Dear colleagues 

If you are interested in:
•	new approaches to connecting digital UK heritage collections
•	research ethics in multi-partner research projects
•	new approaches to sharing cultural heritage data & digital collection contents globally
•	Human Language Technology (HLT) and inclusive Natural Language Processing (NLP) models
•	the development of a cross-domain ontology and Linked (Open) Data (LOD) infrastructure in Finland
•	the integration of Indigenous and African languages into computational processes, 
don’t miss our Towards a National Collection webinars.  

We have some great speakers lined up for our Discovery Project Webinar Series 2024 and our International Webinar Series 2024 and look forward to welcoming you in early May. These online events are free and open to everyone, and we encourage you to share this invitation with anyone who may be interested.

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DISCOVERY PROJECT WEBINAR SERIES: 
Research Methods & Ethics: Connecting UK Heritage Data  
01 May | 14:00 - 15:30 GMT 

BOOK A PLACE: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/875901042597?aff=oddtdtcreator  

Learn from two of our Discovery Project researchers about their individual contributions to the Unpath’d Waters and The Congruence Engine projects and actively engage in a Q&A session.
This webinar will explore how specific research methods and value frameworks may lead to improved practices when combining UK heritage data.

•	Arran Rees, University of Leeds: Action research, complexity, and the Congruence Engine project
•	Katrina Foxton, MOLA: Research ethics in multi-partner research projects: Lessons learned from the Unpath’d Waters values framework

Arran Rees will reflect on the Congruence Engine project’s range of approaches to connecting digital heritage collections, and the use of action research within this context. Katrina Foxton will discuss how shared value frameworks in multi-partner research projects may lead to more relevant and ethically sound practices, reflecting on lessons learned from the Unpath’d Waters (UNPATH) project.

Towards a National Collection: https://www.nationalcollection.org.uk/  
Discovery Projects: https://www.nationalcollection.org.uk/Discovery_Projects 
The Congruence Engine: https://ceblog.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/   
Unpath’d Waters (UNPATH): https://unpathdwaters.org.uk/ 
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INTERNATIONAL WEBINAR SERIES: 
Linking Digital Collections Globally
02 May | 09:30 - 11:00 GMT 

BOOK A PLACE: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/873251698337?aff=oddtdtcreator 

This Towards a National Collection (TaNC) webinar will focus on digitalization projects in the Pacific and Finland, exploring how cultural heritage data and digital collection contents could be shared globally.

•	Tim Kong, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa | National Library of New Zealand: Reflections on making the digitised heritage of the Pacific visible and accessible for those in and of the Pacific
•	Eero Hyvönen, Aalto University & University of Helsinki, Creating and using a national linked open data infrastructure for cultural heritage applications and Digital Humanities Research: Lessons learned

This webinar will begin with a talk by Tim Kong, focusing on the design, development and functionality of the site digitalpasifik.org, exploring how Western institutions could make their records accessible to the people of the Pacific. Eero Hyvönen will talk about the development of a cross-domain national ontology and Linked (Open) Data (LOD) infrastructure in Finland, share lessons learned during this work and introduce the so-called Sampo model that evolved from it. 

Eero Hyvönen/ Semantic Computing Research Group (SeCo): https://seco.cs.aalto.fi/u/eahyvone/
Tim Kong: https://www.continue.nz/about/ 
https://digitalpasifik.org/
Towards a National Collection: https://www.nationalcollection.org.uk/     
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INTERNATIONAL WEBINAR SERIES: 
African & Indigenous Futures: Harnessing AI for Global South Languages
08 May | 14:00 - 15:30 GMT 

BOOK A PLACE: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/880260341377?aff=oddtdtcreator 

This Towards a National Collection (TaNC) will focus on the integration of Indigenous and African languages into computational processes, bringing together Robert Pugh from Indiana University, Bloomington and Ignatius Ezeani from Lancaster University:

•	Robert Pugh, Indiana University, Bloomington: Indigenous voices past, present and future: Digital technologies for Nahuatl and Maya
•	Ignatius Ezeani, Lancaster University: NLP and Large Language Models: A Case for Inclusive Language Technologies.

Showcasing the role of innovation in preserving and revitalising African and Indigenous cultural heritage, these speakers will discuss the dynamic intersection of Human Language Technology (HLT) and inclusive Natural Language Processing (NLP) models. The webinar will address important topics when working within African and Indigenous spaces, such as:
•	the importance of collaborative efforts
•	accessibility of resources
•	careful design of bias-aware language models.

Robert Pugh: https://robertpugh.me/ 
Ignatius Ezeani: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/scc/about-us/people/ignatius-ezeani
Masakhane, a grassroots organisation whose mission is to strengthen and spur NLP research in African languages, for Africans, by Africans: https://www.masakhane.io/ 

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Sophie Dietrich
Programme Coordinator, Towards a National Collection
https://www.nationalcollection.org.uk/

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