ABOUT THE PROJECT ARCHIVE CHARTER · 01

ARCHIVE · REFERENCE · RESEARCH

Not only a website.
An evidence system.

The project builds a connected and verifiable reference for the Elbasan Normal School, where people, places, publications and interpretations can be traced back to archival sources.

See the method Read the history
Status
Pilot in development
Form
Connected digital archive
System
Omeka S
Languages
Albanian · English

THE PURPOSE

An archive that can be
read, checked and expanded.

The digitized collection is the starting point, not the final result. Photographs, registers, notebooks, documents and the journal Normalisti are described as archival objects and connected to the people, classes, institutions, places and publications they document.

This allows the public site to serve as an introduction for general audiences and as a reference tool for research, without separating the story from the document.

WHO IT IS FOR

Four ways into
the same archive.

The same source should be understandable to the public, useful to families and precise enough for research.

  1. 01

    The public and schools

    A clear way into the institution’s history, its people and the reach of their influence.

  2. 02

    Families and descendants

    A place to identify people, complete family histories and propose material with documented provenance.

  3. 03

    Researchers and students

    Structured records, citable sources and relationships that can be followed from a claim back to a document.

  4. 04

    Archives and partners

    A model for connecting dispersed material without losing ownership, context or credit.

EDITORIAL PRINCIPLES

Trust is built
record by record.

These principles guide cataloguing, writing, public contributions and technical development.

  1. 01

    The document before interpretation

    Claims, relationships and narratives should point to the source that supports them.

  2. 02

    People as connected records

    One person may connect to several roles, classes, places, fields of activity and publications.

  3. 03

    Uncertainty remains visible

    Partial data, variants and disagreements are recorded; gaps are not filled by guesswork.

  4. 04

    Contributions are reviewed

    Proposed material is reviewed for provenance, rights, privacy and accuracy before publication.

  5. 05

    Standards that can travel

    Templates, vocabularies and configuration remain separate from Omeka S core so the archive can be maintained and migrated.

HOW THE ARCHIVE IS BUILT

A chain that preserves
context.

Omeka S holds descriptions, relationships and access copies. Preservation masters remain outside the public site, with backups and integrity checks. OCR is distinguished from verified transcription.

  1. 01

    Original

    The preservation master remains in protected storage.

  2. 02

    Archival object

    Pages and files retain their order and provenance.

  3. 03

    Description

    Names, places, dates and types are carefully normalized.

  4. 04

    Relationships

    People connect to roles, classes, places, publications and evidence.

  5. 05

    Public interpretation

    Maps, timelines and narratives return to their sources.

Explore documents Explore people Explore the bibliography

THE LIMIT OF EVIDENCE

What we do not know
is not hidden.

  • Absence is not a fact.

    An empty field means data has not yet been found or verified; it does not prove that something did not happen.

  • Fame is not an inclusion criterion.

    The archive aims to document the school community, not only celebrated figures.

  • Submission is not publication.

    A contribution becomes public only after provenance, rights, privacy and description have been reviewed.

THE PROJECT ROADMAP

From pilot
to a lasting reference.

The phases show the order of work, not a promise of dates. Each step depends on cataloguing, verification, rights and project capacity.

  1. 01In development

    Evidence-linked pilot

    Testing the model with one class, registers, people and verifiable relationships.

  2. 02In development

    Reference directory

    Expanding records for students, teachers, directors, places and publications.

  3. 03Next

    Geography and chronology

    Building maps of origin and service, together with a sourced institutional timeline.

  4. 04Next

    Normalisti and pedagogy

    Cataloguing issues, articles, authors and pedagogical ideas for connected research.

  5. 05Planned

    Community contribution

    Opening a moderated process for photographs, memories, identifications and corrections.

  6. 06Planned

    Scale and sustainability

    Strengthening partnerships, documentation, long-term preservation and citation practices.

AN ARCHIVE THAT GROWS THROUGH COLLABORATION

Memory is dispersed.
The archive can connect it.

Families, former students, researchers, libraries, archives and institutions can help with material, identifications, bibliographies and references. Ownership and the location of the original remain in the description; credit and conditions of use are agreed with the contributor or partner.

Partners, supporters and the project team will be named here once roles and agreements are confirmed.

Learn how to contribute See the class pilot