Criteria for collaboration

KB participates solely in projects that also provide clear public benefits, in terms of digitising or methodological innovation.

• We welcome primarily applications for projects that will contribute to the digitisation of our collections.
• Projects of strategic significance are especially interesting, for instance those involving mass digitising, greater accessibility or a focus upon methodological innovation.
• We require that you who apply are qualified with at least a doctor’s degree.

KB responds to all applications from the public according to the principle of equal treatment. This means that we are obliged to answer all applications for collaboration that have been submitted within our specified time framework. However, we are neither able nor obliged to agree to all proposals. KB cannot finance research projects independently.

Staff at KB can contribute with their expertise to projects in the form of paid working time. This could relate to data curation, support for data modelling or specific competence concerning the contents of particular source material. In processing your application, KB will determine the level of such resources necessary for your project (and which you therefore need to include in the budget for your application to external funding agencies).

Before you submit your application, think carefully about the form of collaboration with KB that you wish to initiate. The earlier you contact us, the more time we will have together to find good solutions.

KB’s principal aim in participating in research projects is to make our collections of cultural heritage more accessible for future research. This is why we are only prepared to collaborate in projects where the digitised material is made publicly available.

• In most cases, this means that KB is the custodian for the material, which can be published and made available via the library’s digital channels (presuming there are no copyright restrictions).
• The technical parameters and quality levels for digitisation need to meet KB’s requirements.
• KB is focused upon digitising entire series and complete works for the widest possible benefit for the academic community. This means that we can demand a larger collection of material than that proposed by the researcher be included in the project application for external funding.

KB calculates the costs for digitisation specific to each individual application.

KB assumes the cost for long-term storage of the digitised material. However, the library does not generally have the financial capacity for digitisation per se. This means that the following items need to be included in your project budget:

• Costs for new production of digital resources. This includes necessary initial measures such as curation, preparation, and conservation.
• Possible development of new or existing infrastructure required to conduct the particular research at hand.
• Potential licenses for access to the digitised material. This access can be limited to KB’s premises as a result of copyright restrictions and data protection (GDPR).