Presenting the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure EHRI Charlotte

Presenting the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) Charlotte Hauwaert EHRI Data Integration Manager & project assistant coordinator Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Society (CEGESOMA), Mechelen Belgium CONNECTING COLLECTIONS

Welcome § General Introduction (Facts, Aims, Why? , EHRI Consortium) § EHRI Portal § Data Integration into the EHRI portal §Selection, import §Challenges §Solutions § Different ways of importing into the portal: §OAI-PMH §EAD Conversion Tool (ECT) §Metadata Publishing Tool (MPT) §Manual import § Example: Kazerne Dossin

EHRI Facts EHRI-1 § October 2010 - March 2015 (54 months) § ~ EUR 7 mio funding through EU 7 th Framework Programme § 20 partners (research institutions, libraries, archives, and museums) EHRI-2 § May 2015 – April 2019 (48 months) § ~ EUR 8 mio funding through EU Horizon 2020 Programme § 24 partners (research institutions, libraries, archives, and museums) Coordinator: NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Amsterdam

EHRI Aims The main objective of EHRI is to support the Holocaust research community by 1. integrating information on key archival collections and institutions into an online portal 2. encouraging collaborative Holocaust research and investigating new methodologies www. ehri-project. eu

Why EHRI? § Fragmentation and dispersal of archival sources § Geographical scope Holocaust § Attempts to destroy the evidence § Migration of Holocaust survivors § Multiplicity documentation projects after the war § Internationalization Holocaust research § Holocaust in Eastern Europe § New levels of collaborative research § New opportunities for digital research

EHRI-2 Partners 24 partner institutions from 17 countries, representing archives, libraries, museums, research institutions & a large network of associated partners

The EHRI Portal (http: //portal. ehri-project. eu) Country reports (57 countries) Entry on the individual archive (over 1, 800) Individual entries (collections / units) (tens of thousands) EHRI Portal

EHRI Portal - https: //portal. ehri-project. eu/

Data Integration in EHRI: Collections § Selection of the right content § Integration of relevant collections

Challenges § Still many archives with databases and/or websites not yet integrated in the EHRI portal § One-time imports are easily outdated (sustainability) § Still a high degree of “hidden archives” (non-digital, and even non-described archival sources)

Solutions § Fully automated: OAI-PMH (open source harvesting) § Partially automated: EHRI developed tools to support institutions § Help for EAD creation via EAD Conversion Tool (ECT) § Metadata Publishing Tool (MPT) § Possibility of sustainable connection in hands of institution itself § Manual input is always possible § EHRI can invest time into writing up collection descriptions for archives lacking descriptions or not stating explicitly what in their holdings is Holocaust relevant § Institutions can receive access to the EHRI portal to input descriptions themselves

Manual integration via the EHRI portal

EAD CONVERSION TOOL (ECT) § Simple tool: 6 steps § Goals: § Converts your metadata into EAD-files § Can be used to validate your data to make sure it is in the correct EAD format § Once the EAD-files are generated they can be exported

METADATA PUBLISHING TOOL (MPT) § To publish your EAD-files in a sustainable way + integrate into the EHRI portal § Institutions remain in control of what they publish: § Update their descriptions at their own given time § To select for publications the Holocaust-relevant descriptions § Whenever it suits the institution § The MPT publishes the metadata on the institutions’ own webserver § By procuring the weblink to EHRI, EHRI can then harvest § The institution itself can in turn harvest its EAD-files from the EHRI portal

Integration of collection descriptions

Example: Kazerne Dossin

Example Kazerne Dossin § Positive outcome: § Kazerne Dossin can decide by itself which descriptions to publish § Not constricted to time: publish whenever, where ever § Sustainable connection made: all changes, updates and new data can be added § Encountered difficulties § external technical support (Media Haven): can delay the process as the institution has to confer with it § Help from EHRI itself § By checking for valid EAD once EAD-files are created § Always giving assistance on technical questions § MPT: checking if all is well published before harvesting

How to determine which scenario is right for you?

MORE INFORMATION: § https: //ehri-project. eu/ehri-for-institutions § Gives you insight on all the tools § All manuals and tutorials at your disposal § Slideshow to help you step by step in using all the tools § You may always contact EHRI for more information

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EHRI Project Website - https: //www. ehri-project. eu 20 workshops, 3 conferences, 10 peer-reviewed publications, > 60 conference presentations

NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (NL) CEGESOMA Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society (BE) Jewish Museum in Prague (CZ) Center for Holocaust Studies at the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich (DE) YAD VASHEM The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority (IL) United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USA) Bundesarchiv (DE) The Wiener Library Institute for the Study of the Holocaust & Genocide (UK) Holocaust Documentation Centre (SK) Polish Center for Holocaust Research (PL) The Jewish Museum of Greece (GR) CONNECTING KNOWLEDGE Jewish Historical Institute (PL) King’s College London (UK) Ontotext AD (BG) Elie Wiesel National Institute for the Study of Holocaust in Romania (RO) DANS Data Archiving and Networked Services (NL) Shoah Memorial, Museum, Center for Contemporary Jewish Documentation (FR) ITS International Tracing Service (DE) Hungarian Jewish Archives (HU) INRIA Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (FR) Vilna Gaon State Jewish Museum (LT) VWI Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies (AT) Foundation Jewish Contemporary Documentation Center (IT) Kazerne Dossin: Memorial, Museum and Documentation Centre on Holocaust and Human Rights (BE) EHRI is funded by the European Union

Q&A