The principal goals of our activities
Historians are more and more dependent on historical sources in electronic
form. This is both because existing archives are being converted into electronic
form, and because material being produced by modern administrative procedures
are now being stored electronically from the beginning. The analysis of
source material by computer requires a specific methodology generally subsumed
under the name historical informatics. Most European universities have
already recognized the need to incorporate historical informatics in the
general curriculum. However, the main obstacle to develop systematic Europe-wide
collaboration has resided more in the lack of human resources than economical
ones.
Through the sharing of teaching experiences and know-how, the
ACO*HUM network will make it easier for the participating universities
to establish and develop historical informatics as a teaching subject.
Consultations with experts in the field reveal a widespread wish to achieve
this goal by the following actions:
-
to create a catalogue of digital sources suited for comparative studies
of European regions;
-
to create and disseminate a bibliography of historical informatics;
-
to make computational tools and digital sources remotely accessible for
undergraduate students, thus allowing more students to gain experience
with advanced computing;
-
to develop a general curriculum in historical informatics gaining wide
acceptance across Europe;
-
to initiate a training programme for university teachers to incorporate
historical informatics in their general didactic practice;
-
to experiment in international, cooperative teaching (including distance
teaching) across institutions and countries;
-
to take steps toward a European Masters Degree in historical informatics
based on the above mentioned building blocks.
