Sounds like some type of federated search tool is being developed for historians. Plus, it appears after reading a couple of sentences that databases developed/managed with some human intervention (perhaps a structured vocabulary as seems to be the case here) might also make for a more accurate and timely retrieval process.
A search engine is being created to help historians find useful sources.
The Connected History project will link up currently separate databases of source materials.
Once complete, it will give academics or members of the public a single site that lets them search all the collections.
Once completed the search engine will index digitised books, newspapers, manuscripts, genealogical records, maps and images that date from 1500-1900.
"There are a number of electronic resources that have been created by universities and by commercial providers," said Professor Robert Shoemaker from the University of Sheffield which is heading the project. "They are all available, and all separate and some require subscriptions."
"We are creating a kind of sophisticated Google for those selected range of resources that we know are of high quality," he said.
Much of the work involved in the Connected Histories project will be tagging and annotating entries so classification systems are standardised.
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