Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine opens up a world of possibilities (10/05/03)

Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine opens up a world of possibilities

TORONTO - Imagine that a vast information resource containing in-depth knowledge about Ukraine and Ukrainians is freely accessible to anyone at any time and in any place in the world. Imagine that students in Asia learning about world history, or American journalists conducting research for their articles on Eastern Europe, or European diplomats being dispatched to their official posts in Ukraine, can simply turn on their computers and access over 20,000 detailed articles and encyclopedic entries on all aspects of Ukraine, its history, people, geography, society, economy, diaspora and cultural heritage.

Imagine that these entries are accompanied by thousands of maps, photographs, illustrations, tables, music files, and multimedia materials that allow viewers to see photographs of prominent people they are reading about; and that they allow you to find exact locations of cities, towns, mountains, lakes, or rivers, view architectural monuments and works of art, and listen to musical compositions mentioned in the text.

Through the efforts of a team of specialists working on the Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine (IEU) project at the Toronto Office of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, such a sophisticated and user-friendly information resource is becoming a reality.

Once completed the IEU will be the most comprehensive web-based resource in English on Ukraine and Ukrainians. This immense repository of knowledge, based on the contributions of hundreds of leading specialists from around the world, is designed to present Ukraine and its people, history and culture to the world.

Initially, the IEU will be based on the material published in the five-volume Encyclopedia of Ukraine (University of Toronto Press, 1984-1993). However, the original EU database has been and will continue to be considerably expanded and updated so that the IEU will represent a new and previously unavailable learning and information resource. Thousands of maps, photographs, illustrations, tables and other graphic or audio materials will accompany the text to make the IEU site more interesting and attractive to viewers.

Since the launch of the project in 2001, the IEU team headed by Roman Senkus (managing editor) and Dr. Marko R. Stech (project manager) has successfully completed a number of important stages of its work. Dr. Stech was responsible for developing the general concept of the IEU Internet site and for supervising the programming of this site by Jaroslaw Kiebalo. The programming stage has been successfully completed. The IEU site is fully operational and accessible at: www.encyclopediaofukraine.com.

Dr. Stech was also responsible for the conversion of the old Xywrite EU database into the WordPerfect 2002 format. The IEU team is currently working on the painstaking task of correcting conversion errors, pre-editing, and editing IEU entries in order to adapt them for Internet use. Andrij Makuch and Mark Andryczyk have been working on various aspects of this complex and time-consuming task under the supervision of Dr. Stech, who prepares the final version of each entry once it has been edited and uploads it to the IEU site.

Over 800 entries have already been uploaded to the IEU site, and Internet users have the ability to access detailed information on such topics as "Black Sea," "Bukovyna," "Central Rada," "Christianization of Ukraine," "Cossacks," "Danylo Romanovych," "Ivan Franko," "Bohdan Khmelnytsky," "Kyivan Rus'," "Ivan Mazepa," "Yaroslav the Wise," and many others. Apart from the text display with advanced search and linking capabilities, the site incorporates sophisticated map displays, tables and music files.

In the meantime, a process of writing new IEU entries is also under way. Under Mr. Senkus's supervision, Andrij Makuch, the IEU senior manuscript editor, began editing new entries - particularly those dealing with post-Soviet Ukraine.

Owing to the complexity and labor-intensive nature of the work on the IEU and its website, however, only a fraction of the vast body of knowledge that will become available is currently accessible to Internet users. Entries are being written, edited and updated daily. But the rate at which information can be added to the site will depend greatly on the availability of financial resources to engage additional qualified editorial and web personnel to work on the project.

Having recognized the importance of the IEU in the process of disseminating objective information about Ukraine in the world, several institutions and individuals have lent their financial support to the project. An anonymous donor from Toronto made the launch of the project possible with his generous donation of $50,000. The Alberta Learning, Learning Technologies Branch and the University of Alberta, Office of the Vice-President (Research) each contributed $25,000 to the IEU, while the Rev. Marian and Dr. Roman Curkowskyj Foundation donated $20,000.

However, additional, ongoing financial support from individual and organizational benefactors is crucial if this immense, multi-year project is to achieve its goal. The CIUS invites other donors to help the project succeed in its goal of producing the best and most authoritative electronic source of information in English about Ukraine. Benefactors are encouraged to create endowments designated for the IEU project as a whole or for any area of study that will be featured in the IEU. All donations will be gratefully acknowledged, and receipts for tax purposes will be issued.

Please send donations (payable to CIUS - Encyclopedia of Ukraine) to: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, 450 Athabasca Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E8 Canada; telephone, (780) 492-2972; fax, (780) 492-2972; e-mail, cius@ualberta.ca.

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