From manual work to artificial intelligence: developments in data literacy and research infrastructure using the example of the Repertorium Academicum Germanicum (2001-2024).

The Repertorium Academicum Germanicum (RAG) is a digital research project on scholars in the Middle Ages and their impact on society in pre-modern Europe (1250-1550). The RAG database contains around 62,000 scholars with 400,000 life points located at 26,000 locations. The data is based on the university registers. The registers usually contain the names and places of origin of the students as well as the date of enrolment. This initial data is enriched in the research database with biographical data on subjects studied, professional activities and written works. The aim of the project is to create a knowledge-based prosopographic basis for research on the impact of scholars in premodern Europe.