The German Research Foundation (DFG) has once again provided funding for the academic “Specialised Information Service Art, Photography, Design.” This financial support aims to enhance the web-based infrastructure of arthistoricum.net, which encompasses specialized literature, digital resources, and open-access publication capacities on European art and art history. Operated by Heidelberg University Library and the Saxon State and University Library Dresden, this project phase, spanning from 2024 to 2027, will receive approximately two million euros from the DFG for activities conducted in Heidelberg.
The Specialised Information Service (FID) facilitates seamless access to collections, documentation, and digital services, prioritizing the direct retrieval of literature and sources. Moreover, it fosters digital research and publication practices by offering tailored services for art and art history research. Through close collaboration with academia and integration with other services such as the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) and the Competence Centre for Licensing, the FID aims to meet the specific needs of researchers in these fields. Dr. Maria Effinger, FID director at Heidelberg University Library, expresses satisfaction with the DFG’s continued funding, stating that it will further enhance the Specialised Information Service Art, Photography, Design, benefiting art history research.
The fifth funding phase focuses on consolidating and optimizing services established in previous project sections. This includes managing the specialist portal, providing relevant media at a transregional level, offering innovative publishing services for open-access publications, and facilitating networking and knowledge transfer. Dr. Effinger emphasizes that all services are aligned with the needs of researchers and evolving trends in various disciplines, with continuous consultation with the academic community.
The specialist portal arthistoricum.net, jointly operated by Heidelberg University Library and the Saxon State and University Library Dresden since 2012, emphasizes electronic publishing as part of Heidelberg University Library’s activities. Supported by the DFG’s funding program “Specialised Information Services,” this initiative aims to establish efficient, demand-oriented information infrastructures that primarily cater to the digital and location-independent information needs of scholarly subjects, thereby supporting research endeavors.
