2014 EVA/Minerva Jerusalem International Conference on Digitisation of Cultural Heritage http://2014.minervaisrael.org.il http://www.digital-heritage.org.il

1. EVA Minerva Conference
Cultural Heritage
Jerusalem 11 November 2014

2. The National Library of Israel
The prime institute of national memory
for the State of Israel
for Jewish People across the globe.

3. The Vision - then
In Jerusalem our holy city, shall be built
a great house, high and lofty,
in which shall be treasured
the fruits of the Jewish People’s endeavor.
May it be that to this house shall stream
our masters, sages and all the scholars of our nation
Yosef Chazanovitc (1844-1919)

5. Newly Defined Roles of NLI
“To collect, preserve,
cultivate and endow the treasures of knowledge,
heritage and culture in general,
with an emphasis on the Land of Israel,
the State of Israel
and the Jewish people, in particular”.
(National Library Law, 2007)

6. The Vision - now
Becoming Israel’s flagship repository of information about Israel and the Jewish People.
Offering open access to the world of physical & digital resources, tools and services.
Maximizing Library's potential in this age of rapid change, with the newest technologies

7. Historical Jewish Press
JPRESS website founded in 2005
Cooperation between Tel Aviv University and the National Library of Israel.
The site contains historical Jewish newspapers that were published in a variety of languages, and in a number of different countries and time-periods.
Broad spectrum of users
The material is available online for free and is fully searchable
Over 1,250,000 pages with OCR
- An average of 20,000 new pages added each month
- 74 different Newspapers
- Newspapers from 15 countries
- 8 different Languages
•

8. The International Hebrew Manuscripts Project
Global centralized digital access to the complete corpus of existing Hebrew Manuscripts
•Institutional cooperation
•Open access - internet, mobile devices
•Quick and efficient search engine
•Powerful viewer – links to related items
•Personal work environment
•Tool for sharing and cooperation

9. 1892-2014: 124 years of Excellence

12. Gesher L’Europa A Bridge to Europe
Creating opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships with Europe
Fulfilling the Library’s mission of Renewal
A three year program working across all divisions of the NLI
Targets diverse audiences in Europe
Funded by Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe
….. CONNECTING PEOPLE

13. A Bridge to Europe

14. What is it?
∙Training and mentoring of European Library and Archive Professionals working with Jewish materials and those preserving Jewish heritage in their communities
Objectives
∙To share the expertise of NLI , develop strategic relationships in Europe, expand professional networks and increase use of and access to the Library’s collections.
What will happen?
∙8 participants per year at NLI for 3 weeks immersion and study
∙Follow up and mentoring at home institutions
At the
Source

16. What is it?
∙Gathering Jewish ephemera in Europe to be integrated into the Library collection
Objectives
∙To promote awareness of the value of Ephemera for preserving our heritage, to preserve and reflect a ‘slice of life’ from contemporary Jewish Europe.
What will happen?
∙A campaign to generate awareness of the contribution ephemera can make to our understanding of Jewish life
∙Pilot collection in selected countries and key institutions
∙Selective integrating into NLI collections
∙Prepare material for future digitization, showcase through NLI to countries of origin
Ephemera

18. What is it?
∙Creation of a Digital Platform for Primary Sources to support formal and informal Jewish education in Europe.
Objectives
∙To enhance NLI credentials as a leading resource of content and tools for Jewish education.
∙To adapt Digital Platform for Primary Sources for an international and informal educational context and explore new cultural development opportunities
What will happen?
∙NLI Education team will work with Educators in Europe to develop relevant materials
∙Piloting modules for teacher training in informal and formal education across Europe.
∙NLI resources will be accessible for Jewish educators across Europe
Education

19. NATIONAL LIBRARY COLLECTIONS
•5,000,000 books
•2,000 manuscripts
•700 personal archives
•30,000 hours of recordings
•Hundreds of thousands photographs, postcards, documents, maps, posters etc…

20. FORMATS OF PRIMARY SOURCES
Manuscripts
Documents
Posters
Illustrations
Ketubah’s
Photographs
Ephemera
Maps
Journalism
Music
Video
Postcards

21. NLI PRIMARY SOURCE CATALOGUE
•Hundreds of open access digital primary sources
•Repository of teaching resources
•Educational activities and games
•on-line, any device, no charge

22. NLI PRIMARY SOURCE CATALOGUE

23. WORKSHEETS AND LESSON PLANS

25. What is it?
Yerusha is the RF(H)E’s program for surveying archives and mapping Jewish Libraries in Europe. Yerusha’s database will be integrated into the Israel Archives Network (IAN) , creating a seamless integrated accessible archival system.
Objectives
∙To create a streamlined unified system for integrating Yerusha’s catalogue of European Jewish history archives into IAN.
∙To expand the content and materials available via the IAN
What will happen?
∙Yerusha will be granted licenses to access the Ad Lib system.
∙Pilot data will be transferred to the IAN - leading to the full integration over 2-3 years, using the same content management system and data storage facilities
∙A stand-alone front-end portal will be developed
Yerusha

27. What is it?
∙Internships at the NLI arranged through MASA Israel, for graduates and young professionals to gain valuable work experience.
Objectives
∙To promote NLI and help foster strong connections for young Jewish adults with their Jewish heritage.
∙To enable young professionals to upgrade their credentials, to benefit from their knowledge and expertise and establish long term connections
What will happen?
∙Internships will be offered for Library and IT related functions
∙4 interns, will come to the Library each year to work in their professional areas.
MASA

29. Gesher L’Europa
Issues to consider
∙Cooperation with institutions in Europe for sustainable relationships
∙Geographical focus – diverse contexts and structures
∙Language – anticipate diverse needs
∙Cultural differences - implications for delivery and content
∙Communicating the program
∙Managing expectations
∙Planning and integration into Library operations

30. A Bridge to Europe
Gesher L’Europa
‘The extent to which a small country like Israel is committed to the preservation and dissemination of knowledge and culture is uplifting and so true to Jewish values.’
Philip Alexander, University of Manchester