MMDD preview

Co-Developing Litlink into an All-in-One Individual Research Database (2008-2011)

Starting in 2008, TS joined the seminal project ›Litlink‹9 – jointly developed by Prof. P. Sarasin (University of Zurich), PD Dr. Haber (University of Basel) and Nicolaus Busch (programmer) – a knowledge management tool for the humanities, based on the software FileMaker Pro 10/11 and available by now in version 4.1. The idea of this cooperation is to transform the sophisticated index card systems of Luhmann and Eco into a digital environment. It allows not only for the storing of bibliographical information, archival sources and the respective excerpts, but also for the creation of unique index cards.

Beside conventional data, as a unique feature these cards offer possibilities to manage metadata, such as information about persons, places or events. Connecting this information, Litlink has the potential to illustrate connections and to present an overview of interconnectedness between directly related data just like similar items. Taking, for example, a medieval sword: If there was only one single index card for the sword, a multitude of information, would be stored on it: archaeological site, age, usage site, current owner, producing blacksmith, place of manufacture, purchaser, repository, literary references, state of preservation et cetera. By granting all of these data own index cards, which are related among each other, coherences become more obvious: With the help of Location cards for instance, the way the sword took over the centuries, would be easily to reconstruct, starting with the manufacturer, over the owner and the battle ground up to its contemporary repository (museum). In addition this network of metadata provides the expanding and deepening of the user’s very own focus to other research fields.

As a result of the latest developments, Litlink provides a new glossary function with opportunities to add descriptions to charted elements. Looking up terms is possible at any point of the system by highlighting a text. The glossary checks up whether there is an existing description or a new entry has to be created. Furthermore, the keyword function is supervised in the glossary menu, which allows assigning keywords to every item of the database. Keywords can be edited, merged with synonyms or augmented with alternative terms. Using the glossary function for dealing with keywords, users can bring them to a new level by giving them an own »worth«.

The Junior research group ›Trading Diasporas‹ at Heidelberg University hosts the Litlink based ›Medieval Mediterranean Diasporas Database‹ (MMDD),10 a shared database for the storing of basically the same type of data as described above, focusing on the pre-modern Mediterranean from Late Antiquity to the Early Modern period, with over 7800 entries in the database and 2000 keywords so far. Its aim is to create a system, where data, coming from different users’ databases can be stored in a digital environment.

At that point, however, the major weak point of Litlink becomes apparent: Due to its poor network and internet workability, collaborative work is very limited. Therefore, MMDD is currently transferred to an internet platform ›ePorte‹, developed jointly with University of Toronto, Scarborough and Central European University, Budapest.

Screenshots:

title	documents	index cards	persons	persons 2
locations	locations 2	projects	glossary