Digital Collections as Data: A New Direction for Libraries

The aim of the article is to analyze the theoretical foundations and experience of foreign library institutions in the direction of “digital collections as data”. Digital collections are considered not only as new forms of knowledge organization, but also as a tool for conducting scientific research in the field of humanities disciplines. Practice has shown that huge arrays of digitized texts and images can be used more successfully if modern information technologies are applied. Combining research methodology in the humanities and social sciences and computer tools makes it possible to extract quantitative and geographical data, facts, images on the basis of automatic analysis of recognized texts, visualize and display data in various formats, provide detailed metadata, model historical processes and much more. The most illustrative examples of innovative projects in a number of European libraries are given. The current state of transformation of digital collections as data in the United States is briefly characterized. It is determined that in recent decades in Russia a scientific, educational and technological environment for research based on library resources has been formed. Libraries should overcome their detachment from scientific research in the field of digital humanities and enter it as an equal partner. The tasks of domestic libraries for further development of digital content are defined, taking into account the achievements in the field of information technologies and the current level of technical knowledge.