Author: Joan Murphy

Digital Cultural Heritage Librarian Vacancy [Applications close – Aug 4th]

Digital Cultural Heritage Librarian

JOB SYNOPSIS

The University of Limerick Library is seeking an enthusiastic and innovative Digital Cultural Heritage Librarian (Assistant Librarian Grade I) to play a key role in developing and delivering digital cultural heritage services, with a particular initial focus on the Bolton Library. The post holder will combine strong technical and project management skills with a commitment to widening access to rare and distinctive collections in ways that support learning, teaching, research and public engagement. Working within the Digital Scholarship and Systems team, under the guidance of the Digital Services Librarian, and in close partnership with Special Collections and Archives, this role will lead on the day-to-day planning and delivery of digitisation workflows and the operational management of digital cultural heritage assets, ensuring that unique collections are discoverable, usable, and preserved for the long term. The Digital Cultural Heritage Librarian is a supervisory role and will work collaboratively with colleagues across the library and wider University to deliver an excellent, user-centred service. This is a professional role that requires specialist knowledge of digital cultural heritage, digitisation, digital asset management and preservation. The role holder will demonstrate strong professional judgement, effective people and project management skills, and the ability to contribute expert input to service development while operating within an established strategic and reporting framework.

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary Scale: €47,176 – €72,821 p.a.

University of Limerick is a research-led, energetic and enterprising institution with a proud record of innovation and excellence in education and scholarships. We value creativity, curiosity and excellence in our inclusive community which is committed to social good. Our motto Eagna chun Gnímh translates as Wisdom for Action reflecting our mission to contribute to the discovery of new knowledge for a better world.

Informal enquiries regarding the post may be directed to:

Mr Caleb Derven, Head, Digital Scholarship & Systems, Library & Information Services Division, University of Limerick, Email: caleb.derven@ul.ie

The closing date for receipt of applications is Tuesday, 4th August 2026. Applications must be completed online before 12 noon, Irish Standard Time on the closing date.

Further information for applicants and application material is available online from: University of Limerick Vacancies

We are committed to upholding the principles of fairness, equality, and transparency in pay, in line with the EU Pay Transparency Directive (Directive (EU) 2023/970)

Emerging Digital Methodologies CfP [18 Nov, Oxford, Call closes Aug 28th]

Call for Papers now open | Emerging Digital Methodologies Conference 2026

We are inviting graduate students and early career researchers who are applying new digital methodologies to the humanities, and related fields, to share that research at the Emerging Digital Methodologies Conference 2026 in Oxford on Wednesday 18 November 2026. 

Since the turn of the millennium, digital and computational methodologies have become increasingly prolific at the cutting edge of language and humanities research. This conference invites graduate students and early career researchers applying new digital methodologies to the humanities and related fields to share that research. We are particularly interested in hearing about research involving digital methods being used to rethink established fields, new applications for conventional digital methods, and how digital methodologies are being translated in the cross-disciplinary space.

This in-person conference sponsored by the Jesus College Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub and Voltaire Foundation invites presenters from any discipline to submit papers on:

· New applications of digital methods

· The use case and problems of any digital method

· How digital methodologies are changing their field

We invite submissions in the following formats:

· 7-minute lightning talks (especially suitable for early findings or work-in-progress)

· 15-minute papers

· 30-minute roundtable conversations (minimum 3 participants)

The conference will capture a wide range of subject areas across the many communities of scholars taking-up digital methods – both from novices and expert practitioners. Papers could include, for example, ‘Problems of LLM’s in the Humanities’, ‘ChatGPT and visual culture’, ‘A Network Analysis of 16c Europe’, ‘Crafting music in the age of AI’, ‘The problems of control-f in the modern age’, ‘Book culture and language models’, ‘NLP processing of 20c films’, etc.

Tickets for the conference will be £38 pounds per-person, including tea breaks, lunch and a wine reception. More information to follow.

To apply, please complete the form below with a proposal for a paper (200 words maximum) and a short biography (50 words maximum) by 5pm (UK British Summer Time) on Tuesday 28 August 2026.

To apply to speak, you can submit a 200-word abstract and a short biography using the form available here. 

IIIF Training Course [29 July, 10-12CET, online]

IIIF Training Course

In July 2026, the Europeana Academy is offering a summer edition of its training course on preparing image collections in accordance with the IIIF framework (International Image Interoperability Framework). 

Wednesday, 29 July 2026, 10:00–12:00 CET, online
Click here for registration.

Sustainability and Digital Preservation webinar [15 July @ 2pm, online]

This month, Digital Preservation Southampton is running a special themed session of our free online webinars focused on Sustainability and Digital Preservation. 

Get to Know Us – Summer Edition: Sustainability and Digital Preservation

Building on our attendance at the UK-Ireland Digital Humanities Association Annual Event, focused on Sustainability, as well as recent developments in the sector focused on carbon literacy and environmentally conscious digital preservation practices, we will be offering a survey of available guidance, toolkits, and projects to look forward to that can guide your sustainability planning.

This will also serve as a discussion space where you can share your experiences of implementing sustainable practices at your institution.

July 15, 2026

Online | 2-3pm BST (See in your timezone)

Register here

The case for Public AI: making it happen with cultural heritage [Europeana Report Published]

The case for Public AI: making it happen with cultural heritage

Developed through iteration and in collaboration with over 400 professionals of the data space and the Europeana Initiative community, the paper presents a shared vision for how the cultural heritage sector can contribute to a more democratic, pluralistic and publicly accountable AI ecosystem in Europe. 

As AI reshapes how knowledge, culture and history are produced, accessed and interpreted, this paper explores how the cultural heritage sector, supported by the data space, can help build Public AI in Europe — AI that serves the public good, not just commercial interests.

The paper sets out a clear and ambitious role for the data space in turning this vision into reality: from leading by example and applying AI in line with Public AI principles across our technology stack, to acting as a rights broker, trusted infrastructure, literacy engine, technical partner and collective voice for the cultural heritage sector.  

Read the paper if you are curious to know:

  • Why is cultural heritage data so valuable for AI training?
  • Beyond data, how can cultural heritage institutions and professionals help shape an alternative AI approach in Europe?
  • What opportunities is the data space exploring to make this happen, and what challenges must we overcome?
  • What is Public AI, why is it gaining traction in policy debates, and how can it address structural imbalances in today’s AI ecosystem? 
  • What is the state of Europe’s AI landscape, and what role can our sector play in it? What partnerships are needed —and under what conditions— for us to play that role effectively?
  • What are the risks of inaction — for Europe, for the future of AI systems, for the open knowledge ecosystem and for our sector?

Read the paper in full

Key Insights