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"A centre of excellence in digital information management, providing advice and services to the library, information and cultural heritage communities."

UKOLN is based at the University of Bath.
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Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for the mass digitisation of textual materials: Improving Access to Text

UKOLN, University of Bath

24 September 2009

Programme | Venue

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This workshop is funded by the JISC as part of ITT: Workshops and Seminars - Achievements & Challenges in Digitisation & e-Content.

FREE One-day workshop for

  • Collection holders in HE and Cultural Heritage organisations
  • Users of digitised content for teaching, learning and research

Summary

This workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to learn about the current state-of-the-art in the digitisation of historical texts, to look at improvements in digitisation techniques currently being explored in research projects such as the EU-funded IMPACT project, and to explore how Optical Character Recognition (OCR) is used in practical digitisation contexts and workflows. There will also be an opportunity for participants to investigate the opportunities and challenges of the scholarly use of what is an ever-increasing range of digitised content, supporting new interdisciplinary ways of exploring cultural and social history, philology, and the history of ideas.

Workshop leaders

Each session will be led by a member of the international IMPACT (Improving Access to Text) project, a large-scale integrating project funded by the European Commission as part of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). One of the aims of the project is to develop tools that help improve OCR results for historical printed texts. The presenters are therefore well placed to provide information and advice on the current state-of-the-art in text digitisation tools and techniques, and in particular on OCR technologies.

For more information on the IMPACT project, see the project website at http://www.impact-project.eu

Registration

Please use the online booking form to register. There is no charge to attend the event but an administration fee of £50 will be charged for a “no-show” (replacement delegates will be accepted). Numbers are limited therefore early booking is advised.