Devika, Associate Researcher and Consultant for the ‘We Are Our History’ Project
In an era when digitisation and racial equity have become focal points in preserving and presenting historical collections, collaborative research between major libraries has never been more significant. The “Connecting Colonial Collections” project is a research exchange between the Bodleian Libraries and Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin that brought together scholars and library staff to delve deeper into the rich, shared colonial histories of South Asian manuscripts and the colonial connections between British-German collecting practices. The Oxford in Berlin flexible funding collaboration supported the initiative, encouraging cross-border intellectual collaboration on critical global themes.
This collaboration not only advances the scholarly understanding of colonial histories in the context of libraries but also encourages sharing best practices for cataloguing and digitisation, laying the groundwork for future partnerships between the UK and Germany.
In July 2024, Dr John Woitkowitz and Dr Lars Müller from the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Stabi) visited Oxford to participate in a research exchange at the Bodleian Libraries. This was in collaboration with and after Jasdeep Singh and Devika from the Bodleian Libraries’ May 2024 visit to Berlin (read about it here on their website).
The Oxford visit involved a series of discussions, tours, and presentations, and a core highlight was the workshop delivered by Dr Woitkowitz and Dr Müller for the Bodleian Libraries staff which truly emphasises the nature of this collaboration. The afternoon began with an introduction to the Oxford-Berlin collaboration by Antony Brewerton, Associate Director to Academic Services, Bodleian Libraries. Dr Woitkowitz and Dr Müller then addressed challenges related to digitisation, cataloguing, and the colonial legacies of collections. They focused on the work they had undertaken as part of their project IN_CONTEXT.
Their discussion centred around curating colonial collections and developing equitable frameworks for digitising and cataloguing these materials. However, it also extended beyond this, delving into topics like provenance cataloguing, the use of IIIF standards, and the ethical challenges of presenting colonial materials in digital formats.
A major theme was the importance of provenance research, which allows scholars to trace the ownership history of items and understand the context in which they were collected. The SBB team shared their experiences developing data sheets for digital cultural heritage, offering insights into how metadata could be enhanced to reflect more accurately the colonial origins of collections.
The second part of the workshop was a presentation by Bodleian staff Judith Siefring and Alexander Hitchman, focussing on the digitisation of South Asian collections at the Bodleian Libraries. Judith and Alex spoke of the work they had undertaken as part of the digitisation workstream, of the We Are Our History project. They discussed the future priority areas for digitisation, the many factors associated with the presentation of digital collections online, and finally, how digitisation was an impetus for examining knowledge categorisation.
The day concluded with discussions on future collaboration, particularly focusing on digitisation projects involving South Asian and East African materials, areas where both libraries have significant holdings. There was also a discussion about how both libraries could explore ways to include more diverse voices and perspectives in their cataloguing process.
Expanding the Scope: Synergies between UK and German Research
We thank Dr John Woitkowitz and Dr Lars Müller for a wonderful visit and the stimulating discussions. We also thank colleagues in the Bodleian Libraries for their participation and support throughout the visit.
One of the exciting outcomes of the Oxford and Berlin visit was the recognition of shared research interests between the UK and Germany. Both countries have extensive colonial collections, and both are grappling with the challenges of presenting these materials in a way that reflects a more nuanced understanding of their histories.
The collaboration between the Bodleian Libraries and Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin has laid the groundwork for future projects exploring these shared colonial histories in greater depth. Both institutions are working to create a more complete and inclusive understanding of their collections by pooling resources, sharing expertise, and collaborating on joint digitisation initiatives.
