Press Kit

TextGrid Flyer

Service for Journalists

In this press kit you will find updated information, interviews with experts and materials concerning TextGrid. We appreciate further suggestions and are looking forward to your feedback. For additional information or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us: PR contact

About TextGrid

The joint project TextGrid aims to support access to and the exchange of data in the arts and humanities by means of modern information technology (the grid). In 2006 development began on a web-based platform, one which will provide services and tools for researchers for analysis of text data in various digital archives - independently of data format, location or software. TextGrid serves as a virtual research environment for philologists, linguists, musicologists and art historians.

Table of Contents:

Introduction Paper

‘Textgrid’ project develops digital infrastructure to allow humanities researchers and scientists to collaborate globally on massive datasets

by Dr. Torsten Reimer, Programme Manager, Digital Infrastructure
Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), London

Musty archives, dusty libraries – traditionally the natural habitat of humanities researchers, whilst scientists do their research in high-tech labs, or on supercomputers designed to simulate the world. Humanities researchers seem to be content with a book-covered study that looks as if a typewriter has only just lost its last stand against a laptop there. This may be the popular way to imagine how these disciplines work.

But now it’s time to imagine new ways of working. Let’s imagine that different humanities disciplines and librarians join forces to build their own digital tools, similar to the simulators of the climatologists or astronomers. Can we also imagine that they reinvent their study rooms and libraries in virtual space, in order to share their research with colleagues all over the world? ...more

Interviews with Experts

Experts in different subject areas were interviewed on the following topics:

Sustainability of Virtual Research Environments and the Limits of Historically Grown Funding Infrastructures Interview with Dr. Heike Neuroth, TextGrid coordinator, SUB Göttingen
The Beginnings of TextGrid, Community Building and the Beauty of TEI Interview with Prof. Dr. Werner Wegstein, computer-aided philology, Würzburg University
Virtual Research Environment and Diversification of Intra-Scientific Communication Interview with Dr. Sigrun Eckelmann, German Research Foundation
Tools, Surplus Values of Cross-Linked Data and the Meaning of Quality Controls Interview with Prof. Dr. Andrea Rapp, Institute of Linguistics and Literary Studies at Darmstadt University of Technology
Grid Projects in Great Britain and Co-Operation with TextGrid Interview with Dr. Tobias Blanke, Arts and Humanities eScience Support Centre (AHeSSC), King's College London
Digital Editing and the History of TextGrid Interview with Prof. Dr. Fotis Jannidis, Holder of chair in Literary Computing and German Literary History, University of Würzburg
Digital Music Editing Interview with Prof. Dr. Joachim Veit, Musicology Seminar (Detmold/Paderborn), University of Paderborn
Virtual Work Environment and Socio-Scientific Evaluation Syntax Interview with Dr. Peter Bartelheimer, Sociological Research Institute, University of Göttingen
Interpreting Between Computer Scientists and Humanists and the Constitution of Beta Versions Interview with Dr. Oliver Schmid, Centre for Electronic Text Processing and Publication in the Humanities, University of Trier