Thematic Compendiums and Virtual Research Rooms

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Thematic CompendiumsandVirtual Research
Rooms Outlining on-line service concepts for
the digital collections of the Finnish Literature
Society

• Heli Kautonen
• Estonian annual Folklorists' Conference
• "Haldjas 10" 15.12.2005
• Nüpli, Estonia

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• Cultural heritage meets the on-line era
• Developing and adopting new technology
• Role of information professionals
• Focus on communities
• New on-line service concepts of SKS
• A) Thematic Compendiums
• B) Virtual Research Rooms
• Discussion

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Cultural heritage meets the on-line era

• General demand Internet access to cultural
  heritage resources for all
• Digitalization consumes resources but is not
  funded
• New rhetoric productization, profitability,
  content production, user-centric approach...
• Various emerging technical innovations
• Which one to follow? Where to invest?

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Developing and adopting new technology

• Technology as an instrument?
• Technology as a resolution?
• ...or "cultural production of new forms of
  material practice" (Suchman 2000)
• Acknlowledging participation, locality, limited
  control, heterogeinity
• Actors in the central point

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Role of information professionals

• Advanced search tools vs. Google
• Multitude of information systems, information
  models, representations
• Information professionals' new role as knowledge
  mediators, tutors

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Focus on communities

• Internet communities virtual communities
• Factors of success
• purpose and limited scope
• certain rules or habits
• trust

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New on-line service concepts of SKS

• Current on-line services lack clarity,
  integration, explanation
• From pilot projects to concept-based development
  of services
• Information professionals as knowledge mediators
• Room for research communities
• Clear concepts aid future development activities

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A) Thematic Compendiums

• Provide
• Peek to the wealth of SKS collections
• Contextual basis for understanding collections
• High-quality web publications
• Digital material in the core
• Draw together material from different
  collectionsaround a theme
• Aim advise how to use information and
  information systems

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B) Virtual Research Rooms

• More and more databases providing information
• Sensitive data can not be published on the WWW
• Access given to registered users only
• Aim on-line access to tools and opportunity to
  interaction

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Discussion

• Putting it to action?
• requires novel technical infrastructures
• consumes human resources
• Distribution? Co-operation?
• Limited access vs. open-access?