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University library opens online archives for citizen participation
Image: University of Kassel.The University Library is getting reinforcements in the indexing of its valuable treasures. Thousands of historical photographs, printed and handwritten documents are waiting to be decoded. Until now, these could only be researched and used via the University's online archive ORKA and the Grimm Portal. With the new function, a tool is available for the scientific research and indexing of these sources that can also be actively used by citizens to enter data. On Wednesday, June 20, at 6 p.m., the new tool will be presented to interested citizens at Grimmwelt.
On the one hand, it can be used to correct errors that occur during automated text recognition in the course of digitization (full-text editing). On the other hand, missing information on documents can be added (content capture).
After a simple registration, for example, names of recognizable persons, places or occasions on historical photographs can be entered directly into the system. Another way of supplying data is to comment on or correct entries in old Kassel address books. Citizens with expert knowledge of old scripts can also make transcriptions of letters and other handwritten or printed texts in Fraktur.
Known as Citizen Science or crowdsourcing, this relatively new approach is an interactive mode of service delivery that collaboratively involves a large number of stakeholders. This participatory form of online-supported analysis of large data sets or image archives by knowledgeable citizens is becoming increasingly popular, internationally and in different fields of knowledge. The spectrum ranges from the supply of weather data and the comparison of historical maps with current aerial photographs to the identification of plants in historical herbaria.
Given the scarcity of human resources, this step represents an enormous gain for the research and development of the written historical heritage of the UB with a cultural fun factor for the region.
Contact:
Dr. Matthias Schulze
Kassel University Library
Deputy Library Director, Head of Department III: Digital Library Services
Phone +49 561 804-3821
schulze@bibliothek.uni-kassel.de
Dr. Brigitte Pfeil
Kassel University Library
Head of Department IV: Regional Library, Head of Special Collections
Phone +49 561 804-7344
pfeil@bibliothek.uni-kassel.de
ORKA: orka.bibliothek.uni-kassel.de
Grimm-Portal: grimm-portal.de
Registration: orka.bibliothek.uni-kassel.de/viewer/crowd/editOcr/1513595610384/1/