Since 2003, the DHI Rome has been undertaking intense efforts to make use of electronic publishing formats. In order to issue monographs, anthologies and papers on the internet, the Institute cooperates with the DGIA Foundation’s platform for online publications (perspectivia.net), which was initiated by the DHI Paris. Publishing not just digitized originals and new material, the Roman Institute has additionally sharpened its profile internationally in digital source editions and online repertories. In this promising field especially, the DHI Rome has been gaining valuable expertise in recent years, allowing for successful teamwork both with Max Weber Foundation sister institutes and independent partners. At the Roman DHI, developing important source material has long been part of historical basic research [1]. Facilitating research and opening up new ways to communicate scientific results, online databases give special support to academic teachers and consequently promote young academics.
Launched by the DHI Rome and the GHI London in 2004, the now concluded project “Digital editions of Modern History Sources” (Digitale Editionen neuzeitlicher Quellen – DENQ) was a decisive step forward. [2] The resulting non-commercial approach for editing historical documents online is based on an open-source XML database, which was extended with PHP and Java modules. In developing this system, care was taken to select future-proof formats, while offering complex solutions at the same time.
The prototypical nature of this approach made similar projects possible and allows for additional databases in the future, whether autonomous or in cooperation. The databases – both completed and in progress – developed by the DHI Rome and its partners are now presented in the “Romana Repertoria online / Roman repertories online (RRO)” platform. Content includes relatively simple relational databases as well as highly complex XML-secured systems. Cooperating with the Bavarian State Library in Munich, the DHI also engages in long-term archiving.

[1] Michael Matheus, Grundlagenforschung aus Leidenschaft oder Vom bleibenden Wert kritischer Editionen. Einleitung, in: Michael Matheus und Hubert Wolf (ed.), Bleibt im Vatikanischen Geheimarchiv vieles zu geheim? Historische Grundlagenforschung in Mittelalter und Neuzeit, Rom 2009, pp. 5-12. Download PDF/A)

[2] Jörg Hörnschemeyer, DENQ, in: Michael Matheus und Hubert Wolf (ed.), Bleibt im Vatikanischen Geheimarchiv vieles zu geheim? Historische Grundlagenforschung in Mittelalter und Neuzeit, Rom 2009, pp. 13-18. Download PDF/A)

[1] Michael Matheus, Grundlagenforschung aus Leidenschaft oder Vom bleibenden Wert kritischer Editionen. Einleitung, in: Michael Matheus und Hubert Wolf (ed.), Bleibt im Vatikanischen Geheimarchiv vieles zu geheim? Historische Grundlagenforschung in Mittelalter und Neuzeit. Rom 2009, pp. 5-12. Download PDF/A)

[2] Jörg Hörnschemeyer, DENQ, in: Michael Matheus und Hubert Wolf (ed.), Bleibt im Vatikanischen Geheimarchiv vieles zu geheim? Historische Grundlagenforschung in Mittelalter und Neuzeit. Rom 2009, pp. 13-18. Download PDF/A)