The Laboratory of the Historical Information Science

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Information on the laboratory’s work from 1995-2000.

 

The historical information science laboratory was founded within the structure of the source studies department on 8 December 1995 for the purpose of fulfilling the decision of the academic council of the History Faculty of 4 October 1991 about the transformation of a group for the application of mathematic methods and mainframes in historical research in the laboratory of historical information sciences.

In agreement with the order, the laboratory is to consist of a staff of seven

1.       Professor (1)

2.       Senior scientific staff-member (2)

3.       Scientific staff-member (1)

4.       Junior scientific member (1)

5.       Senior laboratory assistant (2)

The fundamental tasks of the historical information science laboratory are defined as followed:

 

Working out theoretical and applied aspects of the historical information science, writing articles and monographs;

Working out new and existing but adapted information technology and program support, taught for specific historical research;

Support in teaching lecture courses, seminars, and also special courses on the cycle of the discipline “information technology and mathematics for historians;”

The creation of educational-methodical elaboration and aids;

The organization of Russian and foreign educational programs in the field of the historical information science (school-seminars, summer programs).

 

 The historical information science laboratory is the recognized leader in the field of applied NIT (new information technology) in historical research and education among the universities of the Former Soviet Union.  For the past five years laboratory’s staff have been conducting research in the above mentioned directions.  Further, the laboratory's staff have created a series of original algorithms and programs (for example, FuzzyClass, QualiDatE), have published 2 monographs and more than 100 articles in Russian and foreign publications.  Additionally, the laboratory’s staff has edited 12 collections of articles (three of which were published in Germany).  At the base of the laboratory, from 1995 to 2000, is the publication of the Russian bulletin “History and Computing,” currently in its 17^th installment, and the annual All-Russian Conference of the Association “History and Computing” (Professor L.I. Borodkin has been the chair of the association council from 1992 to 2000) with the number of participants ranging from 80 to 120, with the 7^th conference held in 2000.

The laboratory’s work has international significance.  In January 1996 the laboratory (in cooperation with Leiden University) organized an international conference entitled “Archives in cyberspace,” held in the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) history faculty, with over 70 participants from 12 European and American countries.  The acknowledged merits of Moscow State University’s History Faculty in the development of the historical information science was acknowledged by holding the XI international conference “History and Computing” at MSU in August of 1996 (ten previous conferences were held in Western Europe and North America).  The staff of the laboratory composed the core of the local organizational committee for the conference (160 participants from 22 countries).  In March 1999 the laboratory organized (in cooperation with the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam) the Russian-Dutch symposium for new approaches to the study of the evolution of motivation in Russian industrial labor, XIX-XX centuries.

At the foundation of the laboratory, from 1992 to 1996, has been the yearly international summer school for the historical information science, with the support of Moscow State University’s history faculty and the international association “History and Computing” (with financial support from the foundation “Volkswagen”).  Twelve teachers from Western Europe and two professors from MSU taught during its fifth year in 1996, attended by 80 people, including students and graduate students from different regions of Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ukraine, and Holland.  From 1992 to 1996 over 250 students, graduate students and young researchers from MSU and other institutes of higher education in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Western European universities received the school’s international certificate.

From 1994 to 2000 the laboratory has carried out scientific research on projects, supported by 12 grants received from Russian and international foundations including the RGNF, RFFI, Goskomvuz RF, INTAS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, NEH, and NWO.  Work on the grants in most cases was conducted in cooperation with the institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and both Russian and other universities of the Former Soviet Union (Altai, Azerbaijan, Belorussia, Dnepropeterov, and likewise with Saint Petersburg, Tver and Yaroslav State Universities), and further with foreign universities and academic institutes (Leiden, Bergen, Univ. of Michigan, SUNY, Univ. of Essex, The Max Plank Institute of History, The International Institute of Social History, etc.).  The result of this research has been reflected in numerous publications of the laboratory’s staff (including the first monograph on historical data bases by the author I.M. Garskova), and further in the textbook “The Historical Information Science,” written by five of the laboratory’s staff members, the first such textbook in a Eastern European country.  (L.I. Borodkin and I.M. Garskova, editors).

In 1994, the laboratory’s staff initiated the organization The Center for Economic History in Moscow State University’s history faculty under the direction of L.I. Borodkin.  The application of mathematical methods and computer technology in researching economic and social history is the priority of the laboratory’s scientific work.  Having developed that course, the laboratory, in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of World History, organized the international conference “The Economic History of Russia and The United States: A Time of Change,” founded on the base of the laboratories research on the economic history of Russia XIX-XX centuries in 1995.

In the past few years the laboratory’s staff have given much attention to working out new electronic resources for historians using the global internet network.  So, in 1999, a large grouping of these resources were provided on the history faculty’s website, primarily  on data bases “The Dynamics of Russian Industry from 1887-1913” (created by staff-member T.F. Izmesteva).  "The dynamics of pre-Revolutionary Russian textile workers wages" (created by staff-member T.Y. Valetov), and in the period of 1999 to 2000 more than 40 famous historical sources, orienteering on their primary use in the teaching process (created by staff-member T.Y. Valetov).

At present the laboratory is completing work in preparation for upcoming publications at the end of 2000 including a collection of new works on historical computing and a collective monograph entitled “The Historian and the Internet.”

The laboratory is conducting a large educational-methodological study, concentrating on the teaching of the course “information technology and mathematical models” (IV and V semesters), which includes conducting a two-semester computer practice course with 15 groups of students.  The laboratory’s staff support and service 2 computer labs in the faculty.  Four textbooks were published on the base of the laboratory’s pedagogical experience from 1996-1998:

1.                    “The Historical Information Science.”  Edited by L.I. Borodkin and I.N. Garskova.  Moscow. 1997. 400pgs.

2.                    “The Information Science for Humanities Specialists: An Introductory Course.”  Edited by L.I. Borodkin and I.N. Garskova. Moscow, 1997. 220pgs.

3.                    “Informational technology for Humanities Specialists.” Edited by N.M Arsentev, L.I. Borodkin, I.M. Garskova.  Moscow-Saransk, 1998. 215pgs.

4.         The textbook “Computerized Statistical Analyze for Historians." Moscow, 1999. 186pgs.

 The textbook “The Information Science and Mathematics for Historians” is being prepared for publication at the end of 2000. 

 APPENDIX 1

 A list of collections of articles and periodicals prepared for publication from 1994-1999 which staff-members of the laboratory assisted or contributed to.

1.       “History and Computing: New Informational Technology in Historical Research and Education.”  Goettingen. 1994. – 278pgs.

2.       “Sphere of Ideas: New in the Historical Information Science.”  Moscow.  1994. – 170pgs.

3.       “History and Computing in Eastern Europe.”  St. Katharine.  1994. – 141pgs.

4.       “Sphere of Ideas: The Development of the Historical Information Science.”  1995. – 485pgs.

5.       “Statistics for Historians: Standard Packages and Specific Historical Software.”  Goettengen.  1995.

6.       “Sphere of Ideas: Models and Technology of the Historical Information Science.”  Moscow.  1996. – 342pgs.

7.       “Mathematical Modeling of the Historical Process.”  Moscow.  1996. – 242pgs.

8.       “Sphere of Ideas: Traditions and Tendencies of the Historical Information Science.”  Moscow.  1997. – 283pgs.

9.       “Sphere of Ideas: Macro and Micro-approaches in the Historical Information Science.”  Moscow, Minsk.  1998. – 324pgs.

10.   Informational Bulletin “History and Computing.”  1994-2000.  No. 10-27.

11.   “Economic History.  Review.”  Issue 1.  Moscow.  1997. – 128pgs.

12.   “Economic History.  Review.”  Issue 2.  Moscow.  1998. – 158pgs.

13.   “Economic History.  Review.”  Issue 3.  Moscow.  1999. -.207pgs.

14.   Yearbook “Economic History-1999.”  Moscow.  1999. – 478pgs.

15.   “Sphere of Ideas: Historical Information Science on the Threshold of the XXI Century.”  Moscow-Cheboksara.  1999. – 456pgs.

 

Appendix II.

A list of the historical information science laboratory’s projects that received grants and support from 1994 to 1999.

 

1.       RGNF grant 95-0601799 “Machine-readable sources for Russian History: Problems of Finding, Saving, Cataloguing and Re-using.” (1995-1997)

2.       RGNF grant 96-01-00954 “Inheritance of Crises and the Transitional Historical Process, the Striker Movement in Russia, 1895-1917 and 1921-1928.”  (1996-1997).

3.       RGNF grant 97-01-00274 “Constructing a Model of Functional Foreign Corporations in Russia in the Period of Industrialization at the End of the XIX Century, Beginning of the XX Century.”  (1997-1998).

4.       RFFI grant 97-06-80145 “The Start of Joint-Stock Banks in Russia from the XIX Century to the Beginning of the XX Century, and in the 1980’s and 1990’s.”  (1997-1998).

5.       State Committee for High Schools of the Russian Federation grant:  Inter Higher Educational Scientific-Technical Program “Worldwide Cultural Legacy and Russian High Schools;” directive: “New Informational Technology in Historical-Humanitarian Education” (1994-1996).

6.       RGNF grant 99-01-00435  “Qualifications and Differentiation of Textile Laborer Wages in Moscow: From Pre-revolutionary Industrialization to Socialist Industrialization.”  (1999-2000).

7.       The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation grant  “Institutionalized Aspects of Russian Economic History.” (1994-1997).

8.       INTAS grant 1010-CT93-0060 “History and Computing” (1993-1996).

9.       INTAS grant 93-1182 “Electronic Resources for Historians of the FSU” (1993-1996).

10.   NEH grant “Labor activism in the period 1918-1929” (1995-1996).

11.   Volkswagen Fund grant “International Fall School for the Historical Information Science”  (1992-1996).

12.   NOW grant “Motivation of Labor in Russian Industry in the XIX and XX centuries” (1999-2001).