Latviešu folkloras krātuves digitālais arhīvs garamantas.lv: priekšvēsture un attīstība
The Digital Archive of the Archives of Latvian Folklore garamantas.lv: Prehistory and Development

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the history of the digital archive of the Archive of Latvian Folklore (ALF) and other digital resources, the process of data digitization and processing, as well as the structure and content of the digital archive. The main task of the ALF since its establishment in 1924 until today is to document the intangible cultural heritage of the Latvian population, including ethnic minorities, in various formats, to conduct its research and to publish both research results and scientifically structured selections of research sources. The ALF archive is one of the largest repositories of intangible cultural heritage in Europe, containing more than three million folklore texts. Folklore publications are among the first Latvian language materials that have been digitized since the late 1960s. Until 2014, the characteristic trend in the digitization and accessibility of folklore sources is to create separate, relatively small digital collections or databases. The ALF digital archive garamantas.lv comes with a conceptually new approach, creating a versatile digital resource, the various parts and sub-projects of which are connected in one system. The creation of the digital archive has not only promoted the availability of ALF archive materials to a much wider range of interested parties, but also significantly stimulated the organization and inclusion of illustration, audio and video archives in the ALF collections, supplementing the archive with new, digitally created materials, ensured the involvement of the wider public in the processing of archive materials, as has also opened much wider possibilities for the study of the material using various digital humanities approaches and for inclusion in the international research circuit. Over the course of eight years, garamantas.lv has become the central digital repository of Latvian traditional cultural materials and continues to develop in cooperation with other institutions, integrating more and more collections of folklore and other types of materials.

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