M. Voegler (replaced by A. Winsmann)
Virtual libraries and thematic gateways have proliferated in the past 5 years in Germany. Partly the result of increasingly sophisticated web-based technology and dynamic, database-driven sites, in Germany this proliferation also has to do with the funding practices of the DFG (Deutsch Forschungsgemeinschaft), which, as _the_ central distributor of research funding, has actively encouraged the creation of a wide array of subject-based virtual libraries and/or collaboratories in the natural and social sciences.
The presentation will begin with a look at the existing network of historical "virtual libraries" in Germany. More specifically: what sort of projects exist? what sort of technologies do they employ? in what sort of institutional context do they operate? what sort of funding do they enjoy? what sort of specialization do they have? are their practices and solutions complementary? and can/do they share content and/or technical solutions?
Next, I will turn in more detail to the project Clio-online, a central internet gateway -- a virtual library -- for German-language historical resources online. Clio-online represents a network of eight leading historical institutions (among them universities, research institutes, major research libraries, and archives). Within the past three years, the project has implemented a meta-search engine for historical databases, a collaborative environment for classifying web-resources in a bibliographic manner, and developed solutions for e-publishing -- always with the practices of working historians in mind. The final part of the presentation will focus on how these technologies were developed, how they are used, and what perspectives and goals remain to be implemented.
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