Unlocking the Celtic Collector; The Mind, Methods and Materials of Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912).

Project start date: 2009-07 Project end date: 2011-06
The Carmichael Watson collection in Edinburgh University Library, centred on the papers of the pioneering folklorist Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912), is the foremost collection of its kind in the country, and is crucial to understanding the customs, storytelling traditions, poetry, songs and general lore of the Gaelic-speaking areas of Scotland. The project will see an intense dissemination and research programme alongside development of a digital resource that will enable users to search fully-indexed catalogue descriptions, full text transcriptions and biographical records. The project will also develop a website with a variety of research tools including a guide to the often convoluted handwriting of Alexander Carmichael. The project seeks to answer one of the burning questions in Celtic Studies, the authenticity of Carmichael’s 'Carmina Gadelica' and his creative intervention in editing his material.
Subject domains: 
Era(s): 
Country/region(s): 
Methods usedCategory
Cataloguing and indexingData structuring and enhancement
IndexingData analysis
Geo-referencing and projectionData structuring and enhancement
Text encoding - descriptiveData structuring and enhancement
Risk managementStrategy and project management
Searching and queryingData analysis
Server scriptingData publishing and dissemination
Interface designData publishing and dissemination
CurationStrategy and project management
preservationStrategy and project management
General website developmentData publishing and dissemination
General project managementStrategy and project management
Manual input and transcriptionData capture
Funding sources: 
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
Content types created: 
Dataset/structured data, Still Image/Graphics, Text
Source material used:  
The project will focus on the field notebooks of Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912) which form the foundation of the Carmichael Watson collection.
Digital resource created:  
A fully indexed and searchable digital resource linking EAD catalogue records, TEI text transcriptions, EAC biographical records and a selection of digital images. The data created during the project will focus on the field notebooks of Alexander Carmichael and the purpose of the on-line resource is to help unlock the material and make it both accessible and navigable for research usage. The project will additionally produce a number of on-line research tools including a handwriting guide.
Access to digital resource:  
Open Access
Data Formats created: 
Extensible Markup Language (XML), Tagged Image File Format (TIFF), JPEG
Transformation form XML to HTML and of TIFF to JPEG for web delivery
Metadata standards employed: 
Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), Metadata Authority Description Standard (MADS), Encoded Archival Context (EAC), Visual Resources Association Core 4.0 (VRA)

Institutions affiliated with this project: 

UK HE institutions involved:
University of Edinburgh

Project staff and expertise: 

Principal staff member:Dr John Scally
Other staff:Postdoctoral researcher(s) / Research assistant(s)
External expertise:


Metadata on this arts-humanities.net record
Author(s) of recordLesley Doig
TitleUnlocking the Celtic Collector; The Mind, Methods and Materials of Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912).
Record created2010-11-19
Record updated2010-11-19 15:02
URL of recordhttp://www.arts-humanities.net/node/3706
Citation of recordLesley Doig: Unlocking the Celtic Collector; The Mind, Methods and Materials of Alexander Carmichael (1832-1912)..
<http://www.arts-humanities.net/node/3706>
created: 2010-11-19, last updated 2010-11-19 15:02