The original texts are transcribed exactly, which means the original punctuation and spelling have largely been retained. All edits and ellipses are marked. Only where it is necessary for understanding the text are additions and adjustments made or text passages commented on. This procedure is based on the definition of a “documentary edition” [dokumentarische Edition].[1]
The transcript is presented alongside the digital facsimile. This allows for individual verification of all editorial steps, and it supplements the transcript with additional visual information (page layout, type face, subsequent additions or corrections) that would be lost in a purely alphabetical linearization of the source.
The source transcripts are tagged according to TEI (Text Encoding Initiative) guidelines, choosing a flat schema that is limited to the essential text structure (such as document type, pages, paragraphs, headlines) and enables the marking of all text edits. The TEI encoding is based on TEI P5 according to the “Base Format” of the Deutsches Textarchiv (DTA-Basisformat [DTABf]).[2]
In the transcripts and translations, persons, institutions, and places are tagged with norm data according to the Integrated Authority File [Gemeinsame Normdatei] (GND) or the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN).[3] Links to entries in “Das Jüdische Hamburg” are also be added. Moreover, JudaicaLink was able to generate stable Uniform Resource Names (URNs) for nearly 200 entries on persons in this online encyclopedia.[4] This enables a bidirectional linking of the edition with external content. Additional information (such as biographical dates, short biographies, and portraits) can be automatically supplemented from the Linked Data Service and the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek’s (DNB) Entityfacts service. Through SeeAlso-services[5], dynamically connected content by third party providers such as biographical articles in the Allgemeine and Neue Deutsche Biographie (ADB/NDB) or relevant estates, manuscripts, and print publications catalogued by Kalliope and library networks can also be tagged.[6] By generating our own GND-Beacon lists, we in turn offer external providers an easy way of linking their content to relevant content in our source edition.
The source translations into American English are kept as close to the original as possible. Lists of frequently occurring terms have been compiled in order to ensure consistency.
