Diplomatic documentary publications based on scanned documents only: the

future of diplomatic publishing?

Hagai Tsoref

Eleventh International Conference of Editors of Diplomatic

DocumentsJerusalem, September 20, 2011

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Documentary publications at the Israel State Archives

A. Commemorative volumes about Israel’s late presidents and prime ministers

B. “Documents on the Foreign Policy

of Israel” series

C. Periodical historical publications on the Archives website

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The Combined/Hybrid Publication

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Advantages of Electronic Publications

• distribution and access for a wider audience

• links to supplementary information – websites, audio and video files, etc

• search capability over the entire text

• ability to upload parts of a publication, without having to wait for its completion

• ability to copy and even translating the text to foreign languages

• significant reduction in publishing costs

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Our potential readers

• Universities (students, professors)

• Research institutions

• Media (journalists, documentary film producers etc.)

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The Hybrid Publication

• Larger number of transcribed documents with less footnotes and no index

• Original scanned documents

• Links to cross references, appendices, maps photographs and websites with supplementary information

Israel - Cyprus Relations, 1961-1967

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The Scanned Publication

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The Eichmann Trial – 50 Years After

• extended introductions

• document list with substantial information about each document

• scanned documents only with no footnotes

• photograph gallery

• links to relevant websites with complementary information

The publication

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Practical considerations for choosing the scanned publication

• Saving in costs , manpower and timerequired for preparing the publication

• Our experience in publishing scanned historical documents

• Current trends in the world of modernarchives

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Scanning projects at national archives

• The Israel State Archives will scan most of its collections.

• The National Archives of the UKhttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/

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Professional scientific considerations regarding the scanned publication

• Does the scanned publication constitute an alternative that can meet our professional scientific standards?

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What does our reader want?

• Access to relevant documents• Indication for further sources• Search capability• Supplementary historical information

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The Archival Publication?

Gerald Ford presidential library & museum

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What does our reader want?

• Access to relevant documents• Indication for further sources• Search capability• Supplementary historical information

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O.C.R Scanning Technology

Foreign Relations of The United States

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Disadvantages of current scanned publications at the Israel State Archives

• No way to add footnotes and supplementary information to the documents

• No search function

• No way to copy or translatethe text

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Possible solutions

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Possible solutions

• providing extended background information and footnotes in the introduction,

The National Security Archives - George Washington University

• Larger number of documents and using cross references

• Limited meta-data for all documents while relying on Internet search for supplementary information

Israel - Cyprus relations, 1961 - 1967

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Finding information on the Internet

On 30 November 1963, President Makarios proposed to Vice-President Küçük that 13 changes be made to the Cypriot constitution.

The main changes were: cancelling the veto rights reserved to the president and vice-president; eliminating the separate municipalities in the five largest cities and establishing united municipalities instead; and reducing the volume of positions alloted to the Turkish Cypriots in government service from 30% to a number to be agreed upon.

Even before Küçük had time to respond negatively, the Turkish foreign minister, Feridun Cemal Erkin, announced his government’s opposition. Consequently inter-communal riots took place in Nicosia, the capital and in some rural areas, from 21 to 26 December. 1

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1 See Keessing’s Contemporary Archives, 1963-1964, p. 20113

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