Are you a Digital Humanities student or early career researcher in Belgium who would like to discuss DH with other early career researchers in the Belgian DH community? If so, you might be interested in joining the DH Virtual Discussion Group for ECRs!

The DH Virtual Discussion Group is a joint initiative organized by individuals at multiple Belgian institutions. We strive to involve speakers from all Belgian institutions and encourage participation from all those who are interested in DH and are located at any Belgian institution. This year, the core organizers are Leah Budke (KU Leuven Libraries Artes), Tom Gheldof (KU Leuven, CLARIAH-VL+), Paavo van der Eecken (University of Antwerp), and Loren Verreyen (University of Antwerp). Over the past years, the series has become a regular event. The fall 2025 edition proudly marks our eleventh term.

Our first two sessions this fall will continue the “under-the-hood” format, which entails a volunteer from our community providing a thirty-minute overview of a digital project implementing a given tool, approach, or platform. This is not meant to be a polished research presentation, or to present findings or results, but rather to give our community a behind-the-scenes look at how decisions were made and why specific tools were chosen or developed. The hope is also that this presenter will give attendees some ideas about how to get started implementing a specific tool or workflow, and that they can also answer questions or contribute to a discussion on other projects in our community that might be using similar methodologies or addressing similar issues. This “under-the-hood” session format allows us to have focused discussions around a specific project where we can learn from each other in an informal way. In addition, by implementing this format we can maintain the low threshold for contributing and engaging in the conversations.

Our final session will be a round table session during which 3-4 members of our community chat with us about their experience doing a PhD with a Digital Humanities component.

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The following sessions are on the schedule for the fall 2025 semester (details will be updated as confirmed):

Session 1
Monday 20 October, 15h-16h30 CEST via Teams
Speaker(s): Theodora Rontzova, KU Leuven
Title: Cultural Heritage in Virtual Worlds – the IMPULSE Project
Abstract: My presentation will introduce IMPULSE, a project that aims to enhance accessibility to digitized cultural heritage collections through immersive technology, fostering diverse narrative and public engagement. Over the course of three years, IMPULSE will enhance accessibility to digitized cultural content, optimize streamline digitization processes in the three focus areas of education, artistic creation and CCSIs, develop legal frameworks to mitigate risks and barriers in utilizing cultural heritage data, and foster collaborative creation on immersive platforms. My presentation will provide an overview of the most recent developments within the different Work Packages of the project, with focus on the findings of the two recent workshops in Leuven and in Malta. I will share insights from the development of the virtual platform that will lead to the project’s final Hackathon later this year, and I will finally invite participants to engage with our Community of Practice.

Session 2
Monday 17 November, 15h-16h30 CET via Teams
Speaker(s): Sara Budts, VUB
Title: Finding Patterns in Lottery Rhymes of the Late Medieval and Early Modern Low Countries with and without AI
Abstract: This presentation explores the patterns in lottery rhymes produced in the late medieval and early modern Low Countries, with a focus on the rhymes written by women. The lottery was a popular fundraising event in the Low Countries. Lottery rhymes, personal messages attached to the lottery tickets, provide a valuable source for historians. We collected more than 11,000 digitised short texts from five lotteries held between 1446 and 1606. We have used GysBERT, a language model of historical Dutch, to identify distinctively male and female discourses in the lottery rhymes corpus. Although the model pointed us to some interesting patterns, it also showed that lottery rhymes written by men and women do not radically differ from each other. This is consistent with insights from premodern women’s history which stresses that women worked within societal, and in this case literary, conventions, sometimes subverting them, sometimes adapting them, sometimes adopting them unchanged.

Session 3 – Round Table Session
Monday 15 December, 15h-16h30 CET via Teams
Speaker(s): To be confirmed
Session Description: This session features insights from 3-4 PhD researchers in our network who are working with DH methods. The session is designed to be free-flowing and informal, but you can expect the following avenues of discussion: (1) how the researcher became interested or started integrating DH methods in their research, (2) the challenges faced when learning new DH skills, (3) important resources that have helped throughout this process, (4) other challenges encountered related to the perception or acceptance of DH, and (5) specific benefits that DH methods have offered for the researcher’s work.

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There are an increasing number of conferences, workshops, and funding opportunities in DH, and we would like to ensure that you are aware of them. We will start every session with a moment for individuals to share news about upcoming lectures, workshops, seminars, and conferences. We have a corresponding Slack group where we also share these opportunities both during the discussion group meetings and in between. The link to join the Slack group is included in every email sent out to the mailing list, so watch for it there or send us an email to request access.

If you would like to register or invite other colleagues to join, please complete the registration form for the mailing list here. Please note, if you have received emails from us about the Discussion Group in the past, it means you are already on our mailing list. In that case, there is no need to register again—you will receive the emails with the MS Teams link and any additional information on the day of the session. Additionally, you will also receive updates on upcoming sessions including further details about speakers and the “under-the-hood” presentation topics. 

Are you a frequent attendee of the DH Virtual Discussion Group and would like a low-threshold way to become more involved in the organization? We are looking for ambassadors to promote the group within their university networks. If this might be a role you would like to take on, get in touch and we can tell you more!

We look forward to seeing you this fall!

The Flanders Training Network for Methodology and Statistics (FLAMES) is an inter-university training network comprised of Ghent University, Hasselt University, University of Antwerp, KU Leuven, and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. This network is organizing a number of statistics and methodology courses this fall.

Some courses that may be of interest to our researchers include:

03/10/2025: Photovoice – the use of participatory photography in qualitative research – ON CAMPUS
27/10/2025: Critical Discourse Analysis – ON CAMPUS
05/11/2025: Strategies in qualitative data-analysis from a Grounded Theory perspective – ON CAMPUS
07/11/2025: Introduction to Interpretability & explanability in AI with Python – ONLINE
17/11/2025: Ethnographic research and observational methods – ONLINE
24/11/2025: Using NVivo for Qualitative Data Analysis – ON CAMPUS

The above is just a selection of the courses that are on the program for this fall. To see the full list of training opportunities and to register for any of the courses, visit the FLAMES website.

Each year the Artes Research team offers the opportunity for students to do an internship with our team. During spring 2025, Helin Toprak, a student in the Advanced Master in Digital Humanities, joined us.

The Artes Research team frequently (co-)organizes training opportunities and collects training resources for researchers at the Faculty of Arts. Helin’s internship focused on this aspect of our work. During her three months with us, she developed resources on a variety of tools we find useful for our researchers. Helin created tutorials showcasing the functionalities of OpenRefine, and two Knight Lab tools, Timeline JS, and StoryMap JS.

OpenRefine is a tool that is useful for nearly all researchers who work with structured data and computational methods. An aspect of the research data workflow that is crucial in the beginning stages is data cleaning and transformation. OpenRefine is a free open-source web-based tool that allows users to do just that. During her internship, Helin created a tutorial to help researchers get started with this tool. The tutorial is designed for users who have no experience with OpenRefine and are looking to learn about the features and explore its uses.

The other two resources that Helin created focus on two tools from the Knight Lab suite. Timeline JS is an open-source tool developed to help users create interactive timelines. This is an accessible tool that anyone can use. The web-based tool just requires data that users put into a Google spreadsheet, then it’s ready to go with multiple options for customization. Advanced features allow those with more expertise to use their JSON skills to further customize their output.

StoryMap JS is also a free web-based tool developed by Knight Lab. This tool is designed to be highly visual. Users can add images and text to maps, allowing them to create a story or illustrate certain events or situations that might be relevant to their research topics. This tool is equally as accessible as Timeline JS and can be customized to fit a researcher’s needs and style.

To learn about these two tools as well as OpenRefine, you can have a look at the resources that Helin created during her internship. They are accessible via the following Zenodo record (make sure to look through all the documents in the record for each separate resource):

• Toprak, H. R. (2025, July 16). Materials for KU Leuven Libraries – Artes Research. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15982530

We would like to thank Helin for her great work during her internship! She was a pleasure to have as an intern, and we wish her all the best in her career after graduating from the Advanced Master in Digital Humanities!

—- Due to low registration numbers, this event has been cancelled —-

Yes, you read it correctly; we are having another in-person meeting! As the name suggests, the DH Virtual Discussion Group for ECRs in Belgium is usually a virtual event. We meet on a monthly basis during the academic year to keep up-to-date on all that is happening in our Belgian DH community and beyond and to hear about our members’ DH projects. The virtual format was a necessity when the group formed at the start of the pandemic, and it has worked well to fulfill the objective of bringing together people who are interested in DH from institutions all over Belgium. While we certainly intend to continue the virtual format, we are excited to organize our third annual in-person event this May (Monday 26/5, 14h00-16h00, Hoek 38, Brussels)!

This meeting of the Discussion Group will also be our special DH Benelux session. Each year we organize a special session a week or two before the annual DH Benelux conference (hosted this year in Amsterdam). During this session, members of our community who will be contributing to DH Benelux (in the form of a paper, poster, or demo) are invited to give an elevator pitch of their contribution. The format of this session holds many benefits for all who present and who attend:

1. It gives first-time presenters the opportunity to pitch their conference contribution in an informal setting and to work out some of the pre-conference nerves. Similarly, it provides all of our community members the opportunity to support our early career researchers and to encourage them as they pass this first milestone.
2. It allows our members to learn about what kind of DH work is happening in our community. We typically hear from one member of our community during each monthly session, but there is not enough time and space to hear from all our members in a more detailed presentation. The elevator pitch format is perfect for this because we can hear from many people in a short amount of time!
3. It gives insight into what to expect at a DH conference, and more specifically, what to expect at DH Benelux.
4. It promotes and supports the broader DH Benelux community, which is a tight-knit group of encouraging and inspiring people.
5. It provides inspiration and promotes further engagement within our community. With a large number of elevator pitches, the chance is greater that mutual research interests will become apparent.

We welcome attendance from anyone based at a Belgian institution (including Universities, Hogeschools, and GLAM institutions) with an interest in Digital Humanities! If this session sounds like something you would like to attend, please see below for the practical details and the link to register:

What: Special DH Benelux Session of the DH VDG
Where: Room 1.10 Malachiet, Hoek 38, Leuvenseweg 38, Brussels (location is within walking distance from the central station)
When: 14h00-16h00
Registration: open until 21/5 via OneButton

There will be cookies, coffee, tea, and water available during the session. Anyone who would like is welcome to go for a social drink at a nearby cafe together after the session. The session is free to attend, but registration is required. Registration will close on 21 May, so make sure to let us know soon if you will be joining us!

Have you been accepted to present a poster, paper, or demo at DH Benelux this year? Congratulations! We would love to have you do an elevator pitch during our meeting (timing will depend on how many people will present, but you can expect to have 3-4 minutes and a maximum of one PPT slide if desired). Please get in touch ASAP so we can get you on the schedule! You can email leah.budke@kuleuven.be to be added to the program.

While we really hope this event will have a large in-person attendance, we also realize that scheduling conflicts might prevent some of our members from being able to travel to Brussels for this event. If you would like to listen to the presentations or present your DH Benelux contribution virtually, that option is also possible. The MS Teams link for virtual access will be circulated to the mailing list the morning of the event. If you would like to present virtually, please let us know this when you contact us to be added to the program.

We hope to see you in Brussels on 26 May!

Are you a Digital Humanities student or early career researcher in Belgium who would like to discuss DH with other early career researchers in the Belgian DH community? If so, you might be interested in joining the DH Virtual Discussion Group for ECRs!

The DH Virtual Discussion Group is a joint initiative organized by individuals at three different Belgian institutions. We strive to involve speakers from various Belgian institutions and encourage participation from all those who are interested in DH and are located at any Belgian institution. This year, the core organizers are Leah Budke (KU Leuven Libraries Artes), Tom Gheldof (KU Leuven, CLARIAH-VL+), Sven Lieber (KBR), Paavo van der Eecken (University of Antwerp), and Loren Verreyen (University of Antwerp). Over the past years, the series has become a regular event. The spring 2025 edition proudly marks our tenth term.

Our first two sessions this spring will continue the “under-the-hood” format, which entails a volunteer from our community providing a thirty-minute overview of a digital project implementing a given tool, approach, or platform. This is not meant to be a polished research presentation, or to present findings or results, but rather to give our community a behind-the-scenes look at how decisions were made and why specific tools were chosen or developed. The hope is also that this presenter will give attendees some ideas about how to get started implementing a specific tool or workflow, and that they can also answer questions or contribute to a discussion on other projects in our community that might be using similar methodologies or addressing similar issues. This “under-the-hood” session format allows us to have focused discussions around a specific project where we can learn from each other in an informal way. In addition, by implementing this format we can maintain the low threshold for contributing and engaging in the conversations.

Our final session will be our special DH Benelux session during which members of our community pitch their DH Benelux contribution in the form of an elevator pitch. This special session takes place in person (with option to join online), which is a fun way to bring the community together while also allowing us to learn about the diverse projects being done in the Benelux region!

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The following sessions are on the schedule for the spring 2025 semester (details will be updated as confirmed):

Session 1
Monday 17 March, 15h-16h30 CET via Teams
Please note: a last-minute change of schedule has been made. Unfortunately, Tess Dejaeghere is unable to present for us during this session. Tom Gheldof will present about the CLARIAH-VL+ project.
Speaker(s): Tom Gheldof, KU Leuven (coordinator CLARIAH-VL+)
Title: Building a DH Service Infrastructure: CLARIAH-VL(+) and Open Science in action!
Abstract: This presentation introduces CLARIAH-VL, a project that aims to advance Digital Humanities research by establishing a robust DH infrastructure in Flanders (with partners UGent, UAntwerpen, KU Leuven, VUB and the Dutch Language Institute). During the period 2021-2024, CLARIAH-VL developed several high-quality and user-friendly DH tools or tool suites, the so-called Service Infrastructure Components (SICs). In this presentation, an overview of these SICs will be provided, spanning disciplines and DH methods such as Named Entity Linking, semantic annotation, TEI XML editing, topic detection and much more. Finally, this presentation will also highlight how the new project phase (under the acronym CLARIAH-VL+) will further develop its DH infrastructure and stays committed to Open Science and public engagement, not only by ensuring accessibility and alignment with European research infrastructures like CLARIN-ERIC and DARIAH-EU, but also by reaching out to other partners for Digital Humanities research in Flanders and beyond.

Session 2
Monday 28 April, 15h-16h30 CEST via Teams
Speaker(s): Roberta Pireddu, KU Leuven
Title: Enriching Cultural Heritage with AI: The AI4Culture Hackathon Journey (& A Glimpse into CrowdHeritage)
Abstract: In this presentation, I will share insights into the AI4Culture project, with a particular focus on the planning and execution of the AI4Cultural Hackathon—a one-week event held at KU Leuven in February 2025. I will discuss how the event was developed within the framework of the project, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the preparations, challenges faced, and lessons learned. Additionally, I will highlight the CrowdHeritage platform, showcasing its successful implementation in various events organized as part of other projects and participatory activities.

Session 3 – Special In-Person DH Benelux Session
Monday 26 May, 13h30-16h CEST
Location: room 1.10 Malachiet, Hoek 38, Leuvenseweg 38, Brussels (location is within walking distance from the central station)
Speaker(s): various members of our community
Format: elevator pitches of DH Benelux contributions

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There are an increasing number of conferences, workshops, and funding opportunities in DH, and we would like to ensure that you are aware of them. We will start every session with a moment for individuals to share news about upcoming lectures, workshops, seminars, and conferences. We have a corresponding Slack group where we also share these opportunities both during the discussion group meetings and in between. The link to join the Slack group is included in every email sent out to the mailing list, so watch for it there or send us an email to request access.

If you would like to register or invite other colleagues to join, please complete the registration form for the mailing list here. Please note, if you have received emails from us about the Discussion Group in the past, it means you are already on our mailing list. In that case, there is no need to register again—you will receive the emails with the MS Teams link and any additional information on the day of the session. Additionally, you will also receive updates on upcoming sessions including further details about speakers and the “under-the-hood” presentation topics. 

Are you a frequent attendee of the DH Virtual Discussion Group and would like a low-threshold way to become more involved in the organization? We are looking for ambassadors to promote the group within their university networks. If this might be a role you would like to take on, get in touch and we can tell you more!

We look forward to seeing you this spring!

What kind of stories lie hidden in the Vesalius manuscript, educational glass slides of ancient temples, or the ruins of great civilizations? What if ancient murals were designed to speak to multiple cultures, blending artistic traditions into a shared narrative? What if Palmyra had never fallen and we could explore how it evolved into the present day? What if Vesalius’ anatomical work was reimagined from the perspective of a female anatomist? During the 2-day workshop hosted by the IMPULSE Project (18-19 February) participants will delve into questions like these and explore the technological possibilities for enriching our understanding.

Workshop Application: Reimagining Learning. Transforming Education Through VR and Cultural Heritage

The IMPULSE project invites you to participate in a two-day workshop that explores how Virtual Reality (VR) can unlock new ways to connect with cultural heritage and transform educational processes. You will get the opportunity to reimagine and reshape teaching and learning through the use of immersive storytelling practices and innovative technology.  

Whether you are an educator, creator, cultural heritage enthusiast, or simply curious about the potential of VR, this event is open to you. No technical expertise is required! Only curiosity and willingness to collaborate and explore new ideas. 

Workshop Highlights

• Design Interactive VR Experiences: Utilize authentic cultural objects from the KU Leuven Collections to craft compelling VR learning scenarios. 
• Shape an Innovative VR Platform: Test and contribute to the development of cutting-edge immersive technology. 
• Collaborate with Peers: Engage with professionals and thought leaders to co-create innovative approaches to learning.  

Practicalities

Target audience: this workshop is open to everyone, regardless of background or experience.
Date: 18-19 February
Location: KU Leuven Agora Learning Center (online participation also possible)
Application deadline: 2 February

To see full details about the IMPULSE project workshop, including the required application procedure, please visit the event webpage.

On February 12 and from February 18 to 20, 2025, the AI4Culture Hackathon will see professionals, institutions and passionate individuals from the fields of AI, digital humanities, and cultural heritage teaming up to transform how shared cultural heritage is preserved, enriched, and interacted with.

The hackathon is designed to guide the participants to learn more about the AI tools available on the AI4Culture platform, trying them first-hand using unique cultural heritage datasets. Europeana, the treasure trove of European digital cultural heritage hosting over 50 million digital items, will be the primary repository for datasets. On the opening day, February 12, participants will be introduced to Europeana’s platform, explore curated collections, and get full access to their vast data via the Europeana API. This session will feature inspiring challenges designed to ignite innovative AI applications.

Participants will have the opportunity to explore five AI tools developed as part of the AI4Culture project. These tools include features such as AI-powered solutions for automatically generating multilingual subtitles for audiovisual content, applying OCR, transcription, and automated data enrichment techniques to enhance the quality and accessibility of digital collections, and detecting objects and other features in photos and videos. 

Program

12 February 2025
10:00 – 18:00 CET | Irish College, Leuven
Hackathon Opening Day: Introduction to tools, data, and participants

13 – 17 February 2025
Online/Onsite
Independent team work

18 – 20 February 2025
Collaborative Work on Campus (Optional)
Collaborative space available at KU Leuven, Campus Arenberg

20 February 2025
15:00 – 19:00 CET | KU Leuven, Campus Arenberg, Heverlee
Hackathon Closing Day
Team presentations, awards ceremony and reception

Practicalities

Target audience: The initiative seeks individuals with diverse backgrounds and complementary skills, whether technical, creative, or interpersonal. While prior hackathon experience is advantageous, motivation is the primary consideration.
Date: 12 February – 20 February
Location: KU Leuven campus, Leuven (various locations)
Application deadline: 10 February

To see full details about the AI4Culture Hackathon, including the required application procedure, please visit the event webpage.

As part of our blog series, “Stories from the Research Trenches,” we often invite researchers and colleagues to share their personal experiences. For this installment of the series, we are delighted to have our colleague Marleen Marynissen from KU Leuven Libraries Nexus Research Data Management team sharing about her recent Erasmus+ experience in Barcelona.

A Journey of Collaboration and Learning: My Erasmus+ Experience in Barcelona

In October 2024, I had the opportunity to participate in the Catalan University Libraries Erasmus Staff Week in Barcelona. This five-day event, held from October 7^th to 11^th, brought together library professionals from across Europe to collaborate, exchange experiences, foster collaboration, and explore the evolving role of university libraries in the field of open science.

The week kicked off with an international coffee break and an icebreaker activity, setting a friendly and collaborative tone for the days ahead. Hosted by the Consortium of University Services of Catalonia (CSUC), the event provided a platform for participants to introduce themselves and share their expectations. It was also very interesting and inspiring to see how CSUC facilitates shared services and infrastructures among Catalan universities and research centers, enhancing their efficiency. The first day concluded with a guided tour of Barcelona – allowing us to discover the city’s vibrant culture.

The next day we went to the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), where we explored the research support services offered by the libraries. We learned about the Library’s Research Café, user training programs, and cultural programming in collaboration with UPCArt. This day also featured the first round of participant presentations, including my own presentation titled: Empowering Open Science, promoting FAIR dataset publication through documentation and metadata enhancement.

On the third day, we visited the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), where we focused on teaching support services. We were introduced to La Factoria, a support service for digital production managed by the library and IT. The day also included engaging presentations and discussions.

At the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), we delved into open education and citizen science initiatives. One of the highlights was a collaborative task focused on creating an open educational resource, which allowed us to explore the opportunities and challenges of open education in practice. After visiting the UAB’s facilities and enjoying several participant presentations, we concluded the day with a social dinner.

On the final day we had a session to reflect on our shared experiences and key takeaways. The program concluded with a visit to the Catalan National Library.

The Catalan University Libraries Erasmus Staff Week in Barcelona was an unforgettable experience. Each location we visited enriched the program by showcasing its unique approach to library services and open science. The participant presentations offered fresh perspectives and it was really nice to meet and exchange ideas with colleagues from across Europe. Of course, the beautiful and dynamic city of Barcelona added an extra charm to the entire event. This week was a perfect blend of learning, networking, and cultural discovery, and I am grateful for the chance to be part of it.

Have you been meaning to set up an appointment to ask about research data management for your project, an aspect of your research workflow, or a specific DH tool or method? Visit the DH@rts drop-in sessions and we will help you on the spot! No need to make an appointment!

The sessions are designed to support researchers, students, and staff members in all areas of digital scholarship. The initiative is a collaboration between Artes Research, DH-support staff and researchers at the Faculty of Arts, and ICTS at the Faculty of Arts.

Don’t have a question about any of the above but want to learn more about DH? No problem! Come and use our space for co-working! It’s a great moment to develop digital skills by starting a Programming Historian tutorial, for instance!

Everyone is welcome to attend, you do not need to register!

Stop by on one of the following dates and we will be glad to help you:

27/02/2025: 14:00h -16:00h, Het Salon LETT 0.24, Erasmushuis

27/03/2025: 14:00h -16:00h, Het Salon LETT 0.24, Erasmushuis

17/04/2025: 14:00h -16:00h, Het Salon LETT 0.24, Erasmushuis

13/05/2025: 14:00h -16:00h, Het Salon LETT 0.24, Erasmushuis

26/06/2025: 14:00h -16:00h, Het Salon LETT 0.24, Erasmushuis

As part of our blog series, “Stories from the Research Trenches,” we often invite researchers and colleagues to share their personal experiences. For this installment of the series, we are delighted to have our colleague André Davids from KU Leuven Library of Economics and Business share about his recent Erasmus+ stay at the University of Mannheim. André talks specifically about the opportunity to explore Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tools, a topic that Faculty of Arts researchers often seek advice about. Read about André’s experience learning about various OCR software options, his takeaways on how they do things at the University of Mannheim, and his impressions about the city itself.

Meanwhile, somewhere else: Erasmus+ in Mannheim

Hello, I am André, and in March 2023, as part of the Erasmus+ program, I spent five days at the University of Mannheim. Why did I choose Mannheim? In the context of my work at the Library of Economics and Business, where I am involved, among other things, with OCR (Optical Character Recognition), it quickly became clear after some online research that they are very actively engaged in that field there.

I was warmly received at the library by Stefan Weil, one of the most active current developers of the OCR software Tesseract. He told me a lot about the university and the city, but also introduced me to the world of Linux, Ubuntu, Debian. In addition, I was able to experiment with various OCR software (Tesseract, eScriptorium, Pero-OCR) and received more information about the OCR-D Project.

In Mannheim, they primarily work on the further development of open-source software. Additionally, they offer support to students and researchers in using this software. Once a month, they organize an open online OCR consultation hour in collaboration with the University of Heidelberg, where anyone can ask their OCR-related questions. The “clients” are mainly researchers, but also library staff from other universities.

Also interesting to mention: The library has a room, the ExpLAB, which is dedicated to brainstorming, Design Thinking, etc. This room is fully equipped for brainstorming sessions, but also has Eye-Tracking Stations, Virtual Reality glasses, etc., which can be used by both students and staff.

This Erasmus+ experience not only enriched my knowledge about OCR but also about the city and university. Although Mannheim is a well-known city, I didn’t know much about it myself. Due to its architecture, it was chosen by the Allies in 1940 as a place to experiment with air raids and complete city destruction. As a result, there wasn’t much left of the city after World War II, and it had to be rebuilt. After long debates, the Baroque Palace (Barockschloss) was also rebuilt. Luckily so, because in 1967, the University of Mannheim could establish itself there. This building, with its width of 450 meters, is the second-largest baroque palace in Europe, after Versailles (but – and this is important – it has one more window than Versailles).

Navigating the city was quite a challenge since the city center has no street names but has been divided into squares since the 17th century. The most striking street is the one in front of the university, the “Kurpfälzer Meile der Innovationen” (Palatinate Mile of Innovation), which has 42 bronze plaques on the ground honoring famous innovators such as Carl Benz (automobile), Karl von Drais (precursor to the bicycle), Werner von Siemens, and others. Maybe an idea for KU Leuven?

What stuck with me most in terms of their work culture is the Teams channel called “Mittagessen” (lunch). This is where colleagues arrange lunch plans. This is also how I met a colleague who, as a student, did Erasmus at KU Leuven. I still don’t fully understand their working hours. Apparently, they work 40 hours a week, but I was always the first one there and one of the last to leave… Maybe they calculate time differently there. Everywhere is different, but a lot is still familiar. I look back very positively on my trip to another library and can highly recommend it to everyone.

Also interesting to see is the university library’s introductory video:

Are you a Digital Humanities student or early career researcher in Belgium who would like to discuss DH with other early career researchers in the Belgian DH community? If so, you might be interested in joining the DH Virtual Discussion Group for ECRs!

The DH Virtual Discussion Group is a joint initiative organized by individuals at three different Belgian institutions. We strive to involve speakers from various Belgian institutions and encourage participation from all those who are interested in DH and are located at any Belgian institution. This year, the core organizers are Leah Budke (KU Leuven Libraries Artes), Sven Lieber (KBR), Paavo van der Eecken (University of Antwerp), and Loren Verreyen (University of Antwerp). Over the past years, the series has become a regular event. The fall 2024 edition proudly marks our ninth term.

Our sessions this fall will continue the “under-the-hood” format, which entails a volunteer from our community providing a thirty-minute overview of a digital project implementing a given tool, approach, or platform. This is not meant to be a polished research presentation, or to present findings or results, but rather to give our community a behind-the-scenes look at how decisions were made and why specific tools were chosen or developed. The hope is also that this presenter will give attendees some ideas about how to get started implementing a specific tool or workflow, and that they can also answer questions or contribute to a discussion on other projects in our community that might be using similar methodologies or addressing similar issues. This “under-the-hood” session format allows us to have focused discussions around a specific project where we can learn from each other in an informal way. In addition, by implementing this format we can maintain the low threshold for contributing and engaging in the conversations. It also allows us to learn about the diverse projects being done in the Benelux region related to digital humanities (an added bonus!).   

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The following sessions are on the schedule for the fall 2024 semester (details will be updated as confirmed):

Session 1
Monday 21 October, 15h-16h30 CEST via Teams
Speaker(s): Leonardo Grotti, University of Antwerp
Title: Methodological Challenges and Innovations in Hearing Therapy Research: The MuLiSSA
Abstract: Disabling hearing loss (DHL) is a global concern, impacting millions and necessitating innovative solutions. In the pursuit of these solutions, hearing therapy research encounters methodological complexities that require careful consideration. This paper introduces the MuLiSSA project, which aims to address these challenges and advance hearing assessment and rehabilitation.

Our research targets the shift from traditional in-booth speech audiometry to self-administered assessments via wireless audio streaming, increasing accessibility across settings. We validate the feasibility of boothless self-testing, accounting for technical and environmental constraints.

To improve precision in speech audiometry, we explore techniques for identifying phoneme errors in patients, aiming to enhance personalized hearing device settings and rehabilitation outcomes. Additionally, we address multilingual speech testing to enable comparable scores across languages, breaking language barriers in hearing healthcare. We also discuss strategies for integrating diverse research methodologies, addressing interdisciplinary challenges, and managing funding complexities in methodologically diverse projects.

Session 2
Monday 25 November, 15h-16h30 CET via Teams
Speaker(s): Anthe Sevenants, KU Leuven
Title: The Sims for Research: The Merit of Using Computer Simulations
Abstract: As researchers, we sometimes have questions that are rather difficult to test empirically. Often, these are bold, far-reaching questions which, while ambitious, are simply impossible to operationalise. Usually, these restraints are of practical, financial or some other concern. In my talk, I propose a methodology which sidesteps these issues: computer simulations. With computer simulations, you can build your own virtual societies which you can establish in any way you like, a practice conceptually analogous to “The Sims” games. The idea is that in these simulations, you can distill social relations between people to just the mechanisms you are interested in as a researcher. In this virtual world free of noise, budget contraints or ethical commissions, you are free to change the rules according to which agents, virtual inhabitants, behave. In this way, you are able to test what the theoretical limits are to the specific behaviour or theories you are interested in.

While it is clear that computer simulations could be used for a plethora of different research questions within the humanities (i.e. history, archaeology), I will present how simulations can be used for the study of language change. To this end, I will explain the plans for a case study from my FWO project, which is centred around how computer simulations can help us understand how frequency of use shapes language change. I will give concrete examples of the types of questions I would like to answer with the computer simulations, which will give a better idea of the genre of questions this methodology is able to answer in the first place. At the same time, I will emphasise the shortcomings and pitfalls of computer simulations as a research tool, because unfortunately, unlike “The Sims”, good research has no cheat codes.

View Anthe’s presentation in our Zenodo community

Session 3
Monday 16 December, 15h-16h30 CET via Teams
Speaker(s): Fien Messens, Ghent University
Title: Raw to Refined: The Case of the Navez Project
Abstract: (Art) historical data can be tricky—often fragmented, incomplete, and curated—making it challenging to study the impact of key figures. However, the remaining data in 2024 offers valuable insights into earlier societies. In this presentation, I will address the challenges of identifying historical figures, such as artists, whose identities are often obscured by incomplete records or inconsistent name spellings. Together, we will explore how Digital Humanities methods, including Linked Open Data (LOD), can assist in contextualizing these individuals (and how not).

We’ll step back into the 19th century to examine the surviving data on Belgium’s most important neoclassical painter, François-Joseph Navez (1787-1869). This research is part of the FWO-funded Navez Project, a collaboration between Ghent University and KBR.

The slides from Fien’s presentation will be made available here after the meeting

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There are an increasing number of conferences, workshops, and funding opportunities in DH, and we would like to ensure that you are aware of them. We will start every session with a moment for individuals to share news about upcoming lectures, workshops, seminars, and conferences. We have a corresponding Slack group where we also share these opportunities both during the discussion group meetings and in between. The link to join the Slack group is included in every email sent out to the mailing list, so watch for it there or send us an email to request access.

If you would like to register or invite other colleagues to join, please complete the registration form for the mailing list here. Please note, if you have received emails from us about the Discussion Group in the past, it means you are already on our mailing list. In that case, there is no need to register again—you will receive the emails with the MS Teams link and any additional information on the day of the session. Additionally, you will also receive updates on upcoming sessions including further details about speakers and the “under-the-hood” presentation topics. 

Are you a frequent attendee of the DH Virtual Discussion Group and would like a low-threshold way to become more involved in the organization? We are looking for ambassadors to promote the group within their university networks. If this might be a role you would like to take on, get in touch and we can tell you more!

We look forward to seeing you this fall!

This fall, KU Leuven ICTS is offering a selection of online workshops focused on various softwares for working with data. If you have been hoping to learn more about Excel for use with quantitative data, LaTeX for more flexibility when it comes to the format of your academic writing, or Python for more advanced data science techniques (workshop requires knowledge of a previous programming language such as R), then you might be interested in one of the following workshops!

Excel – Basics module 1 (online)

• All info here
• What? By means of practical examples you will quickly become familiar with the basic techniques of Excel: Input, Editing, Formatting, Simple calculations.
• For whom? Anyone who is interested, regardless of their statute (PhD student, postdoc, scientific collaborator..). No prior knowledge of Excel required, but some experience with other Office programmes (Word, Outlook) comes in handy.
• Language: English
• By whom? KU Leuven central ICTS trainers
• When & where? Online via Teams, 2 half days: 14/11/2024: 9 a.m.-12.30 p.m. & 15/11/2024: 9 a.m.-12.30 p.m. – 19 places left!
• How much does it cost? It’s free of charge.
• How can I register? Via KU Loket, see workshop website.
• PS – For PhD students this counts for the requirement of minimum 12 hours of transferable skills training. More info here.

LaTeX introduction (online)

• All info here
• What? This introduction will teach you how to use an editor (TexnicCenter), create, compile and print a basic LaTeX document.
• For whom? Anyone who is interested, regardless of their statute (PhD student, postdoc, scientific collaborator..)
• Language: English
• By whom? KU Leuven central ICTS trainers
• When & where? Online via Teams, 2 half days: 20/11/2024: 9 a.m.-13.00 p.m. & 21/11/2024: 9 a.m.-13.00 p.m. – 13 places left!
• How much does it cost? It’s free of charge.
• How can I register? Via KU Loket, see workshop website.
• PS – For PhD students this counts for the requirement of minimum 12 hours of transferable skills training. More info here.

Python as a second language (online)

• All info here
• Please note that there are also several other Python courses, all of which require previous experience with Python: Python for data science, Python for HPC, Python for machine learning, Python-on-GPUs, Scientific Python.
• What? This training session introduces the programming language to participants who have programming experience with other programming languages such as R, MATLAB, C/C++ or Fortran.
• For whom? Anyone who is interested and who already has experience in another programming language (e.g. R).
• Language: English
• By whom? KU Leuven central ICTS trainers
• When & where? Online via Teams, 2 half days: 23/10/2024: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. & 24/10/2024: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. – 14 places left!
• How much does it cost? It’s free of charge.
• How can I register? Via KU Loket, see workshop website.
• PS – For PhD students this counts for the requirement of minimum 12 hours of transferable skills training. More info here.

Yes, you read it correctly; we are having another in-person meeting! As the name suggests, the DH Virtual Discussion Group for ECRs in Belgium is usually a virtual event. We meet on a monthly basis during the academic year to keep up-to-date on all that is happening in our Belgian DH community and beyond and to hear about our members’ DH projects. The virtual format was a necessity when the group formed at the start of the pandemic, and it has worked well to fulfill the objective of bringing together people who are interested in DH from institutions all over Belgium. While we certainly intend to continue the virtual format, we are excited to organize our second annual in-person event this May (Monday 27/5, 13h30-16h00, Hoek 38, Brussels)!

This meeting of the Discussion Group will also be our special DH Benelux session. Each year we organize a special session a week or two before the annual DH Benelux conference (hosted this year in Leuven, BE!). During this session, members of our community who will be contributing to DH Benelux (in the form of a paper, poster, or demo) are invited to give an elevator pitch of their contribution. The format of this session holds many benefits for all who present and who attend:

1. It gives first-time presenters the opportunity to pitch their conference contribution in an informal setting and to work out some of the pre-conference nerves. Similarly, it provides all of our community members the opportunity to support our early career researchers and to encourage them as they pass this first milestone.
2. It allows our members to learn about what kind of DH work is happening in our community. We typically hear from one member of our community during each monthly session, but there is not enough time and space to hear from all our members in a more detailed presentation. The elevator pitch format is perfect for this because we can hear from many people in a short amount of time!
3. It gives insight into what to expect at a DH conference, and more specifically, what to expect at DH Benelux.
4. It promotes and supports the broader DH Benelux community, which is a tight-knit group of encouraging and inspiring people.
5. It provides inspiration and promotes further engagement within our community. With a large number of elevator pitches, the chance is greater that mutual research interests will become apparent.

We welcome attendance from anyone based at a Belgian institution (including Universities, Hogeschools, and GLAM institutions) with an interest in Digital Humanities! If this session sounds like something you would like to attend, please see below for the practical details and the link to register:

What: Special DH Benelux Session of the DH VDG
Where: Room 1.01 Gogotte, Hoek 38, Leuvenseweg 38, Brussels (location is within walking distance from the central station)
When: 13h30-16h00
Registration: open until 20/5 via OneButton

There will be cookies, coffee, tea, and water available during the session. Anyone who would like is welcome to go for a social drink at a nearby cafe together after the session. The session is free to attend, but registration is required. Registration will close on 20 May, so make sure to let us know soon if you will be joining us!

Have you been accepted to present a poster, paper, or demo at DH Benelux this year? Congratulations! We would love to have you do an elevator pitch during our meeting (timing will depend on how many people will present, but you can expect to have 3-4 minutes and a maximum of one PPT slide if desired). Please get in touch ASAP so we can get you on the schedule! You can email artesresearch@kuleuven.be to be added to the program.

While we really hope this event will have a large in-person attendance, we also realize that scheduling conflicts might prevent some of our members from being able to travel to Brussels for this event. If you would like to listen to the presentations or present your DH Benelux contribution virtually, that option is also possible. The MS Teams link for virtual access will be circulated to the mailing list the morning of the event. If you would like to present virtually, please let us know this when you contact us to be added to the program.

We hope to see you in Brussels on 27 May!

Are you a Digital Humanities student or early career researcher in Belgium who would like to discuss DH with other early career researchers in the Belgian DH community? If so, you might be interested in joining the DH Virtual Discussion Group for ECRs!

The DH Virtual Discussion Group is a joint initiative organized by individuals at three different Belgian institutions. We strive to involve speakers from various Belgian institutions and encourage participation from all those who are interested in DH and are located at any Belgian institution. This semester, the core organizers are Prof. Margherita Fantoli (KU Leuven Faculty of Arts), Dr. Leah Budke (KU Leuven Libraries Artes), and Paavo van der Eecken (University of Antwerp). Over the past years, the series has become a regular event. The spring 2024 edition proudly marks our eighth term.

Our regular sessions this spring will continue the “under-the-hood” format, which entails a volunteer from our community providing a thirty-minute overview of a digital project implementing a given tool, approach, or platform. This is not meant to be a polished research presentation, or to present findings or results, but rather to give our community a behind-the-scenes look at how decisions were made and why specific tools were chosen or developed. The hope is also that this presenter will give attendees some ideas about how to get started implementing a specific tool or workflow, and that they can also answer questions or contribute to a discussion on other projects in our community that might be using similar methodologies or addressing similar issues. This “under-the-hood” session format allows us to have focused discussions around a specific project where we can learn from each other in an informal way. In addition, by implementing this format we can maintain the low threshold for contributing and engaging in the conversations. It also allows us to learn about the diverse projects being done in the Benelux region related to digital humanities (an added bonus!).

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The following sessions are on the schedule for the spring 2024 semester (details will be updated as confirmed):

Session 1
Monday 25 March, 15h-16h30 CET via Teams
Speaker(s): Nooshin Shahidzadeh Asadi, University of Antwerp
Title: “Developing Interoperable Open-Source Tools in the Digital Humanities: Merits and Complexities”
Abstract: For this session, Nooshin Asadi (PhD student, the University of Antwerp) will discuss her pivot from software engineering to pursuing a PhD in digital humanities and the changes it has brought about in her professional and academic life. She will talk about her experience with the occasionally harsh but ultimately rewarding reality of producing prototypical, open-source software in the world of DH, while examining in detail the current project she is working on (Axolotl, a real-time collaborative XML editor) and the challenges and opportunities she has faced throughout its development.
 See Nooshin’s slides in our Zenodo community

Session 2
Monday 29 April, 15h-16h30 CEST via Teams
Speaker(s): Kushal Jayesh Tatariya, KU Leuven
Title: Sociolinguistically Informed Interpretability: A Case Study in Hinglish Emotion Classification
Abstract: In this presentation, I will talk about my project that approaches the interpretability of language models in Natural Language Processing (NLP) from a sociolinguistic perspective. We apply this perspective to the task of emotion classification for code-mixed data. Studies have shown that Hinglish speakers switch to Hindi when expressing negative emotions and to English when expressing positive emotions. To understand if language models can learn these associations, we study the effect of language on emotion prediction across 3 pre-trained language models (PLMs) on a Hinglish emotion classification dataset. I will go into the details of our process of annotating the dataset, the tools we used for our interpretability analysis, and the challenges of working with such subjective data in a setting that demands objectivity. Through this process, we are able to conclude that language models do learn associations between language choice and emotional expression, and this learning can have an impact on model prediction. In conclusion, through a discussion about the results of this project, I would like to explore the general implications of leveraging linguistic theories to understand language models in NLP.
 Kushal’s slides will be shared here after the session

Session 3 – Special DH Benelux Session!
—Read more details about this special session in this blogpost—
Monday 27 May, 13h30-16h00 CEST live in Brussels and online via MS Teams
Speaker(s): Various from our DH community
 The presentation will be linked here after the session

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There are an increasing number of conferences, workshops, and funding opportunities in DH, and we would like to ensure that you are aware of them. We will start every session with a moment for individuals to share news about upcoming lectures, workshops, seminars, and conferences. We have a corresponding Slack group where we also share these opportunities both during the discussion group meetings and in between. The link to join the Slack group is included in every email sent out to the mailing list, so watch for it there or send us an email to request access.

If you would like to register or invite other colleagues to join, please complete the registration form for the mailing list here. Please note, if you have received emails from us about the Discussion Group in the past, it means you are already on our mailing list. In that case, there is no need to register again—you will receive the emails with the MS Teams link and any additional information on the day of the session. Additionally, you will also receive updates on upcoming sessions including further details about speakers and the “under-the-hood” presentation topics. 

Are you a frequent attendee of the DH Virtual Discussion Group and would like a low-threshold way to become more involved in the organization? We are looking for ambassadors to promote the group within their university networks. If this might be a role you would like to take on, get in touch and we can tell you more!

We look forward to seeing you this spring!

Are you a Digital Humanities student or early career researcher in Belgium who would like to discuss DH with other early career researchers in the Belgian DH community? If so, you might be interested in joining the DH Virtual Discussion Group for ECRs!

The DH Virtual Discussion Group is a joint initiative organized by individuals at three different Belgian institutions. We strive to involve speakers from various Belgian institutions and encourage participation from all those who are interested in DH and are located at any Belgian institution. This year, the core organizers are Prof. Margherita Fantoli (KU Leuven Faculty of Arts), Dr. Leah Budke (KU Leuven Libraries Artes), Dr. Sven Lieber (KBR), and Paavo van der Eecken (University of Antwerp). Over the past years, the series has become a regular event. The fall 2023 edition proudly marks our seventh term.

Our sessions this fall will continue the “under-the-hood” format, which entails a volunteer from our community providing a thirty-minute overview of a digital project implementing a given tool, approach, or platform. This is not meant to be a polished research presentation, or to present findings or results, but rather to give our community a behind-the-scenes look at how decisions were made and why specific tools were chosen or developed. The hope is also that this presenter will give attendees some ideas about how to get started implementing a specific tool or workflow, and that they can also answer questions or contribute to a discussion on other projects in our community that might be using similar methodologies or addressing similar issues. This “under-the-hood” session format allows us to have focused discussions around a specific project where we can learn from each other in an informal way. In addition, by implementing this format we can maintain the low threshold for contributing and engaging in the conversations. It also allows us to learn about the diverse projects being done in the Benelux region related to digital humanities (an added bonus!).   

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The following sessions are on the schedule for the fall 2023 semester (details will be updated as confirmed):

Session 1
Monday 23 October, 15h-16h30 CEST via Teams
Speaker(s): Sergio Alonso Mislata, Volunteer at KBR, CAMille Project
Title: CAMille at KBR: first steps of a project on Belgian journalists
Abstract: In this presentation, Sergio (MA in Information and Library Studies at Aberystwyth University) will summarise the main goals and processes established during his volunteering experience at KBR within the CAMille project. CAMille, founded in 2020 (ULB-KBR), is the (Belgian) Centre for Archives on the Media and Information. Two main research projects are currently carried out at CAMille: On the one hand, writing a history of Belgian journalism from the end of the 19th century to the present day, from a specific angle: the study of critical discourses. On the other hand, developing a database of Belgian journalists and media since 1830. This presentation will touch upon the latter.
 View Sergio’s presentation slides in the DH VDG Zenodo Community

Session 2
Monday 27 November, 15h-16h30 CET via Teams
Speaker(s): Prof. Hilde De Weerdt (KU Leuven), Dr. Sunkyu Lee (KU Leuven), Dr. Sander Molenaar (IISG), Dr. Taylor Zaneri (IISH), Ms. Wangzhi Xi (PhD student, KU Leuven)
Title: Analysing Regions through the Digital History of Infrastructures
Abstract: This talk will introduce two digital research projects–Regionalizing Infrastructures in Chinese History (Reginfra) and The Lives and Afterlives of Imperial Material Infrastructure in Southeastern China (InfraLives). Both projects investigate how large-scale infrastructures, such as city walls, bridges, and roads, affected regional (dis)integration in the Chinese and neighboring territories from roughly 1000 to 1900. One of the key objectives is to explore the spatial patterns of infrastructures, including their construction, maintenance, destruction, failure, uses, and cultural meanings across different regions. Based on empirical data derived from digitized texts, the projects aim to critically examine assumptions about the relation between infrastructures and regional integration and to develop dynamic models of regional histories. The presenters will discuss methods in corpus building and text and image annotation, and explain future plans for comparative spatial analysis and machine learning.
View the presentation slides in the DH VDG Zenodo Community

Session 3
Monday 18 December, 15h-16h30 CET via Teams
Speaker(s): Mona Allaert, University of Antwerp
Title: From Hieroglyphs to Hyperlinks: Introducing Digital Humanities to Bachelor Students
Abstract: For this session, Mona Allaert (teaching assistant at the University of Antwerp), will discuss the hurdles encountered when developing and teaching the module “Digital Literacy”, a new course followed by second-year bachelor students of Linguistics and Literature. She’ll delve into the unique challenges of instructing a technically focused subject to a largely non-technical audience. Additionally, she’ll shed light on the practical learning labs that complement theoretical lessons, designed to offer students an engaging introduction to hands-on digital humanities. As the course’s second edition is underway, the discussion will revolve around adjustments made based on valuable feedback received from the previous year’s students.
View Mona’s presentation slides in the DH VDG Zenodo Community

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There are an increasing number of conferences, workshops, and funding opportunities in DH, and we would like to ensure that you are aware of them. We will start every session with a moment for individuals to share news about upcoming lectures, workshops, seminars, and conferences. We have a corresponding Slack group where we also share these opportunities both during the discussion group meetings and in between. The link to join the Slack group is included in every email sent out to the mailing list, so watch for it there or send us an email to request access.

If you would like to register or invite other colleagues to join, please complete the registration form for the mailing list here. Please note, if you have received emails from us about the Discussion Group in the past, it means you are already on our mailing list. In that case, there is no need to register again—you will receive the emails with the MS Teams link and any additional information on the day of the session. Additionally, you will also receive updates on upcoming sessions including further details about speakers and the “under-the-hood” presentation topics. 

Are you a frequent attendee of the DH Virtual Discussion Group and would like a low-threshold way to become more involved in the organization? We are looking for ambassadors to promote the group within their university networks. If this might be a role you would like to take on, get in touch and we can tell you more!

 

We look forward to seeing you this fall!

On 16 November, CLARIAH-VL and Ghent Centre for Digital Humanities (Ghent University) are hosting a workshop on Nodegoat, the relational database platform. The workshops will be given by the developers of the platform – Lab1100.

Nodegoat is an object oriented relational web-based data management system which also provides network and geospatial visualizations in one platform. Nodegoat has the availability to develop custom data models, and then collaborate on this data and later generate visualizations and export data. In the workshop you will learn how to use Nodegoat for your research.

Program:

The workshop will be held in two parts on the same day: (1) a beginner’s session, and (2) an advanced session (for users who already use Nodegoat or who already have an instance).

10:00-12:00 – Basic Introduction to Nodegoat

14:00-16:00 – Advanced Session on Nodegoat

Practical Details:

• When: Thursday 16 November, from 10:30 to 16:00
• Where: Ghent University (exact location to be confirmed)
• Price: Free
• Registration: Required; See Ghent CDH website (deadline to register is 9/11)

Have you been meaning to set up an appointment with Artes Research to ask about research data management for your project, an aspect of your research workflow, or a specific DH tool? You can now come to one of our drop-in sessions, and we will help you on the spot! No need to make an appointment!

Some areas that we can help with:

• • Getting started with Zotero
  • Optimizing Zotero use with an existing Zotero library
  • Suggesting DH tools or methods for your specific research questions
  • Providing resources for various DH and RDM tools
  • Advice on DMPs
  • Advice on scholarly communication
  • Advice on Lirias
  • … and much more!

Don’t have a question about any of the above but want to learn more about DH? No problem! Come and use our space for co-working! It’s a great moment to develop digital skills by starting a Programming Historian tutorial, for instance!

Stop by on one of the following dates this fall and we will be glad to help you:

• • Thursday 28 September from 13h-15h, Erasmushuis (LETT 01.17)
  • Thursday 26 October from 13h-15h, Erasmushuis (LETT 01.17)
  • Thursday 30 November from 13h-15h, Erasmushuis (LETT 01.17)

Have you been meaning to set up an appointment with Artes Research to ask about research data management for your project, an aspect of your research workflow, or a specific DH tool? You can now come to one of our drop-in sessions, and we will help you on the spot!

Some areas that we can help with:

• • Getting started with Zotero
  • Optimizing Zotero use with an existing Zotero library
  • Suggesting DH tools or methods for your specific research questions
  • Providing resources for various DH and RDM tools
  • Advice on DMPs
  • Advice on scholarly communication
  • Advice on Lirias
  • … and much more!

Our first drop-in session will take place on Tuesday 20 June from 14h-16h in the Erasmushuis (LETT 01.16). All question are welcome, but during this session we will be giving special attention to advising on Zotero. If you were unable to attend our workshop on Zotero in May or would like further advice after following the workshop, please feel free to drop in!

After the summer, we will organize these drop-in sessions on a regular basis, more details will follow!

Yes, you read it correctly; we are having our first in-person meeting! As the name suggests, the DH Virtual Discussion Group for ECRs in Belgium is usually a virtual event. We meet on a monthly basis during the academic year to keep up-to-date on all that is happening in our Belgian DH community and beyond and to hear about our members’ DH projects. The virtual format was a necessity when the group formed at the start of the pandemic, and it has worked well to fulfill the objective of bringing together people who are interested in DH from institutions all over Belgium. While we certainly intend to continue the virtual format, we are excited to organize our first in-person event this May (Monday 22/5, 13h30-15h30, Hoek 38, Brussels)!

This meeting of the Discussion Group will also be our special DH Benelux session. Each year we organize a special session a week or two before the annual DH Benelux conference. During this session, members of our community who will be contributing to DH Benelux (in the form of a paper, poster, or demo) are invited to give an elevator pitch of their contribution. The format of this session holds many benefits for all who present and who attend:

1. 1. It gives first-time presenters the opportunity to pitch their conference contribution in an informal setting and to work out some of the pre-conference nerves. Similarly, it provides all of our community members the opportunity to support our early career researchers and to encourage them as they pass this first milestone.
   2. It allows our members to learn about what kind of DH work is happening in our community. We typically hear from one member of our community during each monthly session, but there is not enough time and space to hear from all our members in a more detailed presentation. The elevator pitch format is perfect for this because we can hear from many people in a short amount of time!
   3. It gives insight into what to expect at a DH conference, and more specifically, what to expect at DH Benelux.
   4. It promotes and supports the broader DH Benelux community, which is a tight-knit group of encouraging and inspiring people.
   5. It provides inspiration and promotes further engagement within our community. With a large number of elevator pitches, the chance is greater that mutual research interests will become apparent.

We welcome attendance from anyone based at a Belgian institution (including Universities, Hogeschools, and GLAM institutions) with an interest in Digital Humanities! If this session sounds like something you would like to attend, please see below for the practical details and the link to register:

What: Special DH Benelux Session of the DH VDG
Where: Room 1.01 Gogotte, Hoek 38, Leuvenseweg 38, Brussels (location is within walking distance from the central station)
When: 13h30-15h30
Registration: open until 11/5 via OneButton

There will be cookies, coffee, tea, and water available during the session. Anyone who would like is welcome to go for a social drink at a nearby cafe together after the session. The session is free to attend, but registration is required. Registration will close on 11 May, so make sure to let us know soon if you will be joining us!

Have you been accepted to present a poster, paper, or demo at DH Benelux this year? Congratulations! We would love to have you do an elevator pitch during our meeting (timing will depend on how many people will present, but you can expect to have 3-4 minutes and a maximum of one PPT slide if desired). Please get in touch ASAP so we can get you on the schedule! You can email leah.budke@kuleuven.be to be added to the program.

While we really hope this event will have a large in-person attendance, we also realize that scheduling conflicts might prevent some of our members from being able to travel to Brussels for this event. If you would like to listen to the presentations or present your DH Benelux contribution virtually, that option is also possible. The MS Teams link for virtual access will be circulated to the mailing list the morning of the event. If you would like to present virtually, please let us know this when you contact us to be added to the program.

We hope to see you in Brussels on 22 May!

In April (27 & 28), the 2023 Chair of the KU Leuven Institute for the Study of the Transmission of Texts, Ideas and Images in Antiquity, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (LECTIO) will give a lecture and lead an accompanying doctoral seminar.

LECTIO is devoted to the study of the intellectual history of pre-modern and early modern Europe. It builds on the strong and unique Leuven tradition of (art) historical, philosophical, philological, linguistic, juridical and theological approaches to the history of ideas. Its mission is to foster collaborative research across the boundaries of disciplines, theories and methods. Combining more traditional philological, hermeneutical and historical-critical approaches with new methodologies, LECTIO is also at the forefront of recent developments in the Digital Humanities and the application of Artificial Intelligence to the historical humanities.

This year, the LECTIO Chair is held by Dr. Barbara McGillivray (Kings College London), who will deal with approaches to studying semantic change in her lecture and the seminar.

The lecture is entitled “From corpora to semantic spaces: how computational methods can help us uncover word meaning change in ancient texts”. The accompanying seminar is geared towards PhD candidates, during which they will learn about the practical side of studying semantic change and variation. There will also be an opportunity for the PhD researchers to present their research and receive feedback.

LECTIO encourages PhD candidates to register for the doctoral seminar, not only if their work is directly connected with NLP or corpus analysis, but if they are interested in seeing the opportunities that these approaches could bring to their research. The registration form offers two options: (1) to attend only, or (2) to attend and give a short presentation.

The dates are Thursday 27 April for the lecture, and Friday 28 April for the seminar. Attendance is free, but registration is required. Further information can be found on the LECTIO website:

• LECTIO Chair Lecture
• LECTIO Chair Doctoral Seminar