On 25-27 February 2025, the DIGHT-Net project will host a workshop at Tallinn University on the topic of “Building the Digital Archive of a Scholar.” This workshop aims to foster discussions and hands-on collaboration in the development of scholarly digital archives and digital twins for cultural heritage. Bringing together experts in digital humanities, archival and heritage studies, cultural semiotics and user experience design, this workshop will explore the opportunities and challenges of digitising and structuring scholarly archives.

The first part of the workshop will focus on broader discussions and the exchange of experiences related to digital archives and digital twins. Through presentations and discussions, participants will engage with case studies and methodological approaches to digitisation, datafication, and user accessibility.

The second part will take a more practical turn, guiding participants through a structured creative process to develop preliminary ideas for a digital archive dedicated to Juri Lotman. Using design sprint-inspired methods, participants will work in small teams to identify user needs, explore best practices from existing digital archives, and prototype potential solutions. By the end of the workshop, participants will have collaboratively sketched out concepts and frameworks that can contribute to the future development of Lotman’s digital archive.

A remote participation via Zoom is possible on 25 February in the afternoon (14:00–17:20) and on 26 February in the morning (10:10–12:00). The Zoom can be found here.

Programme

25 February 2025

14:00–14:20: Marek Tamm (Tallinn University): Introduction to the workshop
14:20–15:00: Charles Jeurgens (University of Amsterdam): Digitisation, datafication and linked data: new opportunities for old stuff
15:00–15.40: Andres Uueni (Estonian Academy of Art): Digital twin for cultural heritage
15:40–16:00: Coffee break
16:00–16.40: Lu Chen (Aalto University): Building Nokia Design Archive: Weave with records and lived experience in information design
16:40–17:20: Francesco Mazzucchelli (University of Bologna): The Umberto Eco Library in the making: Current situation and future prospects of developing a hybrid personal archive
18:30–20:00: Dinner

26 February 2025

10:30–10:40: Marek Tamm (TLU): Introduction: building the digital archive of Juri Lotman
10:40–11.20: Merit Maran (TLU): Digitisation of Juri Lotman and Zara Mints archives
11:20–12:00: Yan Asadchy (TLU): Interfaces and approaches to large collections
12:00–13:00: Lunch
13:15–14:00: Visit to the Juri Lotman Semiotics Repository
14:00–14:50: This session introduces our creative approach—drawing inspiration from design sprints—to help us rethink how people interact with digital archives. Participants will form small teams (3-4 people) and start brainstorming challenges users face when exploring large collections.
14:50–15:00: Break
15:00-15:50: Who interacts with digital archives, and what do they need? In this session, we’ll identify different types of users—historians, semioticians, other researchers, and/or the general public—and map their journeys.
15:50–16.00: Break
16:00-16:50: Inspiration and lightning demos. Each group will analyse real-world digital collections and archives, identifying useful features and areas for improvement. How do other platforms make collections accessible? What can we learn from them?
16:50–17:00: Break.
17:00-18:00: Sketching. Bringing together everything we’ve explored, each team will start sketching out solutions to improve how users interact with digital archives. Using inspiration from real-world interfaces, participants will outline their ideas visually.  We’ll close the session with reflections on the creative process and key takeaways.
19:00–21:00: Dinner

27 February 2025

09:00–09:50: We’ll start the day by reviewing yesterday’s work and narrowing down the most promising ideas. Teams will vote on concepts, refine details, and explore how different ideas might be combined for the best results.
09:50–10:00: Break.
10:00–10:50: Storyboarding and refined user journey. In this session, teams will create a visual step-by-step guide—storyboarding the user experience from start to finish.
10:50–11.00: Break
11:00–11:50: Prototyping. Using simple materials (paper, pens, markers, and scissors), teams will build low-tech prototypes of their proposed solutions. This hands-on approach makes it easier to test ideas quickly and refine them based on feedback.
11:50–12:00: Break.
12:00–12:50: Testing and wrap up. Teams will swap prototypes and test each other’s designs, providing constructive feedback. The workshop wraps up with a final discussion—what worked well? What challenges remain? How might these ideas be developed further?
13:00–15.00: Lunch