NewsCollectionGlashelder
Project 'Glashelder': how AI assists in displaying photographic plates
Did you know? The Boekentoren preserves a collection of more than 60.000 digitised photographic plates. It is not yet accessible to the public, because the photographic plates have too limited a description to be displayed properly. What's more, the Boekentoren does not have an overview of the nature and (very) diverse content of this image collection.
How can artificial intelligence assist in describing the entire plate colletion in a meaningful and qualitative way? And in doing so, can we make it accessible to the public and researchers alike? The Boekentoren examines the possibilities in project Glashelder (Crystal-clear).
The collection of glass plates in the Boekentoren is as diverse as it is large. Among other things, it contains educational materials, reproductions of art and ethnographic imagery.
In this project, we develop a method where human & machine collaborate in tandem. Through image recognition technology, we first attempt to gain an overview of the diversity of the image collection. In what categories, or 'clusters', can these images be sorted? Through the use of generative artificial intelligence, we can subsequently describe and tag each image with keywords. As a result, the photographic plates become searchable and findable in the Boekentoren-catalog.
We also explore how humans should be involved in the proces: what input from a volunteer, conservator, researcher, heritage community do we require before accepting an AI-generated result?
Of course, this method also raises a myriad of ethical and legal questions. What about photographic plates protected by copyright? Or what if some images are too sensitive to display publicly? One way we make sure that data is safe, is to use non-commercial AI models on the local secure systems of Ghent University.
At the end of project Glashelder we hope to make the beautiful and diverse collection of photographic plates accessible to the public!
Image recognition allows us to divide the glass plate collection into clusters. By displaying these results in a 3D space, we can see how much the glass plates differ from each other in terms of content, or how similar they are.
FAQ
Can I consult the photographic plates in the Boekentoren-catalog? The Boekentoren plans to make the photographic plates accessible for UGent-students and researchers in the spring of 2026, albeit without enriched metadata for the time being. All photographic plates will be entirely described and searchable by the end of 2028. |
| Can I see which metadata have been generated by AI, and which by Boekentoren employees?
Being transparent about the provenance of metadata is very important to the Boekentoren. That is why we are investigating how we can clearly mark AI-generated content in the catalog. |
| What AI-models are being used in project Glashelder?
The Boekentoren has made a conscious decision to use non-commercial and open-source models. We also run the models on our own systems. This allows us to guarantee the security of the data and protect the copyright on the collection. |