PROJECT OBJECTIVES

The main purpose of the RaSa („Lietuvių dvasinės kultūros RAiškos: etnologijos, kalbos ir istorijos šaltinių elektroninis SĄvadas” – the electronic compendium of sources on Lithuanian spiritual culture: ethnology, language and history) project is to create a repository (an electronic compendium) of sources on Lithuanian culture. Such a repository will provide the means to preserve and analyze language, folklore and ethnological, archaeological, and historical data in a modern way. This project is expected to create new opportunities for advancing the process of digitalizing sources on ethnic culture. The name of this electronic compendium of sources on Lithuanian culture has a symbolic meaning. The Lithuanian word aruodas means granary for storing the harvested grain. Lithuanian farmers keep their granaries tidily arranged and work hard to keep them full. The storage granaries of Lithuanian culture will be used to accumulate, systematize, and interpret the data on Lithuanian ethnic culture. The following results are expected:

  • This electronic compendium will make it possible to form direct links between different pieces of data from various areas of Lithuanian philology in order to conduct comprehensive scientific research. 

  • Establishing this information system will create the necessary prerequisites for the efficient integration of work by scholars specializing in all branches of Lithuanian philology. 

  • Converting archival material into digital data formats will ensure its protection against physical loss or damage. 

  • Other national institutions will be granted access to this information system, which will be created and established within four years. 

  • This electronic compendium of sources on Lithuanian culture will serve educational, creative, and other purposes important to the Lithuanian world community and will help its members maintain their national identity under conditions of globalization. 

  • The classified index will contain keywords in English; therefore, data stored in the repository will be available both to Lithuanian specialists and to specialists from other countries. 

The electronic compendium of sources on Lithuanian culture will be an integral database covering sources from all areas of Lithuanian ethnic culture: language, folklore, ethnology, archaeology, and history. This project was jointly prepared in 2002-2003 by the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, the Institute of the Lithuanian Language, the Lithuanian Institute of History, and the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics.

This project was initiated at the end of 2003 after obtaining support from the Lithuanian State Science and Studies Foundation. It is being implemented under the four-year (2003-2006) RaSa scientific program. It is envisaged that the framework of the repository will be completed by the middle of 2004 and its electronic layout will be ready by the end of the year. By 2006 the repository is expected to comprise about 10,000 texts

 
© Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore, The Institute of the Lithuanian Language, Lithuanian Institute of History, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, 2003 - 2006