cendari) - customising EAG for research purposes
Abstract:
This paper presents the work carried out within the EU-funded Collaborative EuropeaN Digital Archival Research Infrastructure (or CENDARI) project to provide an appropriate customisation of the Encoded Archival Guide (EAG) that would fulfil the expectations of researchers in contemporary and medieval history with regard to describing where they could find collections and documents of specific interests. After describing the general data landscape that we have to deal with within the CENDARI project, we specifically address the data entry and acquisition scenario to identify how this affects the actual data structures, which are to be handled. We then present how we implemented such constraints by means of a full TEI/ODD specification of EAG and point out the main changes we made, which we think could also contribute to the further evolution of the EAG setting at large. We end up providing a wider picture of what we think could be the future of archival formats (EAG, EAD, EAC-CPF) if we want them to be more coherent and more sustainable at the service of both archives and researchers.
Dorota Drzewiecka, Katarzyna Pepłowska: Access to Polish archival materials - Legal dilemmas
Abstract:
Ensuring friendly, continuous and safe access to information resources and archival materials collected in archives to every citizen at any time and in any place is one of the basic tasks to be completed in the Polish archives. Only recently the Polish archives entered the digital era. That process creates new problems of legal nature to be solved by the archives. This article summarises the results of our research on Polish state law regarding Open Access. Our legal analysis identifies those areas that need to be amended especially now in the digital era. This is especially important since the archives, as government agencies, need to respect regulation on personal data protection, copyright, intellectual property protection and other rights related to the protection of privacy. Knowledge of these legal restrictions is essential for the function of digital archives. With this in mind, it becomes obvious that any project related to digitisation of archives cannot violate individual rights guaranteed. Since legal issues are complex and tedious, the article focuses on the practical side and is therefore based on case studies.
Jennifer Edmond: Learning to say 'No' - Strategic considerations for archives in the digital world
Abstract
A good strategy equips you to use the resources you have to take advantage of the opportunities around you, and understand the relative merits of alternative paths. But in the fast-changing environment of the digital world, it is often hard to find firm ground from which to think, much less act, strategically. Taking as its basis experiences from both university strategic planning and those of the Collaborative EuropeaN Digital Archival Research Infrastructure, (or CENDARI) Project, this paper focuses on some of the key questions that must be answered by new or mature archival digitisation programmes, placing them in the context of the business strategy discourse and larger European developments affecting archival end users and service providers.
Kathrin Pindl: From a small archive's standpoint - A short review on the Spital Archive's didactic practice in a digital world
Abstract
Can a small, private archive with limited funds prevail academically in a more and more digital world? Regensburg's Spital Archive might serve – for better or worse – as a benchmark for the implementation of innovative didactic practice in an archival environment. There are more than twenty didactic collaborations between the archive and the University of Regensburg, adult education institutions and schools. The paper discusses these collaborations on the basis of an online survey among the Spital Archive's didactic affiliates. In a hands-on approach, it depicts best-practice aspects of how the Spital Archive has built network structures within the academic community and organised its didactic collaborations.
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