Projects of the University Library
Our projects aim at improving our services for studying, research and teaching.
We realize our projects with the support of research funders such as the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) or by using our own funds. In this way, we can, for instance, advance our digital research library.
Current Projects
Development of tools for the legally compliant presentation of multimedia objects with Kitodo.Presentation
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: since 2025
The project aims to extend the free presentation module Kitodo.Presentation of the open-source digitization software suite Kitodo in order to enable the secure provision of objects that are still under legal protection.
Project partners are the Saxon State and University Library Dresden (SLUB) and the Carl von Ossietzky State and University Library Hamburg (Stabi).
TransforMA (AI, Data Literacy, OCR)
The FDZ is involved in the TransforMA project in sub-project 3 “Technology”. In this part of the project, the expertise in the field of AI and research data management in particular is contributed.
By creating databases and chatbots, the aim is to facilitate technology and knowledge searches for University of Applied Sciences Mannheim and the University of Mannheim, thereby enabling low-threshold access to existing knowledge and technologies at both universities.
MaDaLi² (Data Literacy, e-Learning)
In the “MaDaLi²” project, the FDZ is supporting the development of a data literacy e-learning course for students.
The course enables students to learn and consolidate important basics in dealing with research data at their own pace. These basics include the ability to explore, understand and communicate data appropriately.
KGI4NFDI (Knowledge Graphs)
The KGI4NFDI project is developing a centralized infrastructure for knowledge graphs to improve interoperability and support the goals of the NFDI. KGI4NFDI offers registration and access services, promotes standardised practices and FAIR data principles, supplemented by documentation and consulting services.
In this context, the FDZ supports the consulting services and the development of standardised practices for the creation of knowledge graphs.
ENGAGE.EU (Training)
ENGAGE.EU is an alliance of leading European universities that equips citizens with the skills they need to tackle societal challenges. The alliance promotes collaboration and education to advance Europe in solving problems such as digitalisation, climate change and demographic change.
The FDZ contributes its expertise to ENGAGE.EU with training courses on research data management. In addition, the FDZ is part of an expert group on research data management.
Verfolgungsbedingt entzogenes Kulturgut im Bestand der Universitätsbibliothek Mannheim
Projekt | Laufzeit 2024–2025
Mit der Machtübernahme der NSDAP im Jahr 1933 begannen die Nationalsozialisten unliebsame Organisationen und Privatpersonen, insbesondere jüdische Bürger*innen, nach und nach ihrer Rechte zu berauben. Im Zuge der Verfolgung und Vernichtung von Menschen bereicherte sich der NS-Staat auch an deren Eigentum – einschließlich ihren Büchern. Das Vorhaben strebt an NS-Raubgut aus den historischen Beständen der Universitätsbibliothek zu erfassen, sichtbar zu machen und sofern möglich zu restituieren.
Business and Economic Research Data Center (BERD-NFDI)
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2021–2026
BERD@NFDI aims to develop and disseminate transparent, open and innovative standards and tools to manage unstructured (“big”) data and to combine and connect them with structured data in economics, business and related research fields. BERD@NFDI builds a consortium of partners from Business Studies, Economics and related fields, integrating expertise from both research and infrastructure. This network aims to contribute to the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI).
Completed projects
OCR-D: Integration of Kitodo and OCR-D for productive mass digitization
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2021–2023
The project integrates OCR-D with Kitodo for use on a web server for distributed operation and to display full texts in the DFG Viewer. Project partners are the Saxon State and University Library (SLUB) Dresden and the University Library Braunschweig.
OCR-D: Workflow for work-specific training based on generic models with OCR-D as well as ground truth enhancement
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2021–2023
The goal of this project is to enable institutions (for example, libraries) to retrain the modules of the OCR-D workflow as easily as possible so that better recognition rates can be achieved for specific works.
Deutscher Reichsanzeiger
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2019–2024
The project supports the partial indexing of articles, the digitization of missing pages and the improved full-text indexing of the newspaper.
Business and Economic Research Data Center (BERD-BW)
Funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg | Funding period: 2019–2022
The Business and Economic Research Data Center (BERD-BW) establishes a competence center for data availability, data exchange and data analysis in economics and business administration. BERD-BW is a joint project of partners at the University of Mannheim and the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW). It is funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg.
OCR-BW – Kompetenzzentrum OCR (OCR competence center of the university libraries in Mannheim and Tübingen)
Funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg | Funding period: 2019–2022
The OCR-BW projects supports archives, libraries and other institutions in Baden-Württemberg when using automatic character recognition and transcription software.
Bibliothekskooperation Mannheim (Mannheim library cooperation)
Funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg | Funding period: 2019–2021
The libraries of the University of Mannheim, the University of Applied Sciences Mannheim and the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University Mannheim are working together to create new learning rooms for their users, expand their training offers and to facilitate mutual access to their services. The cooperation project of the libraries in Mannheim is one of 15 selected projects of the funding program “BW-BigDIWA – Wissenschaftliche Bibliotheken gestalten den digitalen Wandel” (academic libraries shaping digital transformation) which is unique in Germany.
Indexing the estate of Desbillons
Funded by Stiftung Kulturgut Baden-Württemberg | Funding period: 2018–2020
In this project, the handwritten estate of the French Jesuit priest and universal scholar François-Joseph Terrasse Desbillons is indexed and made available.
Optimized use of OCR processes – Tesseract as component of the OCR-D workflow
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2018–2019
Mannheim University Library is part of the “Coordinated Funding Initiative for the Further Development of Methods for Optical Character Recognition (OCR)” funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Our project focuses on Tesseract, a free optical character recognition software.
Aktienführer data archive II
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2017–2019
In the follow-up project on the “Aktienführer data archive”, all print editions of the Aktienführer and Saling’s Börsenpapiere which have been published until 1975 are digitized and an index of the tables of contents is created. The contents will be indexed and made available by using automatic character recognition (OCR). In order to further develop the project, the individual steps will then be automated. The project will develop tools for the automatic structuring and classification of the most important information. The results and the software tools to be developed will be documented and made available as open source for sustainable use.
Digitizing historic census data and municipal census data
Funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation | Funding period: 2017–2018
In a collaborative project with Professor Sebastian Siegloch, the University Library digitizes selected historic directories of municipalities (Gemeindeverzeichnisse) of the German Reich, the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.
Linked Open Citation Database (LOC-DB)
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2016–2018
Based on the linked-data technology, this project will develop ready-to-use tools and processes which make it possible for individual libraries to contribute to an open, distributed infrastructure for indexing citations.
Digitizing the legal texts of the Desbillons collection
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2016–2018
The Desbillons collection contains many important works of pre-revolutionary French law. In a project funded by the German Research Foundation (“DFG”), these items are digitized and made available as full text.
InFoLiS II
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2014–2016
The InFoLiS follow-up project developed heuristic processes to extract references to research data from academic publications in social sciences and to integrate these references in the Primo catalog of the University Library and the GESIS Data Catalog DBK.
Project partners
InFoLiS
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2011–2013
Meta data of research data are linked to bibliographic data so that the information can be found in the research systems of the subject-specific information centers and university libraries.
Project partners
- Research Group Data and Web Science at the University of Mannheim (previously: Chair of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Mannheim)
- GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences
Digitizing the travel reports of the Desbillons collection
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2011–2013
Around 800 travel reports and ethnographic descriptions from the Desbillons collection have been digitized.
Aktienführer data archive
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2013–2015
The printed editions of the Hoppenstedt Aktienführer published between 1979 and 1999 were digitized. The data are made available as digitized images and machine-readable data. This means that a efficient data infrastructure has been established and made available for research purposes.
Collaborative tagging as new service of the libraries of higher education institutions
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2008–2010
Improving subject-specific research in large full-text collections by using semantic web methods
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period: 2007–2009
Weblogs as controlling instruments for libraries of higher education institutions
Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) | Funding period 2006–2007
The main goals of the project were to shift the organization’s focus towards the customers’ demands and to develop a controlling instrument to optimize customer satisfaction. The weblog which was implemented during the project is an interactive portal which makes it easy to send requests, complaints or suggestions. We analyze the customer’s comments with regard to the adaptation of our services. We are therefore able to react quickly to criticism or suggestions and improve our services, if necessary.
