Unit 1: Overview of datafication and its place in open innovation

Abstract:

In this unit, we introduce the new trend of datafication of collections in response to the increased user need to analyse digital content.

Brief description of content:

Digitisation for access, preservation and analysis
Digital material offering insights into individual objects and collections
Sources of data in CHOs

Learning objectives:

This part of the first unit aims to

Describe the current shift to collections as data
Provide inspirational examples illustrating how datafication helps to get new insights into digital cultural heritage
Illustrate the possibilities for introducing datafication into the practice of CHOs.
Introduce basic concepts from the data space domain.

Case studies:

A selection of case studies from the use of the digital collections of the British Library is available here: https://www.bl.uk/case-studies?subject=digital%20scholarship

Media used:

Video recording of a lecture supplemented by the PowerPoint slides.

Suggestions for further reading:

Padilla, T. (2016) Humanities Data in the Library: Integrity, Form, Access, In: D-Lib Magazine 22 (3/4). Available on: https://www.dlib.org/dlib/march16/padilla/03padilla.html

Mahey, M. et al. (2019) Open a GLAM Lab. Available on: https://glamlabs.pubpub.org/

Activities	Video Lessons
Let’s set the scene: datafication and open innovation. Watch this video.	Video number 2
Let’s reflect on what you just learned! Take as an example your existing (or potential) digital collections. Reflect on the following questions: Are there objects in your collection which would benefit from ‘microscopic’ view? Who are the users which would be interested in them? How and where are they exploring your collections (in a digital environment, coming to the institution, during events you organize, or something else)? What collections would benefit from visualisations on a larger scale which capture the essence of the collection? Again, what users might be interested in such visualisations? If a ‘microscopic’ view would be useful, do you have the necessary skills and tools to create them? Is your digital asset management system allowing to store and describe such visualisations? Again, if you like the idea of creating visualisations on the collection, do you have the skills and tools? Tip: One way to structure your thoughts is to keep a diary in digital form or in a nice notepad. These reflections will help towards the development of a digital strategy.
Are you interested to discover more on this topic? Here are some useful links. Padilla, T. (2016) Humanities Data in the Library: Integrity, Form, Access, In: D-Lib Magazine 22 (3/4). Available on: https://www.dlib.org/dlib/march16/padilla/03padilla.html Mahey, M. et al. (2019) Open a GLAM Lab. Available on: https://glamlabs.pubpub.org/ DARIAH ERIC website (The Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities (DARIAH): https://www.dariah.eu/
Now, it is time to explore how big data arrives at cultural heritage institutions. Watch this video.	Video number 3
Let’s reflect on what you just learned! Revisit the examples of data sources. Do you use any such sources in your practice? In which cases could your institution collaborate with other institutions or citizens to create more data? Can you involve citizens to create useful digital content, and how?
Case studies: a selection of case studies from the use of digital collection of the British Library is available here: https://www.bl.uk/case-studies?subject=digital%20scholarship Explore the case studies and pick one to read in detail. What have you learned about the use of digital material from it?
Additional material: illustration on the use of n-gram viewer Watch Ngrams, Applesauce and Billions of Words: Matthew Gray (TED talk),https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bganpida0a4
Are you interested to discover more on this topic? Here are some useful links. Acoustics in cultural heritage (video from Europeana): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucozMP3X2AU