Reuse and bidirectional further development of research software in a Digital Humanities project

Abstract

This article presents the Henze-Digital project (2021–2024) at Paderborn University, aiming to create a digital letters edition. It reused methods and technologies from the Carl Maria von Weber-Gesamtausgabe, particularly its research software and TEI data schemas. The article focuses on software reuse and TEI schema adaptation using ODD-Chaining, which enabled leveraging WeGA's structures while tailoring them to HenDi's needs. It also discusses challenges in software reuse, such as maintaining a stable connection between HenDi-WebApp and WeGA-WebApp, and presents the project's software-chaining approach as a solution. The article offers insights into the benefits and challenges of reusing methods and technologies in digital humanities projects, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and flexible software development approaches.