The University Library has specific expertise, particularly in the area of historical collections. It actively supports research projects in the digital humanities, in particular through
The digitized sources of the University Library are accessible and usable on the publication platforms . Different tools and download options allow for further digital processing. For specific requirements, we collaborate with RISE, the Digital Humanities Lab of the University of Basel or other partners such as DaSCH.
The University Library is investing considerable resources in the digitization of its historical holdings. Currently, around two percent of all materials have been digitized. When you search the catalogues, you will find out whether a work has already been digitized. You can find digital sources from the University Library in the following portals:
And what if my source is not yet digitized? Contact us and we will be happy to tell you what options are available.
The University Library has established processes that enable flexible digitization tailored to the needs of research.
We have set ourselves the goal of supplying research projects with the necessary digitized sources from our holdings within 6-12 months, even with larger corpora. We work out the digitization requirements directly with you. If the standard services fall short, we develop the necessary interfaces so that you can seamlessly process the data in your project.
A corpus of sources will also include digitized documents and full texts from other institutions in Switzerland and abroad. We find these sites particularly useful:
Very often, the sources for a research project are distributed across different platforms. Many digital images can be combined into a separate corpus using the IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) standard. The Manifest Editor, for example, is suitable for this purpose. This allows several works or parts thereof to be saved in a so-called IIIF manifest. Such a manifest can be published online. This allows the data set to be linked directly in the presentation and shared with others. The ZB-Lab of the ZB Zürich has put together short video tutorials to help you get started with IIIF.
Of course, you can also download the sources and compile your own collection locally. Scripts for e-manuscripta and e-rara are available from Bern University Library.
Digital Humanities scholars can use a variety of tools and methods. We find some of them particularly useful.
We guarantee the sustainability of our own digitized holdings. Sustainability means that we strive for long-term archiving that conserves resources. We are happy to support you in the area of data management and the archiving of research data.