Contemporary Model for the Digitization of Archival Records of Scientific Institutions

Abstract

The topic of this paper is the development of a framework for digital archiving in order to preserve, present and enable the availability of digitized and digital content for the purpose of historical and other research. The proposed framework is based on the concept of “thematic collections̕ˮ and is intended for researchers who want to create their own digital collections of historical sources and texts in order to acquaint the wider scientific community with their research, connect them with a wider context and create conditions for networking and cooperation. On the example of digitization of archival material of the Mathematical Institute SANU, and in accordance with current recommendations and regulations for digitization of cultural heritage in the Republic of Serbia, the proposed framework offers guidelines for: 1) economical digital translation process to obtain operational copies for web presentation, 2) cataloguing and description of digital documents using the Dublin Core set of elements, 3) creating a digital archive using the Omeka Classic platform, 4) creating guidelines for archival research on specific historical topics, and 5) compiling historical essays in a digital environment. The expected results are: 1) proposal for a framework for digital archiving of digital and digitized content for the purpose of historical and other research, and 2) digital collection dedicated to the history of mathematics and related sciences in Serbia and Southeastern Europe.