Léiriú Póstaer Ollscoil na Gaillimhe ag comhdháil Dhébhliantúil Chomhairle Idirnáisiúnta na gCartlann, an Róimh, 19-23 Meán Fómhair 2022

                                                 

Tá cartlann Chonradh na Gaeilge in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, agus obair an chartlannaí Niamh Ní Charra chun í a phróiseáil agus a chur ar fáil do thaighdeoirí, mar ábhar do chur i láthair póstaer ag Comhdháil ICA [Comhairle Idirnáisiúnta na gCartlann] na bliana seo. Tá Ní Charra ag seasamh an fhóid léi féin do chartlanna agus do chartlannaithe na hÉireann ag an gcomhdháil agus is é seo an chéad uair a bheidh an Ghaeilge le feiceáil ó thosaigh an chomhdháil deich mbliana ó shin.

"Archives: Bridging the Gap" an téama a bhaineann le comhdháil na bliana seo, agus tá sé sin roinnte ina cheithre chatagóir eile:"Bridging the Digital Gap", "Bridging the Cultural Gap", "Bridging the Democracy Gap" agus "Bridging the Distance". Tagann aighneacht Ní Charra faoin dara catagóir agus tá an téasc a théann lena cur i láthair póstaer anseo thíos.

Cartlann Chonradh na Gaeilge, Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, Éire

Cás-staidéar ar an obair chun cartlann Ghaeilge a phróiseáil, an tionscadal tánaisteach a d'eascair as sin chun téarmaí cartlainne a cheapadh i nGaeilge, agus na buntáistí níos leithne is féidir a bhaint amach agus catalógú á dhéanamh ar chartlanna teangacha mionlaithe.

Sa bhliain 2018 cuireadh tús le hobair ar phróiseáil agus ar chatalógú chartlann mór le rá Chonradh na Gaeilge in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe. Críochnaíodh an obair agus seoladh an chartlann go hoifigiúil níos luaithe i mbliana. Cabhraíonn cur i dtaisce, próiseáil agus cur ar fáil chartlann na heagraíocht trasteorann agus ollscoil a bhfuil sainchúram uathúil uirthi i leith na Gaeilge, trí chatalógú dátheangach, trí bhreis agus 200 téarma cartlainne a cheapadh i nGaeilge agus trí úsáid a bhaint as an gcartlann chun aird a tharaingt ar obair na heagraíochta féin.

Céard é Conradh na Gaeilge?

    Is eagraíocht é Conradh na Gaeilge a bhunaíodh sa bhliain 1893 chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn in Éirinn agus thar lear. Tugann an t-ábhar léargas uathúil ar an 130 bliain nó níos mó de stair oileán na hÉireann. Rinne an fhoireann úsáid na Gaeilge i ngach gné den saol ó lá go lá a chur chun cinn agus a scrúdú. Clúdaíonn cuid shuntasach den ábhar roinnt feachtas a bhaineann le cearta teanga. Áirítear freisin cáipéisí a bhaineann le cearta na bpríosúnach agus cearta sibhialta i dTuaisceart Éireann.

Bhí an Conradh lárnach i bhfeachtais phobail a raibh na nithe seo a leanas mar thoradh orthu:

• cruthú stáisiún raidió agus teilifíse Gaeilge [1972, 1996]
• achtú Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla [14 Iúil 2003] i (bPoblacht) na hÉireann
• an Ghaeilge a bheith mar theanga oifigiúil de chuid an Aontais Eorpaigh[1 Eanáir 2007]

Tá siad fós i mbun feachtais ar son chearta na Gaeilge i dTuaisceart Éireann. 

Ag croílár na bhfeactas seo tá ceart an duine aonair ar a (h)ainm féin a bheith ina t(h)eanga féin, agus maireachtáil agus idirghníomhú ina t(h)eanga féin, teanga atá dúchasach don oileán seo.

 

Cén fáth a roghnaíodh Ollscoil na Gaillimhe?

    Agus cinneadh á dhéanamh cén áit ar cheart an chartlann thar a bheith saibhir agus suntasach seo a chur i dtaisce, bhí a fhios ag Conradh na Gaeilge a thábhachtaí a bhí sé an institiúid cheart a roghnú chun an chartlann a choinneáil agus an obair riachtanach a dhéanamh. Tar éis machnamh cúramach a dhéanamh, roghnaigh siad Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, (Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimhe roimhe seo). Bhí roinnt cúiseanna leis an gcinneadh seo: 

• Sainchúram na hOllscoile - gné uathúil de shainchúram Ollscoil na Gaillimhe mar ollscoil is ea a tiomantas straitéiseach maidir le hoideachas ollscoile a chur ar fáil i nGaeilge, a haidhm freastal ar an nGaeltacht agus ar phobal na Gaeilge, agus campas dátheangach eiseamláireach a chruthú.
• Suíomh - tá an ollscoil suite ar chósta thiar na hÉireann ar imeall Ghaeltacht Chonamara. Chomh maith le sin, tá dlúthcheangal idir an Ollscoil agus an réigiún mar gheall go bhfuil ionaid oideachais agus chultúir Ghailge aici i nGaeltacht Chonamara agus i nGaeltacht Dhún na nGall araon. 
• Cartlanna i dteangacha eile - tá an cnuasach aitheanta seo anois i measc go leor cartlanna Gaeilge eile san ollscoil, agus baint ag go leor acu sin leis an gcartlann seo.
• Meas ar an teanga - agus Ollscoil na Gaillimhe á roghnú, chinntigh Conradh na Gaeilge go mbeadh comhpháirteach ar leith a raibh meas ar an teanga agus ar an ábhar lárnach sa chúram a bhí idir lámha aici.

Ceisteanna Uathúla:

    Seachas na gnáthchinntí a chaithfidh cartlannaithe a dhéanamh agus cartlann á meas, á próiseáil, á buanchoimeád agus á catalógú, tháinig ceisteanna uathúla breise chun cinn de charr nádúr na cartlainne áirithe seo.

    Mar chuid den chomhaontú idir Conradh na Gaeilge agus an Ollscoil, bhí sé ríthábhachtach go mbeadh an chartlann liostaithe i nGaeilge le cinntiú go raibh sí ar fáil do phobal na Gaeilge. Chinn an chartlannaí liosta a dhéanamh i mBéarla freisin chun a chinntiú go mbeadh an chartlann iontach seo inrochtana do dhaoine nach bhfuil Gaeilge acu chomh maith. (Tá go leor preaseisiúintí agus ábhar eile i mBéarla agus tá 24 teanga léirithe sa bhailiúchán).

    Ba ghná cinntí a dhéanamh maidir leis an litriú fresin: Ní dhearnadh caighdeánú ar litriú na Gaeilge go dtí na 1950idí agus tá go leor éagsúlachtaí litrithe le fáil sa chnuasach dá bharr. Ar mhaithe le leanúnachas roghnaíodh litriú nua-aimseartha agus liostaíodh leaganacha níos sine freisin nuair ba dhá (e.g. Connradh na Gaedhilge [Conradh na Gaeilge]).

    I measc na gcinntí a bhain le CALM bhí cén t-ord a bheadh ar na liostaí Gaeilge agus Béarla, conas an dá cheann a scaradh óna chéile, cibé acu roghanna saorthéacs nó Roghchláir Anuas a úsáid le haghaidh réimsí áirithe, agus cén áit ar cheart na roghanna réamhshocraithe a shárú. Agus liostú dátheangach curtha isteach in CALM, bheadh an áis aimsithe ar fáil go dátheangach freisin dá ndéanfaí tuairisc a ghiniúint trí CALM. Socráiodh mar sin leagan Gaeilge amháin a chur ar fáil chomh maith mar cháipéis Word.

    Le linn an phróisis catalógaithe, baineadh úsáid as seirbhís aistriúcháin na hOllscoile. Cuireadh bac ar a sárobair, áfach, toisc nach raibh téarmaíocht chartlainne Ghaeilge ar fáil ag an am.

Tionscadal tánaisteach - 200 téarma cartlainne ceaptha i nGaeilge:

    Tháinig fadhbanna maidir le haistriúchán na catalóige chhun cinn go luath sa phróiseas mar gheall ar easpa téarmaíocht oifigiúil chartlainne i nGaeilge. De bharr shaibhreas na teanga bhí roghanna iolracha do théarmaí áirithe ar fáil, agus ní raibh aon leagan Gaeilge do thearmaí eile, nó má bhí ní raibh sé ag cur an bhrí ar leith mar a bhain sé leis an gcomhthéacs cartlainne in iúl. Fuair Ní Charra amach, cé go bhfuil bailiúcháin chartlainne Ghaeilge ar fud na tíre, gur fíorbheagán a bhí catalógaithe i nGaeilge, agus má bhí féin gur ar bhonn ad hoc a rinneadh iad. Níor aithníodh na neamhréireachtaí idir liostaí ó thaobh caighdeáin chartlainne de.

    Mar thoradh díreach ar na fadhbanna seo, chuir sí tús le tionscadal ina raibh Ollscoil na Gaillimhe, Cartlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann agus An Coiste Téarmaíochta páirteach agus bhí sí ina comhstiúrthóir ar an tionscadal. Ceapadh 200 téarma cartlainne go hoifigiúil i nGaeilge mar thoradh ar an gcomhoibriú. A bhuíochas nach beag don Dr Luciana Duranti, tá na téarmaí seo ar fáil anois ar bhunachar sonraí MAT de chuid an ICA, áit a bhfuil Ní Charra ainmnithe mar chomhordaitheoir na Gaeilge.

Buntáistí an tionscadail:

    Ba mhór an tairbhe a bhain leis an déthionscadal chun cartlann Chonradh na Gaeilge in Ollscoil na Gaillimhe a mheas, a bhuanchoimeád agus a chatalógú, rud a d'fhág gur cruthaíodh agus gur ceapadh téarmaí cartlainne i nGaeilge. Ní hamháin gur cás-staidéar maith atá i gcatalógú na cartlainne aitheanta seo - is sárthaispeántas é ar na cúiseanna seo a leanus:

• Leanúnachas - leis an téarmaíocht nua seo ar fáil, spreagtar leanúnachas i liostú na Gaeilge chun teacht le caighdeáin chartlainne.
• Cuimsitheach - ciallaíonn sé gur féidir cartlanna Gaeilge a liostú i nGaeilge, rud a fhágann go bhfuil siad cuimsitheach agus go gcinntítear go mbíonn rochtain ag na daoine is mó a mbaineann na cartlanna seo.
• Meas agus aitheantas - is aitheantas tábhachtach é cartlann chomh suntasach sin a chur ar fáil agus é sin a dhéanamh i nGaeilge, ag baint úsáid as téarmaí oifigiúla sa teanga sin, don teanga dhúchais féin, agus don phobal a labhraíonn í mar chéad teanga.
• Cruthaítear feasacht - is minic a dhéanann taighdeoirí neamhaird ar bhailiúcháin i dteangacha mionlaithe, in ainneoin go bhfuil siad an-saibhir ó thaobh ábhair de. Is é an toradh atá air ná gur minic a bhíonn na scéalta sna cartlanna seo in easnamh ón scéal iomlán.
• Glacadh - táthar ag siúl go spreagfaidh an téarmaíocht Axiell agus dreamanna eile glacadh léi agus a gcuid táirgí a chur ar fáil i nGaeilge.
• Éifeacht iarmhartach - ba chóir go spreagfadh an cás-staidéar seo agus an téarmaíocht nua níos mó institiúidí chun níos mó cartlanna Gaeilge a chatalógú.

An chartlann a dhíchoilíniú - más mian linn comhrá a thosú faoin gcartlann a dhíchoilíniú, caithfimid machnamh a dhéanamh ar theanga na cartlainne.

    

    Nuair a dhéantar breithniú ar choilíneacht na cartlainne i gcomhthéacs teanga, is gnách go mbíonn an plé dírithe ar ábhar na cartlainne, téarmaí áirithe a mbaineann fadhbanna leo á n-úsáid chun cur síos a dhéanamh ar an gcartlann, nó b'fhéidir claonadh na dtuairiscí sin, ach is annamh a bhíonn an teanga féin ina bhfuil an iontráil catalóige curtha san áireamh. Ina theannta sin, tá claonadh san Eoraip smaoineamh ar choilíneachtaí í láthair na huaire agus iarchoilíneachtaí a bheith suite lasmuigh den mhór-roinn féin, agus tá an pobal cartlainne den tuairim chéanna ina leith seo. Mar sin is meabhrúchán séimh é an tionscadal seo go bhfuil roinnt iarchoilíneachtaí i bhfad níos gaire don bhaile, agus go bhfanann codanna eile den mhór-roinn seo ina gcríocha atá faoi chonspóid agus roinnte.

Dúshlán don phobal cartlainne:

    IS é an dúshlán don phobal cartlainne, ní amháin a chinntiú nuair a insítear na scéalta seo, go bhfuil siad caomhnaithe agus inrochtana i gcartlanna, ach freisin a chinntiú go bhuil an rochtain seo chomh cuimsitheach agus is féidir. Bíodh an t-ábhar i nGaeilge nó i dteangacha miolaithe eile (agus tá an téarma "miolaithe" seachas "mionlach" ríthábhachtach anseo), ba chóir do phobal na cartlainne ár ndícheall a dhéanamh a chinntiú nach bhfuilimid mar chuid de na constaicí atá roimh phobail agus iad ag iarraidh teacht ar na scéalta seo. Céim amháin chun an bhearna chultúrtha seo a líonadh is ea níos mó catalógú dátheangach/ilteangach a sholáthar, agus é sin a dhéanamh ar bhealach leanúnach de réir caoghdeáin chartlainne trí théarmaíocht chartlainne a chruthú/a cheapadh.

Naisc:

    Tá tuilleadh eolais faoin gcartlann féin agus faoin tionscadal chun téarmaí cartlainne i nGaeilge a cheapadh le fáil thíos:

Seoladh Chartlann Chonradh na Gaeilge

Taispeántas Digiteach Chonradh na Gaeilge

200 téarma cartlainne ceaptha i nGaeilge

Téarmaíocht i bhformáid PDF: Gaeilge-Béarla, Béarla-Gaeilge, Gaeilge amháin.

Bunachar Téarmaíochta Cartlainne Ilteangach de chuid Chomhairle Idirnáisiúnta na gCartlann.

English version of this blog

 

University of Galway Poster Presentation at the International Council on Archives' biennial conference, Rome 19-23 September 2022.

The Conradh na Gaeilge archive at the University of Galway, and the work by archivist Niamh Ní Charra to process it and make it available for researchers, forms the basis of a poster presentation at the upcoming International Council on Archives conference taking place in Europe for the first time since 2015. Ní Charra is flying the flag for Irish archives and archivists at the conference and her contribution marks the first time the Irish language will have featured in the conference's ten year history.

The theme of this year's conference is "Archives: Bridging the Gap", which is further divided into four categories: "Bridging the Digital Gap", "Bridging the Cultural Gap", "Bridging the Democracy Gap" and "Bridging the Distance". Ní Charra's submission falls under the second category and background information to accompany her onsite poster presentation follows below.

The Conradh na Gaeilge archive at University of Galway, Ireland

A case study of the work to process an Irish language archive, 

the resulting side project to designate archival terms in Irish, 

and the wider benefits attainable when cataloguing minoritized-language archives.

In 2018 work commenced on processing and cataloguing the iconic Conradh na Gaeilge archive at the University of Galway. Earlier this year, the work was completed and the archive was officially launched online. The deposit, processing and release of the Irish language organisation's archive at the university helps bridge the cultural gap through the partnership of a cross-border organisation and a university with a unique Irish language remit, through bilingual cataloguing, through the designation of over 200 archival terms in the Irish language and through the use of the archive to highlight the work of the organisation itself.

Who are Conradh na Gaeilge?

    Conradh na Gaeilge [The Gaelic League] is an organisation which was founded in 1893 to promote the Irish language in Ireland and abroad. Material gives a unique insight into the last 130 years or more of the history of the island of Ireland. Staff were actively involved in promoting and observing the use of Irish across all aspects of everyday activities. A significant portion of material covers several language rights campaigns. Also included are documents relating to prisoners' rights and civil rights in Northern Ireland.

Conradh were instrumental in community campaigns which led to the

• creation of Irish language radio and television stations [1972, 1996]
• the enactment of the Official Languages Act [14 July 2003] in Ireland
• making Irish an official language of the European Union [1 January 2007]

They are still campaigning for Irish language rights in Northern Ireland. 

At the core of these campaigns is the right of the individual to their own name, and to living and interacting in their own language, one that is indigenous to this island.

 

Why University of Galway?

    When deciding where to deposit this immensely rich and significant archive, Conradh na Gaeilge were conscious of the importance of choosing the right institution to house the archive and carry out the work required. After much careful consideration, they chose the University of Galway, formerly the National University of Ireland, Galway. There were several reasons for this decision.

• Remit of the university - a unique aspect of the University of Galway's remit as a university is its strategic commitment to the provision of university education through the medium of Irish, its aim to serve the Gaeltacht [Irish language speaking regions] and the Irish language community, and to create an exemplary bilingual campus.
• Location - the university is situated on the West coast of Ireland on the edge of the Connemara Gaeltacht, one of several Irish-speaking regions in Ireland. Furthermore, its links with the region are strengthened by its Irish language education and cultural centres in towns in both the Connemara and Donegal Gaeltachts. 
• Other Irish language archives - this iconic collection joins many more Irish language archives at the university, many of which have links to it.
• Respect - in choosing the University of Galway, Conradh na Gaeilge ensured a unique partnership where respect for the language and for the material was central to the task at hand.

Unique considerations:

    Apart from the normal decisions archivists need to make when appraising, processing, preserving and cataloguing an archive, the nature of this particular archive brought additional unique considerations.

    As part of the agreement between Conradh na Gaeilge and the university, it was vital that the archive be listed in Irish to ensure it was inclusive for the Irish language community. It was decided by the archivist to also list in English to ensure this wonderful archive was accessible to non-Irish language speakers as well. (Many press releases and other material are in English, and there are in fact 24 languages represented in the collection).

    Decisions on spelling also needed to be made: Irish language spelling was not standardised until the 1950s and many variations of spelling exist throughout the collection as a result. For the purposes of consistency, modern spelling was chosen with older versions also listed where necessary (eg Connradh na Gaedhilge [Conradh na Gaeilge]).

    Decisions on CALM included what order the Irish and English listings appeared, how to separate the two, whether to use free text or drop down menu options for certain fields and where to override the default options. With bilingual listing inputted in CALM, generating a report through CALM would automatically result in the finding aid also being bilingual. It was therefore decided to also provide an Irish-only version as a word document.

    Throughout the cataloguing process, use was made of the university's translation department. However, their excellent work was hampered due to the nonexistence of Irish language archival terminology at the time.

Side project - 200 archival terms designated in the Irish language:

    Issues with catalogue translations arose early in the process due to the absence of official archival terminology in the Irish language. The incredibly rich language meant that there were multiple options for some terms, while other terms simply did not have any Irish language equivalent, or the specific meaning as it related to the archival context was being lost. Ní Charra discovered that while Irish language archive collections exist all over the country, very few had been catalogued in Irish, and those that had been were done on an ad-hoc basis. The inconsistencies between listings from an archival standards point of view had not been recognised.

    As a direct consequence of these issues, she instigated and co-led a project involving University of Galway, the National Archive of Ireland and An Coiste Téarmaíochta [The Irish Language Terminology Committee]. The collaboration led to 200 archival terms being officially designated in the Irish language. Thanks in no small part to Dr Luciana Duranti, these terms are now available on ICA's MAT database where Ní Charra has been nominated as the Irish language co-ordinator.

Project Benefits:

    The dual project to have Conradh na Gaeilge's archive at the University of Galway appraised, preserved and catalogued, which in turn led to the creation and designation of archival terms in the Irish language has been hugely beneficial. The cataloguing of this iconic archive is not just a good case study - it is a perfect showcase for the following reasons:

• Consistency - having this new terminology available encourages consistency in Irish language listing to archival standards.
• Inclusivity - it enables Irish language archives to be listed in Irish making them inclusive and ensuring those for whom the archives relate the most, have access.
• Respect and recognition - making such a significant archive available and doing so through Irish, using official terms in that language, is an important recognition of both the indigenous language itself, and the community who speak it as their first language.
• Creates awareness - collections in minoritized languages are often overlooked by researchers, despite being very rich in material. The stories in these archives are therefore often missing from the overall narrative.
• Adoption - having the terminology should hopefully encourage Axiell and others to adopt it and make their products available in Irish.
• Positive knock-on effect - this case study and new terminology should encourage more institutions to have more Irish language archives catalogued.

Decolonising the archive - if we want to start a conversation about decolonising the archive, we need to think about the language of the archive.

    

    When considering the coloniality of the archive the discussion is generally either centred around the material of the archive, certain problematic terms being used in describing the archive, or perhaps the bias of those descriptions, but very rarely is the language itself the catalogue entry is in considered. In addition, there is a tendency within Europe to think of present and former colonies being located outside of the continent itself, and the archival community are no different in this regard. This project therefore can act as a gentle reminder that some former colonies are much closer to home, and other parts of this continent remain contested and divided territories.

Challenge to the archive community:

    The challenge for the archive community, is not only to ensure that when these stories are told, they are preserved and accessible in archives, but also to ensure this access is as inclusive as possible. Whether material is in Irish or in other minoritized languages (and the term "minoritized", not "minority" here is key), the archive community should do our best to ensure we are not part of the obstacles communities face when trying to access these stories. Providing more bi/multi-lingual cataloguing, and doing so in a consistent manner to archival standards through the creation/designation of archival terminology, is one step towards bridging this cultural gap.

Useful Links:

    More information on the archive itself, and on the project to designate archival terms in Irish can be found below:

Launch of the Conradh na Gaeilge Archive 

Conradh na Gaeilge Digital exhibition

200 Archival terms designated in the Irish language

PDFs of the terminology in English-Irish, Irish-English, Irish only

International Council on Archives Multilingual Terminology Database.

Leagan Gaeilge den bhlag seo

 

Cartlann Chonradh na Gaeilge - Taispeántas Digiteach Seolta

                                     

An mhí seo caite seoladh miontaispeántas digiteach de Chartlann Chonradh na Gaeilge, ina raibh níos mó ná 40 íomhá ón mbailiúchán ar taispeáint, mar chuid d’imeachtaí Sheachtain na Gaeilge. Maith mar a tharla, bhí an obair ionann is críochnaithe sular tugadh ordú dianghlasála de bharr COVID-19, agus bhíomar in ann an taispeántas iontach seo a sheoladh go cianda Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lá deiridh an fheachtais bhliantúil. I mblaganna roimhe seo (féach na naisc thíos) rinne mé cur síos ar an obair a bhíonn ar bun sa chúlra sula gcuirtear bailiúchán ar fáil don phobal, ar na cúraimí a chaithfidh cartlannaí a chur i gcrích agus ar na cinntí a chaithfear a ghlacadh. Fógraíodh freisin go gcuirfí ábhar ar fáil don phobal diaidh ar ndiaidh, in ionad fanacht go mbeadh an bailiúchán uile próiseáilte go hiomlán, de bharr ollmhéid an bhailiúcháin iontaigh seo. Mar sin de, dearadh an taispeántas nua seo le feidhm an-tábhachtach eile a chur i gcrích - tugann sé comhthéacs don úsáideoir, rud a bhfuil tábhacht nach beag leis nuair atá rochtain á soláthar de réir a chéile ar an mbonn seo.

Comhthéacs:

Nuair atá ábhar ó bhailiúchán cartlainne á scrúdú, tá sé ríthábhachtach go dtuigeann an t-úsáideoir comhthéacs an ábhair sin. Mar shampla: Cén chaoi a mbaineann an t-ábhar seo leis an mbailiúchán trí chéile? Cén chaoi a mbaineann sé le hábhair eile sa bhailiúchán? Cuidíonn an taispeántas seo leis an úsáideoir teacht ar fhreagraí na gceisteanna sin. Ar an gcéad dul síos, ar an leathanach baile tugtar eolas cúlra faoin eagraíocht féin, faoin tréimhse ama a gclúdaítear sa bhailiúchán, faoin dóigh agus faoin tráth ar bailíodh an t-ábhar seo agus ar tugadh do OÉG é.

Ar an dara leathanach den taispeántas ar líne ("Leagan amach"), tugtar mioneolas ar an dóigh a leagtar an bailiúchán amach, ar an gcúis ar grúpáladh ábhair áirithe le chéile, agus ar an gcúis ar glacadh cinntí áirithe. Nuair atá leagan amach bailiúcháin á shocrú, bíonn an cartlannaí i gcónaí ag smaoineamh ar cé chomh hinaimsithe a bheidh ábhar an bhailiúcháin agus cé chomh furasta agus a bheidh sé ag úsáideoir an bailiúchán a leanúint. (Déantar cur síos ar chuid den phróiseas cinnteoireachta sin anseo).

Ar deireadh ar an leathanach “Na sraitheanna”, tá 45 íomhá le feiceáil, tagraíonn gach íomhá do shraith ar leith, agus tá cur síos ar an tsraith chéanna ceangailte le gach íomhá. Faoi láthair tá 13 shraith ar oscailt don phobal, mar a luadh cheana, agus sna cásanna seo tá naisc chuig catalóg na cartlainne le fáil sa chur síos. Tá an-tairbhe ag baint le bheith in ann cur síos ar gach aon cheann de na 45 sraith a fheiceáil (ní hamháin na cinn atá inrochtana), agus ciallaíonn sé go dtuigeann an t-úsáideoir an comhthéacs lena mbaineann an t-ábhar atá curtha ar fáil, agus eolas aige/aice ar céard le bheith ag súil leis ó ábhair a chuirfear ar fáil amach anseo.

An chaoi leis an Taispeántas Digiteach a leanúint:

Fiú má thugann an t-úsáideoir sracfhéachaint bheag ar an taispeántas seo, ar a laghad, gheobhaidh sé/sí léargas ar obair Chonradh na Gaeilge mar eagraíocht agus ar an ábhar a tugadh do OÉG. Is pléisiúr ann féin é dul trí na 45 íomhá atá ar fáil ar an leathanach “Na sraitheanna”. Le tairbhe cheart a bhaint as an taispeántas seo, áfach, moltar don úsáideoir tuiscint cheart a fháil ar an dóigh chun an chatalóg chartlainne a leanúint. Is trí thástáil agus trí earráid a dhéanamh is fearr a gheofar an t-eolas seo, ach tá iarracht mhór déanta agamsa anseo le cur síos a dhéanamh ar an bpróiseas féin.

Nuair a chliceálann úsáideoir ar cheann ar bith de na 45 íomhá a bhaineann le sraitheanna aonair, tugtar chuig bosca dialóige iad ina bhfuil leagan níos mó den íomhá ar chlé, agus cur síos dátheangach ar an tsraith féin ar dheis.

Faoi bhun an téacs sin tá deilbhín beag den íomhá chéanna le feiceáil, agus nasc taobh leis nó faoina bhun (féach íomhá). Más mór agus más fada an téacs, seans go mbeidh ort scrollú síos leis na deilbhíní seo a aimsiú.

Trí chliceáil ar an deilbhín nó ar an nasc osclaítear leathanach nua mar a dtugtar ní hamháin an cur síos, ach meiteashonraí eile amhail eolas faoin bhfoilsitheoir, teideal na sraithe, aitheantóir uathúil agus, i gcás gur cuireadh an tsraith ar fáil don phobal, nasc chuig catalóg na cartlainne (is féidir teacht air seo sa réimse “relation”). (Arís eile, beidh ort scrollú síos an leathanach le teacht ar an eolas uile seo.)

Tugtar leagan níos mó den íomhá freisin agus is féidir tuilleadh scrúdú a dhéanamh air sin trí zúmáil isteach.

An chaoi le Catalóg na Cartlainne a úsáid:

CALM a thugtar ar an mbunachar cartlainne a mbaintear úsáid as in OÉG agus is anseo atá gach ábhar atá catalógaithe inár gcartlanna le fáil. Nuair a dhéanann úsáideoir cliceáil ar aon cheann de na naisc ar an leathanach “sraitheanna” de chuid thaispeántas digiteach Chonradh na Gaeilge, ní hamháin go dtugtar chuig an mbunachar cartlainne é/í, ach tugtar chuig suíomh ar leith é/í freisin – an iontráil chatalóige don tsraith sin.

Taispeánfar arís an cur síos mar aon le haon eolas nua amhail an raon dátaí, an fhormáid (e.g. páipéar, grianghraif, comhad fuaime) agus an líon (cé mhéad bosca, foshraith, comhad etc.). Mar sin féin, is dócha gurb é an nasc chuig an mbrabhsálaí ordlathais an uirlis is úsáidí atá ar fáil ar an leathanach seo, nasc atá le fáil sa réimse “Ref No”. (San íomhá thíos, tá an cúrsóir ar an nasc seo).

Céard é an Brabhsálaí Ordlathais?

Is é seo ordlathas aon bhailiúcháin agus taispeánann sé sraitheanna, foshraitheanna, comhaid agus ábhar de réir ordlathais ar geall le crann é in ord íslitheach. Sa sampla thuas tá an iontráil chatalóige don 4ú sraith sa bhailiúchán “Craobhacha...” le feiceáil. Trí chliceáil ar an nasc G60/4 sa réimse “Ref No”, tugtar chuig an mbrabhsálaí ordlathais muid, agus ní hamháin go bhfeicfimid mar a bhaineann an tsraith seo le comhthéacs an bhailiúcháin iomláin (tá sé aibhsithe i gcló buí), ach feicfimid freisin na foshraitheanna agus na comhaid atá sa tsraith ar leith seo.

Taispeánann na deilbhíní + agus – ar thaobh clé na sraithe, na foshraithe etc. gur féidir a thuilleadh fairsingithe a dhéanamh [féach na híomhánna].

Is dóigh gurb é an brabhsálaí ordlathais an bealach is fusa leis an mbailiúchán catalógaithe a leanúint. De réir mar a chuirtear tuilleadh tráinsí ar fáil, is amhlaidh a chuirfear na hiontrálacha catalóige a bhaineann leo le bunachar na cartlainne. Cuirfear naisc ón taispeántas digiteach leis seo freisin d’fhonn aird a tharraingt ar na hiontrálacha nua seo.

Mar sin de, ní hamháin gur taispeántas oideachasúil spraíúil é an taispeántas seo as féin, ach is uirlis thábhachtach é freisin le comhthéacs an ábhair agus na sraitheanna i mbailiúchán Chonradh na Gaeilge a thuiscint AGUS mar nasc áisiúil le rochtain a fháil agus cuardach a dhéanamh ar chatalóg chartlainne CALM. De réir mar a dhéantar dul chun cinn ar phróiseáil agus ar chatalógú an bhailiúcháin, is amhlaidh atá an taispeántas seo ina fhráma foirfe tagartha leis na sraitheanna is déanaí a chuardach de réir mar chuirtear ar fáil iad.

Más é go bhfuil an taispeántas á fheiceáil agat den chéad uair, nó más é go bhfuil tú ag seiceáil le fáil amach ar cuireadh sraitheanna ar leith ar fáil, tá súil agam go mbainfidh tú taitneamh as!

Go dtí an chéad uair eile,

Beir bua,

Niamh

English version:

Blog 4: Conradh na Gaeilge Archive: Digital Exhibition Launched

Naisc eile:

An Taispeántas Digiteach

Blag 1: Chartlann Chonradh na Gaeilge - An Chéad Chéim

Blag 2: Chartlann Chonradh na Gaeilge - An Chartlann a Mheas

Blag 3: Chartlann Chonradh na Gaeilge - Chéim 2: An Chóiriú

Conradh na Gaeilge - Digital Exhibition Launched

Last month a mini digital exhibition of the Conradh na Gaeilge Archive, featuring over 40 images taken from the collection, was launched to tie-in with Seachtain na Gaeilge. As luck would have it, work was almost complete before we went into lockdown for Covid-19, and we were able to remotely launch this wonderful exhibition on St. Patrick’s Day, the final day of the annual campaign. In previous blogs (see below for links) I have described the work that goes on behind the scenes before a collection is opened to the public, the processes an archivist needs to carry out and the decisions that need to be made. It was also announced that material would be released to the public in tranches, rather than waiting for the whole collection to be fully processed, due to the vast size of this wonderful collection. This new exhibition is therefore designed to perform another very important function - it gives the user context, something which is of particular importance when access is being rolled out in this gradual manner.

Context:

When examining an item from an archival collection, it is vital that the user understands its context. For example: How does this item relate to the collection as a whole? How does it relate to other items in the collection? This exhibition aids the user in discovering those answers. Firstly, on the homepage the user is given background information on the organisation itself, the timeframe covered in the collection and the history of how and when this material was gathered and donated to NUIG.

On the second page of the online exhibition ("Arrangement"), a detailed explanation is given on how the collection is arranged, why certain topics were grouped together, and why certain decisions were made. When considering the arrangement of a collection, the archivist is always thinking of how discoverable material in the collection will be and how easy the collection is for the user to navigate. (Some of that decision making process is covered here).

Finally on the page labelled “The series”, 45 images can be seen, each representing an individual series, and each one attached to a description of that series. Currently 13 of these series are open to the public, as mentioned previously, and in these cases the descriptions include links to the archive catalogue. The benefit of being able to see descriptions of all 45 series (and not just those accessible), means the user understands the context within which the released material sits, and knows what to expect from future releases.

How to navigate the Digital Exhibition:

A casual browse of this exhibition will give the user, at the very least, an overview of Conradh na Gaeilge’s work as an organisation and an idea of what has been transferred to NUIG. Trawling through the 45 images available on the “The series” page is a pleasure in itself.

However to fully benefit from this exhibition, gaining a proper understanding of how to use it to navigate to the archival catalogue is recommended. The best way to gain this knowledge is through trial and error, but I have gone some way towards describing the process here.

When a user clicks on any one of the 45 images representing individual series, they are brought to a dialogue window that shows the image in larger detail on the left, and a bilingual description of the series itself on the right.

Under this text a small icon of the same image can be seen, with a link beside or under it (see image). If the text is substantial you may need to scroll down to get to these.

By clicking on either the icon or on the link a new page opens which gives not only the description but other metadata such as publisher information, title of the series, unique identifier and, where the series has been released to the public, a link to the archive catalogue (this can be found in the field “relation”). (Again, you will need to scroll down the page to access all this information).

It also gives a larger version of the image, which, if clicked on, can be further examined including through zooming.

How to use the Archive Catalogue:

The archive database that is used in NUIG is known as CALM and this is where anything in our archives, which has been catalogued, can be found. When a user clicks on any of the links within the “series” page of the Conradh na Gaeilge digital exhibition, they are brought not only to this archival database, but to a specific location – the catalogue entry for that series.

This will again show the description, along with new information such as the date range, the format (eg paper, photographs, audio) and the extent (how many boxes, sub-series, files etc.). However, probably the most useful tool available on this page is the link to the hierarchy browser, which can be found in the “Ref No” field. (In the image below, the cursor is pointing at this link).

What is the Hierarchy Browser?

This is the hierarchy of any collection and shows series, sub-series, files and items in a tree-like hierarchy in descending order. In the example above the catalogue entry for the 4^th series in the collection “Branches...” can be seen. By clicking on the G60/4 link in the “Ref No” field we are brought to the hierarchy browser, and can see not only where this series comes in the context of the overall collection (it is the one highlighted in yellow), but what sub-series and files are in this specific series.

The + and – icons to the left of a series, sub-series etc. show that further expansion is possible [see images].

The hierarchy browser is probably the easiest way to navigate through the catalogued collection. As more tranches are released, their catalogue entries will be added to the archive database. Links from the digital exhibition will also be added to point to these new entries.

This digital exhibition is therefore not only an educational and fun exhibition in its own right, it is also both a key tool to understanding the context of items and series within the Conradh na Gaeilge collection AND a handy link to accessing and exploring the archive catalogue CALM. As progress continues on processing and cataloguing the collection, this exhibition also becomes the perfect reference for exploring the latest series as they are released.

Whether exploring the exhibition for the first time, or checking back to see whether specific series have been released, I hope you enjoy it!

Until next time,

Beir bua,

Niamh 

Irish Version: 

Blag 4: Chartlann Chonradh na Gaeilge - Taispeántas Digiteach Seolta

Other Links:

Conradh na Gaeilge Digital Exhibition

Blog 1: Conradh na Gaeilge Archive - The First Step

Blog 2: Conradh na Gaeilge Archive - Appraising the Archive

Blog 3: Conradh na Gaeilge Archive - Phase 2: The Arrangement