Unlock the Secrets of Manuscripts: From Ink to Digital Text
Are you a student or researcher working with historical manuscripts in Western European languages? Join us for a seminar dedicated to eScriptorium, a powerful open-source platform for Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) and OCR of rare fonts.
Why eScriptorium?
While similar to Transkribus, eScriptorium stands out as a non-commercial, community-driven alternative. It is completely free to use and operates on a decentralized model, where research communities host their own instances to maintain control over their data and workflows.
In 2025, the Center for East European Jewish Studies (Faculty of History, VU) launched its own dedicated instance of eScriptorium for research and educational purposes. This workshop is your gateway to utilizing this infrastructure.
What to Expect:
During this session, we will explore the core principles of the platform using high-quality open-source models available for:
- Languages: French, Latin, Spanish, English, German, Italian, and Occitan.
- Special Feature: A specialized model for rare German historical fonts.
We will cover the essential workflow steps:
- Segmentation: How the AI identifies layouts and lines.
- Transcription: Automatic conversion of handwriting into digital text.
- Correction: Best practices for refining and exporting results.
Who Should Attend?
This workshop is primarily designed for students and researchers dealing with Western European manuscript traditions. At the end of the session, we will discuss how interested researchers can join and utilize the VU instance of eScriptorium for their own projects.
Event Details:
- Time: 15.00 on March 2, 2026
- Registration: https://forms.gle/HY53vovUhMGx33Ur5
- Venue: A4 computer class in the VU Faculty of Philology (see https://www.flf.vu.lt/zemelapis)
- Language: English
Discover a free, community-driven path to digital paleography!