About the collection
The collection “Rainis and Aspazija” (RunA) reveals the diversity of the heritage left by both poets. It offers a new possibility, never before used in Latvia, to display the rich collection of private and memorial institutions and exhibit them on the internet in the form of interlinked information.
The collection includes all first editions of Rainis and Aspazija’s works with modern annotations, as well as other text materials – a small part of correspondence with scientific commentaries, archive documents. Available are photos and posters; audio – speech, pieces of works; video – newsreel fragments; and other materials, showcasing the intermediate connection between these objects of heritage, and also the historical background and connection with outside factors –people, institutions, locations, events. The collection of Rainis and Aspazija also includes heritage objects that have never been published before, for example, materials about the study years of Rainis in the Saint-Petersburg University, with photos.
The collection was created with the goal to develop this as a resource for digital humanities science researchers and students, and all other people in and outside of Latvia, who are interested in Rainis and Aspazija.
About collection creators
National Library of Latvia
National Archives of Latvia
Association of Memorial Museums
Literature and Music Museum
Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia
The initiative about creating the pilot project appeared in 2014, when The National Library of Latvia proposed to study and try using linked data technology in practice to assemble and organize the scattered cultural heritage.
In the study process while creating the collection, a team of representatives of different institutions was assembled: the National Archives of Latvia, National Library of Latvia, Association of Memorial Museums, and the Literature and Music Museum.
Questions, commentaries and offers of future cooperation in the creation of the collection, please address to bi@lnb.lv.
We also express our gratitude to the researcher of LU ILFA
Doctor of philology Gundega Grīnuma,
for the consultative support.
Creators of RunA
Collection formation concept – Uldis Bojārs, Anita Goldberga, Artūrs Žogla, Anita Rašmane, Aiva Stūrmane
Conceptual linked-data solution – Uldis Bojārs, Artūrs Žogla
Text-document annotation solution – Edgars Salna, Anita Rašmane, Artūrs Žogla, Uldis Bojārs
Content creation
- Annotations of works by Rainis & Aspazija – Astrīda Cīrule
- Material selection – Aiva Stūrmane, Anita Rašmane, Solvita Puķīte, Valda Barone, Jānis Šiliņš, Dace Bušante, Linda Pleša, Oksana Oša, Raits Lubinskis, Indra Viļumsone, Mārtiņš Mintaurs
- Data processing – Mārīte Jankevica-Balode, Jogita Sauka, Aiva Stūrmane, Valda Barone
- Text-document annotation – Anita Rašmane, Anita Goldberga, Inga Kapeniece, Solveiga Ķīkule
- Digitisation – Lāsma Timma
- English translation – Ieva Gribuste, Juris Benķis
Technical implementation – Jānis Freimanis, Valters Mukāns, Artūrs Žogla, Edgars Salna
Design – “ABC Software”, Artūrs Žogla
Copyright issues – Jurģis Īvāns
Administrative support – Jana Ķikāne, Karīna Bandere, Māra Sprūdža, Dace Bušante
Project management (Pilot collection and its development) – Anita Goldberga
Supplementing the collection with a new dataset of 118 letters and postcards from the early stage of poet emigration in Switzerland is funded by the Latvian Council of Science, project “Latvian Memory Institution Data in the Digital Space: Connecting Cultural Heritage”, project No. lzp-2019/1-0365.
