Virtual Archive of Logical Empiricism (VALEP)

The database is located at the Institute Vienna Circle and was developed during the current research project Carnap in Context II (FWF research grant P31716) with additional support from the Vienna Circle Society. The software will be optimized, and further data will be processed in the future research project Carnap in Context III (FWF research grant P34887, 2021-2025).

First public announcement: Virtual Archive of Logical Empiricism (VALEP)

VALEP is a research tool for all who want to access and share archival sources on the history of Logical Empiricism
valep.vc.univie.ac.at
USP: Everybody can use it for free; it is open to everybody’s data

Why is VALEP a good idea?
-    Hundreds of researchers are taking their own photos of the very same archival sources just as tourists shoot the same sight over and over again: that is so wasteful! Let’s share our materials and save on transatlantic flights and hotel costs!
-    Openly available digital sources on the history of Logical Empiricism are spread all  over the world: a platform that merges these sources would be highly desirable.
-    VALEP allows easy upload and management of large digital collections.
-    The content is hierarchically structured in archives, collections, boxes, and folders, just as the physical original are.
-    One also can associate complex metadata with the files and process them into documents.

What has recently become available on VALEP?
-    30,000 Scans from the Archives of Scientific Philosophy (thanks to their generous support)
-    20,000 Scans were done by people in and around the IVC
-    Most parts of the Carnap papers in Pittsburgh and LA
-    Parts of the papers of Carl Gustav Hempel, Richard Jeffrey, Frank P. Ramsey, Rose Rand, Hans Reichenbach, Wilfried Sellars, and Wolfgang Stegmüller

What is coming next in VALEP?
-    The entire scientific correspondence of Rudolf Carnap (will be scanned and processed until 2023)
-    The whole Nachlass of Moritz Schlick, provided by the Moritz Schlick Forschungsstelle Rostock (will be available soon)
-    Everything that anybody is willing to share on our platform: just get in touch with us!
Why is it not possible to view every file shared on VALEP?
-    We need to take care to copyright issues. Therefore, we can only grant public access to those files where copyright issues are already resolved (this recently holds for about two thirds of the material in VALEP).
-    To resolve copyright issues will be an integral part of our future work; much that is not publicly accessible now will be opened up in the future.

Where can you get help?
-    View the online handbook (click “?” in the upper right corner of the VALEP window).
-    Watch the How-To Videos (Filter for “Video” in the document window in the middle of the screen).
-    Contact us: christian.damboeck@univie.ac.at

Who is hosting, financing, and developing VALEP?
The database is located at the Institute Vienna Circle and was developed during the current research project Carnap in Context II (FWF research grant P31716) with additional support from the Vienna Circle Society. The software will be optimized, and further data will be processed in the future research project Carnap in Context III (FWF research grant P34887, 2021-2025).