Workshops

On special request by individual IABS members, a limited number of workshops supportive of academic research will be presented.

Workshop Proposal for IABS XVII

Background: Founded in 1999 by the late scholar E. Gene Smith (1936-2010), the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (TBRC) is the premier digital resource for Tibetan Buddhist literature. Synthesizing scholarly methods with the latest digital technologies, TBRC preserves, organizes, and diffuses Tibetan Buddhist literature, ensuring that this incredible body of texts not be lost but be made accessible to readers and researchers worldwide.

Workshop (60 min): This workshop is designed to engage Buddhist studies scholars on how to conduct research within the TBRC Library. The workshop is threefold:

1) Update about the latest features and projects as well as the extent of digital resources and services in the library; Discussion on the knowledge models deployed to organize and access the annotated research library, including modules for mapping historical regions and social networks, biographical data and relations, semantic bibliographies, and searchable e-Texts (20 min).

2) Hands-on demo with audience participation that provides practical training about how to navigate and conduct research in the TBRC Library (20 min).

3) Discussion about future needs for Buddhist studies research, envisioning digital tools and resources for the community, and feedback about user experience navigating the library (20 min.).

This workshop seeks to inform and further a network of affiliated scholars and collaborators to contribute to the preservation of Tibetan Buddhist literature and enhance digital tools and resources for research.

Facilitator: Michael R. Sheehy, Ph.D. heads the Department of Literary Research at TBRC. He directs the scholarly production of publications in the library, and facilitates the TBRC research team as well as collaborative projects with academic partners.