The goal of a project The Library as an Accelerator of the Digital Transformation of Research in the Humanities and Cultural Heritage (UNILIB – HUB) is to form and establish a model for GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) Laboratory within the research and universiteis libraries as a collaborative environment where researchers in the humanities can explore and interpret their data through contemporary digital tools and methods. The laboratory will connect the expertise of information professionals with the needs of scholars, supporting the transformation of research data into new forms of understanding.
In this environment, theoretical and methodological discussions will be closely integrated with practical, hands-on experimentation on digital materials. Scholars, librarians, and students will work together to design and adapt digital tools according to the specific research questions of each project, fostering innovative, data-driven approaches to humanities research grounded in critical and interpretive thinking.
The laboratory will also serve as a space for developing data literacy among humanities researchers. Participants will learn how to identify, create, and structure research data so that they are suitable for data-driven inquiry. They will receive support in storing, preserving, opening, and reusing their data, as well as in applying digital methods for analysis and interpretation. In this way, the laboratory will encourage the creative and innovative reuse of data, enabling richer and more engaging ways of interpreting and presenting the results of humanities research.
By establishing this laboratory, we are following and actively implementing the strategic orientation of the University of Zadar, which promotes the integration of digital technologies into research in the humanities. We will continue to support and advance this strategy by actively researching the needs of humanities scholars and developing digital tools tailored to their research practices.
In doing so, the laboratory will strengthen the role of the university library as an essential partner in the research process - being a place where scholars receive support not only in accessing and managing information, but also in shaping new digital research methodologies. The library will thus reclaim its central role as a laboratory for humanities research, while also contributing to the modernization of study programmes in information sciences and lifelong learning initiatives, ensuring that contemporary librarians acquire the competencies needed to respond effectively to the evolving needs of today’s scholars.