The Tilde CD Encyclopedia "The History of
Latvia": a New stage in the Publishing
Industry in Latvia
Anita Vasiļjeva, Tilde, Latvia, Baltic IT Review 1 '99
The Tilde computer encyclopedia "The History of Latvia" offers easy access to information
about the ancient states of Livonia, a view of the arrival of Tsar Nicholas II in Rīga,
recordings of the songs of Latvia’s legionnaires and red partisans, and views of the Baltic Way
demonstration that brings back memories of the recent period of renaissance in the Baltic
States. The multimedia format of the encyclopedia brings together text, images, image
galleries and audio and video recordings that offer extensive information, search, selection
and utilization opportunities. The computer encyclopedia has 688 chapters, 930 images, 32
sound recordings and 43 documentary film fragments.
The first multimedia CD-ROM in Latvia
The Tilde computer encyclopedia about Latvia’s history is the first project of its kind in the
country. The idea of using new and modern technologies and non-traditional forms in reflecting
national history and culture first arose at the end of 1995, and a working group of authors was set
up.
The search began for financing for the project. Three
years of intensive but interesting work led to the first
computer encyclopedia in Latvia and in the Latvian
language – an electronic look at Latvia’s history,
beginning from ancient times and ending with the
present day.
Authors of the various chapters included historians from
the Latvian Academy of Science and the University of
Latvia – Valdis Klišāns, Aija Krūze, Gvido Straube,
Irēne Šneidere, Armands Vijups and art historian
Veronika Kučinska. Music for the encyclopedia was
composed by Imants Kalniņš. The Tilde company
developed the concept, the art and the necessary
software. Help was received from the Latvian Archive of
Cinema, Photo and Sound Documents, the Latvian War
Museum, the Rainis Museum of the History of Literature
and Art, the Latvian National Library and other institutions. Financial support came from the
Soros Foundation Latvia.
Modern technologies allow the encyclopedia to improve the circulation of information in
Latvia’s cultural environment and to promote Latvia’s integration into existing information
structures in the world. An English language adaptation of the encyclopedia will be published
this year.
A new and exciting way to learn about history
When you read about ancient and not-so-ancient events in Latvia’s history, you often want to
feel yourself as part of the events of the time – hear the sounds, see the images. Now it is
possible, because this publication contains various kinds of information – text, images and audio
and video recordings that reflect Latvia’s history in many different ways, allowing the user to
understand and even sense times gone by.
The digital form of the encyclopedia provides for various
types of information (texts, photographs, paintings,
drawings, maps, audio recordings, video fragments,
image galleries), as well as extensive search and
selection opportunities. This is a very attractive way of
learning about history, and it opens the way for more
extensive use of computers in education and selfeducation processes.
The Tilde computer encyclopedia "The History of
Latvia" is the first encyclopedia of any kind on Latvian
history to be produced since the restoration of
independence. Materials about the 20th century include
information from the very latest research projects.
Particular attention is devoted to the most complicated
and, in some instances, least analyzed aspects of Latvian
history – the establishment of the Latvian state, the loss of national independence, the occupation
regime and the period of the restoration of independence. In producing the encyclopedia, the
authors observed modern principles in the study of history, seeking to approach the selection and
explanation of historical facts as objectively as possible.
An easy-to-read content and links among chapters
The main source of information in the encyclopedia is descriptive text. In the main window the
user reads the text of the respective chapter and sees various images, audio recordings or video
recordings that are related to it. The chapters are arranged in alphabetical order. Hyperlinks are
provided for convenient in-depth study of any topic. All that’s required for further study is a
click of the mouse. There are return links to the initial chapter, too.
Obviously, one encyclopedia cannot describe everything about Latvia’s history, so the links are
supplemented with literature lists containing titles that contain more detailed information about
the various subjects.
A multitude of search and selection opportunities
In printed publications, you look for information via tables of contents, indexes of topics and
individuals, and other lists that are at the front or the back of the book. Electronic publications
offer important advantages in this sense – a wide range of search and selection functions. In the
computer encyclopedia, it’s easy to find the necessary information about a specific topic, or to
select information on the basis of various criteria.
The "Search in Text" option selects all of the chapters in which a specific word or phrase is
mentioned. But when looking at a broader topic, you may find it hard to determine the specific
words that you might need. Then you can search the encyclopedia on the basis of a category –
the economy, nationalities, religion, etc. If you want only to look at illustrations, you can select
those chapters that contain images, audio recordings or video fragments. The date option lets you
find information that relates to a specific time period. Searches can involve several parameters
simultaneously.
A new way to look at Latvia’s history
The authors of the computer encyclopedia "The History of Latvia" have developed three new and
interactive ways of studying history – a time map, image galleries and a renaissance chronicle.
The time map provides a convenient view of history,
making the flow of history over the centuries more
easily understood, emphasizing the most important and
characteristic elements. It shows which events took
place in the same period and how long various historical
processes lasted. If the mouse is clicked on a specific
event, the chapter which describes it is automatically
opened.
Historical events are not just a matter of the mind. There
are often personal or nationally important memories and
emotions involved in various aspects of history. The
encyclopedia contains image galleries with an emotional
synthesis of images and music that brings to life events
from the near and the more distant past – the period of
renaissance, the activities of the Latvian Riflemen,
images from the beginning of the century. Music for the
renaissance gallery was composed by Imants Kalniņš.
A time goes by, the period of the Latvian national
renaissance recedes into the more distant future. The
renaissance chronicle that is included in the computer
encyclopedia provides a more detailed look at the
developments which started with Gorbachev’s
announcement of perestroika in 1985, and leading up to
the destruction of the last symbol of Soviet military
might in Latvia – the Skrunda radar station – in May of
1995. Each event in the chronicle is vividly illustrated
with photographs and audio and video fragments.
Latvian history – now in school computers, too
One of the goals of the computer encyclopedia is to promote changes in the teaching process of
Latvia’s schools. The attractive presentation and the multiplicity of media in this encyclopedia
boost student interest in Latvia’s history – interest that according to the latest research has
declined to a catastrophically low level. The encyclopedia also helps students to develop skills in
working with study materials. The work which teachers must do in preparing history courses is
also made much easier.
The materials in the encyclopedia are in a format that school-age children can understand. The
chapters are clearly differentiated, and each contains brief but thorough information about a
specific aspect of history. Information is not duplicated, but the chapters are linked with
hyperlinks. The encyclopedia does not seek to present a specific view or evaluation, instead
encouraging the reader to learn, to look for correlations and to make judgments.
The computer encyclopedia need not be read from the first page to the last, as is the case with
books. The student himself chooses what to read and in what order, and information is selected
on the basis of individually selected parameters. The encyclopedia’s text fragments and images
can easily be printed out or copied onto a computer, so students can use the encyclopedia when
writing papers or reports.
The "History in Latvia" computer encyclopedia is part of the software package that is being
provided to Latvian schools under the auspices of a school informatization project that is
ongoing. In cooperation with methodology specialists from the Ministry of Education and
Science, a WWW page has been set up with methodological materials for teachers. There are
various ideas for in-class and extracurricular work with the encyclopedia – e.g., writing historical
essays, organizing history competitions, or even writing games or tests that are based on the
encyclopedia.
We hope that this encyclopedia will encourage interest in history among those who spend more
time at the computer than in reading books, and that fans of the humanities will become
supporters and active users of modern technologies.