+ Meet the READ project partners – Eva Lang

What’s your name?

Eva Lang.

Where do you work?

Passau Diocesan Archives.

Tell us a bit about your background…

I hold a Computer Science Diploma (equiv. MSc) from the University of Passau, where I worked in industrial research mainly for the automotive and textile industries. I joined the team at Passau Diocesan Archives for the READ project focusing on technical processes to help the archival users to do their research. Besides my work at the archives, I also work as city guide for mainly English-speaking visitors in our beautiful city of Passau. In my leisure time, I enjoy sports, arts and playing the piano.

What is your role in the READ project?

My role within the READ project is to apply the Handwritten Text Recognition technology on our very special historical documents.  Large parts of our images show tables and forms written in many different hands, so this is a unique and distinct challenge within the project.

What is top of your to-do list at the moment?

Digesting the results of the recent READ project review meeting with the European Commission in Brussels and improving the way in which users can use our Transkribus tool to process documents which are structured in tables and forms.

What do you like best about working on READ?

The interdisciplinary character of the project, bridging the historical, archival and computer worlds and working with partners from all over Europe.

If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?

Work as a confectioner designing and decorating beautiful-looking cakes and pastries.

What can you see out of the window of your office? 

Here we can see the four Saints (left-to-right): Severin, Valentin, Maximilian and Stephan.  The Diocesan seminaries are named after Maximilian, Valentin (historic) and Stephan (still alive today). Severin lived and preached in Passau and the oldest church in the town (going back to around the year 470) is named after him.

Thanks Eva!