8th Baltic Summer School of Digital Humanities Cultural Data Analytics and Meaning

When: 3 August - 7 August 2026
Where: Riga, National Library of Latvia
Language: English
Duration: 5 days
Fee: 60 EUR

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Welcome to the annual Baltic Summer School of Digital Humanities (BSSDH 2026)!

The 8th Baltic Summer School for Digital Humanities will take place in Riga at the National Library of Latvia on August 3–7. This year’s Summer School, titled “Cultural Data Analytics and Meaning,” will focus on structured cultural data, data modelling, and achieving results that are meaningful for humanities research. Particular attention will be given to museum and library metadata, which represent an important form of structured data in cultural heritage research.

The lectures will address the creation of meaning and the interpretation of cultural and humanities data, while the workshops will focus on the technical aspects of data preparation, cleaning, modelling, and analysis. Two workshops from last year’s programme — network analysis and working with large language models via API — are returning in updated form, as these skills remain an important part of the digital humanities toolset.

The workshops will cover:

• Data cleaning with OpenRefine

• Working with Orange Data Mining, an accessible environment for understanding data-processing workflows

• Using large language models via API for the analysis of humanities data

• Network analysis with Gephi

• Data visualisation with Flourish (including network visualisation)

PARTICIPANTS

There are no prerequisites for participation, as the workshops do not require any prior knowledge of Digital Humanities computing. The summer school is aimed at humanities researchers and students who have interest in digital methods, with beginner to intermediate skills in digital humanities. Learning computers and new technologies for humanists can be a demanding task. Building on the experience of previous years, BSSDH strives to create a community where participants can share their challenges, their findings and their know-how with each other. For that reason we plan daily wrap-up and sharing sessions – to process what was experienced during the day, what has been learned, and what needs to be addressed again.

REGISTRATION FEE

The fee for the Summer School is 60 EUR. Payment is due upon receipt of confirmation of acceptance. The registration fee covers access to all workshops, lectures, receptions, and refreshments as outlined in the programme. Participants are responsible for organizing their own accommodation, travel arrangements, and covering these expenses.

ECTS points or micro-credentials will be awarded upon completion of all requirements.

Please note that we do not provide visas for travel.

REGISTRATION FORM
Will be published on March 17.

ORGANIZERS

BSSDH 2025 is organized by a joint effort of the National Library of Latvia (1), Faculty of Humanities of the University of Latvia (2), and the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art (University of Latvia) (3).

Organizers: Anda Baklāne (1), Sanita Reinsone (2), Ieva Vīvere (3), Eva Eglāja-Kristsone (3), Ilze Ļaksa-Timinska (3), Viktorija Piščikova (1)

SUPPORTERS

State Culture Capital Foundation