“From cabinets of curiosity to connections—digitisation is transforming the way we access, understand, and share cultural heritage,” said our today’s speaker; Dr Hendriyke Carius, who is a historian and works as Deputy Director and Head of the Department of Use and Digital Library at the Gotha Research Library of the University of Erfurt.
📸 We’re live at the 11th public lecture in the OIB-COSIMENA Research Colloquium II on Knowledge Transfer series, diving into “Collection-based Research meets Digital Strategy: Gotha Oriental Collection”, in collaboration with the Orient Institut Beirut (OIB).
📝Key takeaways:
1. Digital methods and infrastructures (e.g., AI, text mining, Linked Open Data) reshape historical research by enabling new forms of analysis, contextualization, and global access.
2. The Gotha Oriental Collection exemplifies transcultural knowledge transfer and how digitisation transforms physical archives into connected digital knowledge hubs.
3. Platforms like Qalamos, GOTHA.digital, and KITAB facilitate cross-collection research and comparative manuscript studies through centralized access and data enrichment.
4. Digital storytelling tools and exhibitions (e.g., Manuscript Talks, blogs) bridge scholarly work and public engagement, fostering inclusive knowledge transfer.
5. Digitisation is not neutral, it is an epistemic practice that requires critical awareness of interpretation, bias, and hybrid (physical-digital) approaches to preserve and share heritage.
✍🏻 Stay tuned for a detailed report on the whole OIB-COSIMENA Research Colloquium II series of lectures, highlights, and outcomes to be available on our DAAD Egypt website, as we document the success of the cooperation between the DAAD project COSIMENA and the Orient Institut Beirut (OIB).
🔎 For further information about the COSIMENA project and to subscribe to the COSIMENA network, please visit:
https://www.daad.eg/en/about-us/cosimena/
