=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-3608/paper23
|storemode=property
|title=Promoting the Ukrainian Education and Culture Centre “Oseredok” through the digitization of Ukrainian Studies archival collections in Canada
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3608/paper23.pdf
|volume=Vol-3608
|authors=Ivan Khoma,Nataliia Vovk,Roman Holoshchuk,Svitlana Muravska
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/scia2/KhomaVHM23
}}
==Promoting the Ukrainian Education and Culture Centre “Oseredok” through the digitization of Ukrainian Studies archival collections in Canada==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3608/paper23.pdf
Promoting the Ukrainian Education and Culture Centre
“Oseredok” through the digitization of Ukrainian Studies
archival collections in Canada
Ivan Khoma, Nataliia Vovk, Roman Holoshchuk and Svitlana Muravska
Lviv Polytechnic National University, Stepana Bandery Srt. 12, Lviv, 79013, Ukraine
Abstract
The article discusses the key issues of digitization of archival collections of Ukrainian studies
located outside Ukraine. In particular, detailed attention is paid to the Ukrainian Education and
Culture Centre “Oseredok”, which has one of the largest archives of Ukrainian studies in
Canada. The researchers argue that the digitization of these collections will help to bring
hundreds of thousands of unknown materials. Modern scholars for humanitarian circulation
and to introduce hundreds of famous Ukrainians and their cultural, political, educational,
scientific, and artistic heritage need these materials. The study develops and presents a
functional and information modelling of promoting the Ukrainian Education and Culture
Centre. Such modelling is the theoretical basis for further digitization of these funds, which
allows not only to popularize of the modelling activities but also to increase the number of new
users and researchers of Ukrainian history.
Keywords 1
Digitization, electronic archives, foreign Ukrainian studies, funds of the Ukrainian National
Revolution in exile, functional and information modelling.
1. Introduction
One of the most relevant areas of development and preservation of cultural values is digitization of
archival collections. It means the conversion of paper documents, photographs, audio and video
recordings, maps, and other artefacts into digital format to ensure preservation, accessibility, and ease
of use of these materials. This process has great importance for cultural heritage preservation, research,
education, and interaction with history. The digitization of archives contributes to the preservation and
promotion of valuable cultural resources, facilitates research, and promotes broad access to historical
documents and other materials.
The main reasons for accelerating the digitization of archival collections include many things. There
are preservation and storage (digitization allows for the creation of digital copies that can be stored in
a secure electronic environment); ease of access (digital archives can be easily searched, browsed, and
organized, making it easier for researchers, students, teachers, and others interested in studying cultural
heritage); promotion (digitization allows for making cultural heritage accessible and visible to a global
audience on the Internet and other electronic platforms). There also is research (digital archives allow
researchers to conduct research faster and more efficiently, collect data, compare materials, and use
them for analysis); education (digital archives can be used in educational programs to teach students
and schoolchildren about history, culture, and other aspects of society). Preservation of languages and
cultural traditions (digitization can help preserve the diversity of languages and cultures that may be
lost over time); open data and innovation (digital archives can be used to create new works of art,
SCIA-2023: 2nd International Workshop on Social Communication and Information Activity in Digital Humanities, November 9, 2023, Lviv,
Ukraine
EMAIL: ivan.y.khoma@lpnu.ua (I. Khoma); nataliia.s.vovk@lpnu.ua (N. Vovk); roman.o.holoshchuk@lpnu.ua (R. Holoshchuk);
svitlana.i.muravska@lpnu.ua (S. Muravska)
ORCID: 0000-0003-4607-7065 (I. Khoma); 0000-0002-2470-7188 (N. Vovk); 0000-0002-1811-3025 (R. Holoshchuk); 0000-0003-4971-
7312 (S. Muravska)
©️ 2023 Copyright for this paper by its authors.
Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
CEUR Workshop Proceedings (CEUR-WS.org)
CEUR
ceur-ws.org
Workshop ISSN 1613-0073
Proceedings
applications, interactive projects, and other innovations); collaboration and knowledge sharing
(digitization will facilitate cooperation between different institutions, countries, and groups, allowing
for the exchange of knowledge and resources) are also in this list of reasons.
An important fund of Ukraine's cultural heritage to be digitized is the archival materials of Ukrainian
studies stored at the Ukrainian Education and Culture Centre (Winnipeg, Canada). The archives of the
Centre contain collections of famous Ukrainians, Ukrainian institutions and organizations and contain
valuable information on the history of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917-1921, Ukrainian diplomacy,
interwar and postwar emigration, and the cultural and social life of Ukrainians in Canada.
2. Analysis of literature data and problem definition
The issue of digitization of archives is currently considered in the works of many scholars in various
fields: history, software, geography, ontology, etc. The geography of researchers is quite wide –
countries of Europe, Asia, the USA, etc. They consider the digitization of collections (including
archival, museum, and library collections) from different perspectives, focusing on various important
factors: sources of the search for these collections, selection of the optimal software, methods, and
means of digitizing materials, forms of digitization and publication of digitized materials, etc.
To select the theoretical basis of the study, we have chosen the works of recent years that present
practical solutions for the digitalization of archival collections and other various primary documents. It
is based on the work of foreign researchers who have developed various models of digitalization. It is
worth noting that there is a small number of researchers from Ukraine who focus their research on
digital communications between archives and the public.
The comprehensive study "Use and Reuse of the Digital Archive", edited by Potts J., presents the
use and reuse of digital archives, combining theoretical and practical approaches to the modern digital
archive. Several chapters of the study describe the process of creating a digital archive using specific
examples – digitizing a physical archive and creating a searchable digital database as the core of a
digital archive. Other chapters explore the cultural significance of digital archives in more general
theoretical terms. In particular, the following areas are presented in a comprehensive study: specific
properties of a digital archive; its similarities and differences from a traditional paper archive; ethical
decisions made in the design of the archive; and the potential for creative reuse of archival materials
archived on the Internet [14].
Paul Peucker in his book "The Role of the Archives in a Digital World" argues that digitization has
increased the accessibility of archival collections. At the same time, digitization not only changes the
relationship between archivists and researchers but also changes the way documents are described. The
author argues that in order to remain relevant, archives need to diversify their programs and become
centers of expertise [16].
Hawkins A. looks at archival data from the perspective of digital humanities, extrapolating research
from archival and digital humanities in the field of linked data to identify the benefits of digital
humanities in creating and providing access to archival-linked data. In the study, the author examines
some of the current barriers that prevent digital humanists from experiencing the benefits of archival
data and making full use of archives that have become available in digital format. The researcher argues
for increased cooperation between the two disciplines. He proposes to incorporate artificial intelligence
and low-barrier tools such as Wikidata into the linked data production workflow in order to scale up
the production of archival data as a means of increasing access and use of digitized and newly created
digital archives [1].
The challenges associated with the production and publication of archival-linked data are relatively
well documented and include:
technological problems;
the prevalence of unstructured data that is difficult to distinguish;
lack of financial and qualified human resources;
low level of awareness of linked data within the profession;
lack of archival-linked data infrastructure, including tools, standards, and best practices.
Challenges to which archival and digital humanities scholars and practitioners are jointly seeking
solutions include:
balancing the provision of access to open data with respect for intellectual property rights;
preventing the decontextualization and loss of nuances of archives;
providing access without complicating the search process for users.
As a growing number of case studies demonstrate, many challenges can be overcome with the
development of archival-linked data practices. Moreover, recent large-scale projects have begun to
provide some foundational ones [1].
Jan de Mooij and others argue that as a result of the constant generation of new data sources in the
humanities, it is now possible to find patterns in data sources from archives, museums, and other cultural
heritage institutions. Despite similar activities, these institutions use different digitization strategies.
This is justified by differences in selection procedures. This leads to heterogeneous data sources, which
has a huge impact on the accessibility and interoperability of data within and between these distributed
collections. The researchers identified three interrelated challenges that users may face when querying
such distributed data sources, including:
query formulation;
selecting a source;
reconciliation of data sources.
Fig. 1 shows a multi-agent architecture to overcome these problems [13].
A Computational Framework for Organizing and
Querying Cultural Heritage Archives
Computing methodologies Information systems
Artificial intelligence Data management systems
Distributed artificial intelligence Information integration
Federated
Entity resolution
Multi-agent systems databases
Information retrieval
Evaluation of Retrieval
retrieval results effectiveness
Retrieval models and Combination, fusion
ranking and federated search
Search engine
architectures and Distributed retrieval
scalability
Users and interactive
Search interfaces
retrieval
Information systems Digital libraries and
applications archives
World Wide Web
Web data Semantic web Resource
description description Description
languages languages Framework (RDF)
Figure 1: A Computational Framework for Organizing and Querying Cultural Heritage Archives
Source: J. de Mooij, C. Kurtan, J. Baas, M. Dastani. A Computational Framework for Organizing and
Querying Cultural Heritage Archives, volume 15 of Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, 2022.
doi: 10.1145/3485843
Mezzino D. and others have devoted their research to the methods of digitizing the photographic
archive of a museum collection. In this context, the digitization process plays a crucial role in the
development of customized documentation and representation strategies for consultation and
management of the museum archive. This study highlights the role of the archive as a historical
memory, capable of transmitting the transformations in methods and techniques of documentation and
representation between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The management of the digitized
archival materials was realized with the help of special software that automated and streamlined the
work. The photographic archive was published using a special web platform, The Photographic Archive
of Museo Egizio. In this process, the role of representation was fundamental in the research,
interpretation, and communication of this rich and little-known archive, activating further processes of
knowledge that can enrich the understanding of cultural heritage [6].
In recent years, there has been a trend towards synergy between cultural heritage institutions, for
example, the cooperation of GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives & Museums) in the field of
information resource management. These institutions actively promote the creation of digital
humanitarian projects. Such projects are primarily aimed at creating information resources and
providing digital humanitarian services that correspond to the service functions of GLAM institutions.
At the technical level, methods such as knowledge graphs and ontologies are used to build a multi-level
and systematic knowledge system. The study by Liu F. et al. provides an overview of three models of
cultural heritage - CIDOC CRM, Europeana and Sampo Model, and considers three aspects of these
models: building a technical structure, digital resources, and service systems [9].
Figure 2: CIDOC CRM family of Models
Source: F. Liu, J. Hindmarch, M. Hess. A review of the cultural heritage linked open data ontologies
and models, volume 48 of International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial
Information Sciences, 2023, p. 943. doi: 10.5194/isprs-Archives-XLVIII-M-2-2023-943-2023
Figure 3: Sampo Model based on a shared ontology
Source: F. Liu, J. Hindmarch, M. Hess. A review of the cultural heritage linked open data ontologies
and models, volume 48 of International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial
Information Sciences, 2023, p. 944. doi: 10.5194/isprs-Archives-XLVIII-M-2-2023-943-2023
A comprehensive system for effective documentation, management, and updating of cultural
heritage knowledge is needed at the country level. An integrated cultural heritage information system
can visualize the country's cultural heritage and act as an interactive multimedia documentation system.
Virtual recreation of cultural heritage hastily can also ensure its long-term sustainability. A digital
archive of different expression forms will become a rich source of data for research, administration, and
development. The developed archive should cover cultural heritage in the form of published documents,
images, audio and video materials, documents and visual materials about performing arts, buildings,
sculptures, ecosystems, monuments, utensils, etc., as well as the history and knowledge related to them,
and any other property belonging to the heritage [18].
Analyzing the models depicted in Figures 1-3, the multi-agent architecture model is optimal for
solving the tasks of the article, since this model most fully reveals the main directions of
transformational work related to the digitalization of archival collections.
Regarding the issue of digitalization of Ukrainian archival collections, it is worth mentioning the
study by Sojka-Masztalerz H. and Szala M. The subject of this paper is archival materials collected in
two inventories, which are personal files of the former Lviv University staff. The digital copies of these
resources are part of the digital GLAM. It is a digital service created at the University of Wroclaw based
on the cooperation of various institutions (archives, libraries, museums, and archives) that make their
digital collections accessible through standardized description and presentation. GLAM member
institutions use, among other things, the IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework)
standard. This standard enables the dynamic exchange of digitized objects, and the Virtual Transcription
Laboratory (WLT), a cloud-based tool that allows the creation of a text layer as a result of automatic
recognition (OCR) or using manual transcription tools [10].
The paper by Tiurmenko I. et al. analyses the transformations that have affected the archival sphere
of Ukraine in the context of the formation and development of the digital society. In particular, the
paper analyses the use by archival institutions of such tools as blogs, social networks, search engines,
websites, and tags, which are aimed at developing customer-oriented and image technologies. Special
attention is paid to the organization of full-text online access to documentary information, project
activities, and partnerships. They are an important tool for implementing the digitization policy to
implement the digital communications strategy [12].
3. Background to the emergence of Ukrainian studies centres abroad
Due to the very complex state-building and national liberation processes on the Ukrainian lands
during the twentieth century, tens of thousands of representatives of the Ukrainian political, military,
spiritual, public, scientific, educational, and cultural elite were forced to leave Ukraine. They were
mostly fleeing the communist totalitarian regime that occupied the whole of Ukraine from the end of
1918 until the end of 1944. There were those who could not live in western Ukraine in the interwar
period, which was part of Poland. When they went into exile, they took, among other things, documents
of various contents. After establishing themselves in a particular country, they began to carry out active
work, and thus accumulate new documents: scientific works, memoirs, letters, passports, residence
permits, medical records, police calls, travel tickets, financial documents, etc. This invaluable and
limitless source base is unknown and inaccessible to most contemporary Ukrainian researchers.
After the Second World War, realizing the threat to life posed by the activities of the Soviet secret
services in Europe, many Ukrainian figures began to move to the United States and Canada. Some
moved to Australia, Argentina, Brazil, and other countries far from the European continent. Those who
managed to continue to live safely in Europe, in their old age, began to transfer the accumulated
materials overseas or their relatives and friends did so. It was believed that storing documents in the
United States or Canada was safer.
As a result, millions of documents and tens of thousands of different artefacts have accumulated in
these countries. Separate storage centers were formed around this, or these materials ended up in
university libraries, city archives, etc. At present, we know about almost all the centers where Ukrainian
literature is stored in the United States and Canada [2, 3, 15]. Moreover, we know about the materials
stored in these libraries and archival centers. Since independence, a few researchers have had the
opportunity to work with these materials. However, their accessibility to the general research
community remains an obvious problem.
It would be a mistake to say that these materials are a complete mess. The staff of such centers has
properly organized them, i.e. divided them into funds, collections, and periodicals, and described them.
However, there are often no descriptions of the funds, which are familiar to Ukrainian researchers.
4. The state of access to Ukrainian studies abroad
The issue is that the vast majority of documents have not been digitized, and there is no hope that
this will be implemented in the near future. A very good example of digitization is the activity of the
Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists Archive of the Ukrainian Information Service (OUNA UIS) in
London. Many collections from the United States and Canada have been transferred here. The official
website of the OUNA UIS shows how the work is structured. In particular, the digitized printed, written,
audio, and video materials are divided into appropriate blocks, with various document collections
separated and a separate group for the library. Each of these structures is divided into relevant
groups [4].
The person responsible for this work is a professional historian and archivist, former director of the
State Archives of Sumy Oblast, and co-founder of the Centre for the Study of the Liberation Movement,
Hennadii Ivanushchenko. In an interview posted on the Historical Truth website, he notes that the
digitized documents have been posted since September 2012 [17].
Figure 4: Site structure of OUN Archive in London
Another good example is the Electronic Archive of the Ukrainian Liberation Movement. The staff
of the Library of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and the Centre for the Study of the Liberation
Movement are working on its development [4]. The focus of this project is on digitizing archival
documents from Ukrainian archives. Accordingly, the structure of the electronic archive is linked to
various Ukrainian state archives.
Figure 5: Structure of the Electronic Archive of the Ukrainian Liberation Movement
5. The Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre “Oseredok” in Winnipeg:
Establishment and current state of access to materials
One of the largest repositories of documents, photographs, and videos is the Ukrainian Cultural and
Educational Centre (UCEC) in Winnipeg, Canada, founded in 1944. It included documents of famous
Ukrainians who spent a significant part of their lives in Winnipeg. In particular, conductor and
composer O. Koshytsia and church historian, bishop, and linguist I. Ohienko lived here. After their
deaths, the accumulated materials were transferred to this center. A collection of photographs, photo
negatives, and written documents of I. Bobersky appeared here in another way. It is believed that his
collection was the first to be transferred to the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre and initiated
the formation of the archive [3]. He lived in Winnipeg from 1922 to 1932. After returning to Europe in
1932, he left the documents, related to his activities as a representative of the West Ukrainian People's
Republic and photographic materials in Canada. After the Second World War, he sent other documents
accumulated since 1932 to the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre.
The experience of establishing the E. Konovalets Foundation in the UCEC is different. It is known
that he was murdered by the Soviet secret services on 23 May 1938 in Rotterdam. Before his murder,
Konovalets lived in Rome with his wife and son. After the Second World War, his wife worried that
the documents accumulated during her time in exile might be stolen, destroyed, or taken to the Union
of Enslaved Nations, sent them to Winnipeg in 1948. Here they were properly described and
arranged [20]. This woman also transferred a small library of E. Konovalets to Winnipeg.
Many of the UCEC collections consist of materials from various Ukrainian spiritual, educational,
social, economic, publishing, and other organizations that functioned in Winnipeg and ceased to
exist [2].
An obvious drawback that complicates the centre activity is that the materials are not fully organized,
in addition to being divided into different funds. There are no descriptions of the collections, no
catalogues, and no other important tools for systematic work in the library and archive. When
researchers work with the personal collections of I. Boberskyi, Y. Konovalets, D. Andrievskyi,
M Seleshko, and Y. Onatskyi, they had to go through all the materials to select the necessary
information (from Ivan Khoma's personal experience).
In the modern information world, digitizing can improve the access to these materials. It can be done
according to the examples above or by developing an independent methodology. It is noteworthy that
the UCEC Oseredok participated in one such project. Furthermore, it was back in 2005-2006. Then
Oseredok together with the Archives and Special Collections of the University of Manitoba and the
University of Saskatchewan Archives joined the web project "The Prairie Immigration Experience
1900-1950". According to the compilers of Archival Ukrainian Studies in Canada, 300 photographs,
posters, and documents from the collections of I. Bobersky, O. Kosice, Drs. P. Matsenko, D. Lobai,
M. Lekhiv, St. Raphael's Ukrainian Immigrant Society in Canada, the Canadian Ukrainian Athletic
Club, and Charles Photo Studio were digitized [2]. This project continues its life online, but it is
outdated, and inconvenient now [19].
Figure 6: Image of digitized documents from The Prairie Immigration Experience 1900-1950, including
materials from the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre
The official website of the UCEC shows some attempts to digitize the collection. In particular, there
is an online catalogue, which currently contains some digitized materials from the collections of
I. Boberskyi and O. Koshytsia. It can be assumed that in the future the online library will also be
updated. However, it is not clear whether it will be a catalogue or an electronic version of digitized
publications.
Figure 7: Modern interface of the online archive structure of the Ukrainian Cultural and Educational
Centre
Today, there are two of the best resources of digitized Ukrainian historical and general literature. It
is about the website "DIASPORIANA.ORG.UA" [8] and "Chtyvo. Electronic Library" [7].
Figure 8: The structure of digitized Ukrainian diaspora literature
Figure 9: The structure of digitized Ukrainian scientific, art, and other literature
Similarly, it is advisable to develop an online archive of the UCEC, following the model of the
powerful resource of sources and materials of the OUN Archives in London.
6. Functional and informational modeling of the process of promoting the
Ukrainian Education and Culture Centre
For the functional modeling and graphical description of the process of promoting the Ukrainian
Education and Culture Centre through the digitization of Ukrainian studies archival collections in
Canada, it is advisable to use the IDEF0 methodology. The four sides of the block have different
meanings: the left side has the meaning of "input" – information flows Information about the Centre,
Materials for digitization, and User requests; the right side has the meaning of "output" which reflects
elements of promotional activities: Posts, Information about new digitized publications, etc.; the upper
side is “management”, which is limited to the documents of the regulatory framework; the lower side
is “mechanism”, which is carried out by the Digitization Specialist, PR Manager and the User of the
official website.
Legal and
regulatory
documents
Information about the Center Promotional posts
Popularization of the Center for Ukrainian
Education and Culture Information about new
A0 digitized publications
Digitization
PR manager User
specialist
Figure 10: Context diagram IDEF0 of the process of promoting the UCEC through the digitization of
Ukrainian studies archival collections
To display the process of receipt and processing of documents, we use Dataflow Diagrams (DFD).
They are one of the main tools for information modeling of functional requirements for the designed
system. System requirements are presented in the form of a hierarchy of processes connected by data
flows. Data flow diagrams illustrate how each process converts its input data into output data and
identify the relationships between these processes. The DFD methodology is successfully used to
describe document flow and information processing and can be used for information modeling.
The main purpose of DFD tools is to demonstrate how each process converts input data into output,
as well as to identify the relationships between these processes. The result of building a functional
model of a system is a hierarchy of DFDs that describe the asynchronous process of transforming
information from its input to the system to its output to the user [5].
1
1 2
Digitization Digitized materials
Popularization of the Tasks for an advertising
PR
Center for Ukrainian campaign
specialist Education and Culture manager
Material for digitization Promotional posts
Request Answer
3
User
Figure 11: Contextual diagram of the process of promoting the Centre for Ukrainian Education and
Culture through the digitization of Ukrainian Studies archival collections
The main process of the context diagram is the process of promoting the UCEC through the
digitization of archival collections of Ukrainian studies. It consists of digitizing and processing various
types of materials and publications, posting their electronic versions on the official website of the
Center, and conducting promotional activities to attract new users.
The context diagram shows three external entities: the Digitization Specialist, the PR Manager, and
the User of the official website.
Figure 11 shows the model of interaction between the Digitization Specialist, the PR Manager, and
the users. The aim is to support the advertising activities of the UCEC and to promote the online archive
with digital copies of archival materials. According to the model, users receive general information
about the activities of the Center, view digitized materials, and can submit their requests (comments,
questions, etc.).
7. Perspectives of future research
Using the proposed theoretical model for the complete digitization of the archival collections of the
UCEC, it is advisable to analyze and use the following digitization technologies in more detail:
automatic scanning of documents: use of scanners to convert paper documents into digital
format (automatic document feeder (ADF) and double-sided scanning);
Photography: for objects that cannot be scanned, digital cameras or smartphones can be used
to take high quality photographs of objects that can then be stored digitally (flatbed scanning);
audio and video digitization: for audio and video recordings, special devices should be used to
convert analogue sound or video into digital format; this will be useful for digitizing old audio and
video recordings, such as pre-amplified audio and video interfaces for analogue sources, which help
ensure proper recording quality;
optical character recognition (OCR): for scanned documents whose text needs to be recognized
and converted into editable digital text, it is advisable to use OCR technology;
digital archiving: digitized data can be saved in various digital formats such as PDF, JPEG,
MP3, MP4, etc. It is important to choose the appropriate formats based on the purpose and storage
of the data;
processing and preservation of metadata: during digitization, it is important to preserve
information about objects (metadata) that describes their origin, date, author, etc. This will help to
preserve the context and convenience for further use;
cloud storage and backup: digitized archives can be stored in cloud services or backed up to
external media to ensure data security and availability.
These technologies can be combined to ensure the best possible outcome for digitizing the Branch's
archives, taking into account specific needs and constraints.
8. Conclusion
The digitization of the Ukrainian Canadian archives as part of the Ukrainian Cultural and
Educational Centre “Oseredok” is a significant initiative to preserve the historical and cultural heritage
of the Ukrainian people. This allows for preserving and making available to researchers, the public, and
the younger generation documents, photographs, audio and video recordings that testify to the life and
work of Ukrainians around the world. The main aspects of digitization of the Centre's archival
collections are as follows:
cooperation with archival institutions: digitization of Ukrainian archival collections may be
carried out jointly with other archival institutions. This may include partnerships with local archives,
libraries, and cultural organizations;
digitization of documents and photographs: scanning and digitization of paper documents,
photographs, newspaper articles and other materials of the Center will allow preserving them in
digital format and making them available for research and public use;
audio and video digitization: it is important to digitize audio and video recordings containing
testimonies, interviews, musical performances and other important aspects of the life and culture of
the Ukrainian people;
creation of an electronic archive: the main task of the electronic archive will be to store and
organize the digital archival materials of the Centre. It may include platforms for searching, viewing,
and researching documents;
online access: the digitized archives can be placed on the Internet, providing access to it online.
This allows researchers and the public from all over the world to study and use these materials;
metadata preservation: It is important to create detailed metadata for digitized materials to
provide context and traceability;
the digitized archives of the UCEC will become an important resource for research, education,
and preservation of the cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people living abroad.
Adding digital copies of materials from the archival collections of Ukrainian studies in Canada to
the online archive will help promote the activities of the UCEC, and increase the number of new users
and researchers of Ukrainian history.
9. References
[1] A. Hawkins, Archives, linked data and the digital humanities: increasing access to digitised and
born-digital archives via the semantic web, Archival Science 22 (2022) 319-344. doi:
10.1007/s10502-021-09381-0.
[2] Archival materials on the history of Ukraine in Canada: Preliminary annotated list [Arkhivni
materialy z istorii Ukrainy v Kanadi: Poperednii anotovanyi perelik], in: B. Kravchenko (Ed.),
Kyiv, Edmonton, 1990. URL:
https://archives.gov.ua/ua/%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%85%D1%96%D0%B2%D0%BD%D1%
96-
%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%96%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8-
%D0%B2-%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%96/. [in Ukrainian]
[3] Archival Ukrainian Studies in Canada: a reference book [Arkhivna ukrainika v Kanadi:
dovidnyk], in: I. Matiash et al. (Eds.), Kyiv, 2010. URL:
https://chtyvo.org.ua/authors/Matiash_Iryna/Arkhivna_ukrainika_v_Kanadi_dovidnyk/. [in
Ukrainian]
[4] Archive of the Ukrainian Nationalist Organization. URL: https://ounuis.info/.
[5] D. Dosyn, V. Lytvyn, V. Kovalevych, O. Oborska, R. Holoshchuk, Knowledge discovery as
planning development in knowledgebase framework, in: Proceedings of the 13th International
Conference on Modern Problems of Radio Engineering, Telecommunications and Computer
Science (TCSET), Lviv, Ukraine, 2016, pp. 449-451, doi: 10.1109/TCSET.2016.7452085.
[6] D. Mezzino, B. Moiso, T. Montonati, F. Lori, The Digitization of the Photographic Archive of
Museo Egizio: Strategies of Interpretation and Communication, Diségno10 (2022) 65-74. doi:
10.26375/disegno.10.2022.8.
[7] Electronic library Chtyvo. URL: https://chtyvo.org.ua/authors/. [in Ukrainian]
[8] Electronic library Diasporiana. URL: https://diasporiana.org.ua/. [in Ukrainian]
[9] F. Liu, J. Hindmarch, M. Hess, A review of the cultural heritage linked open data ontologies
and models, International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial
Information Sciences 48 (2023) 943 – 950. doi: 10.5194/isprs-Archives-XLVIII-M-2-2023-
943-2023.
[10] H. Sojka-Masztalerz, M. Szala, Former archives of the University of Lviv as part of
the digital GLAM, Z Badan nad Ksiazka i Ksiegozbiorami Historycznymi 16 (2022) 123-136.
doi: 10.33077/uw.25448730.zbkh.2022.718. [in Polish]
[11] I. Matiash, Archival Ukrainian Studies in Canada: A Guide [Arkhivna ukrainika v
Kanadi], Kyiv, 2010. [in Ukrainian]
[12] I. Tiurmenko, L. Bozhuk, Yu. Smolnikov, Yu. Syerov, Digital communications of
Ukraine archival institutions, Studies in Systems, Decision and Control 421 (2022) 449-470.
[13] J. de Mooij, C. Kurtan, J. Baas, M. Dastani, A Computational Framework for
Organizing and Querying Cultural Heritage Archives, Journal on Computing and Cultural
Heritage 15 (2022). doi: 10.1145/3485843.
[14] J. Potts, Use and Reuse of the Digital Archive, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2021. doi:
10.1007/978-3-030-79523-8.
[15] M. Paliienko, Ukrainian archival centers in North America [Ukrainski arkhivni
oseredky v Pivnichnii Amerytsi], State Archive Service of Ukraine. URL: http://surl.li/drviz
[in Ukrainian]
[16] P. Peucker, The Role of the Archives in a Digital World, Journal of Moravian History
22 (2022) 157-162. doi: 10.5325/jmorahist.22.2.0157.
[17] S. Parkhomenko, Hennadii Ivanushchenko: We must restore the memory of Ukrainians
lost in history [Hennadii Ivanushchenko: Maiemo povernuty pamiat pro zahublenykh v istorii
ukraintsiv] Historical truth, 2016. URL:
https://www.istpravda.com.ua/digest/2016/12/24/149412/view_print/. [in Ukrainian]
[18] T. K. Gireesh Kumar, R. Raman Nair, Conserving knowledge heritage: opportunities
and challenges in conceptualizing cultural heritage information system (CHIS) in the Indian
context, Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication 71 (2022) 564-583. doi:
10.1108/GKMC-02-2021-0020.
[19] University of Manitoba, Prairie Immigration Experience Metadata. URL:
https://digitalcollections.lib.umanitoba.ca/islandora/object/uofm%3Apie/manitoba_metadata
[20] Yevhen Konovalets, Center of Ukrainian culture and education, 307/19. Part.1. Folders
1-18; Part 2. Folders 1-87. [in Ukrainian]