Recap of the Baltic Digital Humanities Forum
On 25 and 26 April, the first Baltic Digital Humanities Forum took place at the new Academic Centre of the University of Latvia, aiming to create a platform for the presentation and discussion of projects and research, digital tools and resources for Baltic DH researchers, practitioners and those interested. The opening speeches were given by the Latvian Minister of Education and Science Anda Čakša, the Vice-Rector of the University of Latvia Guntars Kitenbergs and the Estonian Ambassador in Latvia Eerik Marmei, highlighting the accomplishments so far and emphasising the importance of digital humanities for the development of the humanities.
The first day of the Baltic DH Forum discussed the current state of the art of the Baltic digital humanities, as well as the role of European research infrastructures in the humanities – CLARIN ERIC and DARIAH-EU. The panel discussion "Shaping Tomorrow: European Research Infrastructures in Humanities and the Role of National Policies" featured Uldis Berķis, expert from the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science, Tadas Juknevičius, Chair of the Science Division of the Lithuanian Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Sally Chambers, Director of DARIAH-EU, and Krister Lindén from the CLARIN ERIC Board. The impact of research infrastructures on the development of the humanities and the future prospects for this research area were discussed. The following panel discussion "Baltic Digital Humanities Landscape" provided an in-depth insight into the trends in the Baltic digital humanities over the last decades. The first day was concluded with a DARIAH-EU Workshop, moderated by Sally Chambers, Director of DARIAH-EU and Researcher at the Ghent Centre for Digital Humanities.
The second day opened with a discussion on "Language Technology in Higher Education: Future Directions and Collaboration", where researchers from all three Baltic States discussed the role and possibilities of language tools, sharing their experiences and technological solutions. This was followed by poster sessions where forty-five research groups from the three Baltic States and several other countries presented their work on DH projects, showcased the digital resources and tools they have developed, and presented a range of educational initiatives, from online learning platforms to summer schools and higher education modules.
The first Baltic Digital Humanities Forum gave us a better insight into the state of digital humanities in the Baltic States, the opportunities for cooperation and synergies, and what we can learn from each other. In the post-Forum survey, participants found the event useful, informative and inspiring, and there is a desire to consolidate it as a regular event in one of the Baltic States, bringing together DH researchers and students, developers and users, thus fostering closer cooperation in the field of digital humanities in the Baltic region.
Photo gallery available here.
Supporters
Language Technology Initiative, funded by the European Union and the National Development Plan. Project No. 2.3.1.1.i.0/1/22/I/CFLA/002 https://www.vti.lu.lv/en
"Towards Development of Open and FAIR Digital Humanities Ecosystem in Latvia,” implemented within the framework of the National Research Programme “Digital Humanities”. Project No.: VPP-IZM-DH-2022/1-0002 http://www.digitalhumanities.lv/projects/DHELI-en
State Culture Capital Foundation
“Research on Modern Latvian Language and Development of Language Technology”, implemented within the framework of the National Research Programme "Letonika – Fostering a Latvian and European Society". Project No.: VPP-LETONIKA-2021/1-0006 http://www.digitalhumanities.lv/projects/vpp-late