This demo and poster proposal responds to the DARIAH Annual Event 2026 theme by framing FAIR training materials as a key component of digital humanities infrastructures of engagement. Training resources enable participation, skills development, and sustained interaction between researchers, cultural heritage professionals, and wider publics. We present the design principles and architecture of the H2IOSC Training Infrastructure[1] (Italy), focusing on how FAIR-oriented training libraries and distributed digital collections can support engaged Digital Arts and Humanities practices. Particular attention is given to the potential alignment between national initiatives and ERIC-level infrastructures, without assuming full technical integration.

Background and Motivation

The DARIAH 2026 call highlights the need for infrastructures that support engaged, inclusive, and socially embedded digital arts and humanities. While much attention is devoted to research data and tools, training materials are often treated as secondary outputs, despite their central role in enabling access to digital methods and fostering community participation.

By treating training materials as first-class digital objects, curated according to FAIR principles, [1] training can function as a stable and reusable infrastructure that supports engagement over time, across institutional and disciplinary boundaries.

Fig. 1 – The catalogue of multidisciplinary courses available in e-learning on the H2IOSC Learning Environment

Objectives

The proposal aims to:

1. show how FAIR training materials can act as infrastructural elements for engagement and capacity building;
2. discuss the role of distributed digital libraries and the importance of selective aggregation for training resources;
3. reflect on the relationship between national training infrastructures and European research infrastructures, identifying opportunities and open challenges.

Fig. 2 – Reusable and modular training materials available for download on the H2IOSC Training Library

Approach

The demo and poster are structured around three conceptual dimensions:

1. FAIR Training Materials as Engagement Infrastructure

Using the H2IOSC Training Infrastructure as a case study, we illustrate how training modules are curated with persistent identifiers, rich metadata, versioning, and open licences. This approach enhances discoverability, transparency, and pedagogical reuse, supporting diverse communities including researchers, students, educators, and cultural heritage practitioners.

2. Distributed Training Libraries and Harvesting Scenarios

The infrastructure is designed to operate within a distributed ecosystem of digital libraries [2], where training materials remain locally managed yet can, in principle, be selectively harvested through standard protocols and APIs. Rather than presenting a fully implemented solution, the demo discusses design choices and scenarios for aggregation that avoid centralisation while enabling thematic discovery and reuse.

3. National and ERIC-Level Perspectives

The contribution reflects on how national initiatives such as H2IOSC can complement ERIC-level infrastructures like DARIAH by providing high-quality, curated training content. While technical harvesting into services such as DARIAH-Campus has not yet been implemented, the proposal outlines conceptual interoperability pathways and shared metadata practices that could support future alignment.

Contribution to DARIAH 2026

This demo and poster contribute to DARIAH 2026 by:

• positioning training as an infrastructure of engagement rather than a peripheral activity;
• supporting participatory and inclusive digital humanities practices;
• addressing sustainability and governance in distributed infrastructures;
• encouraging dialogue between national and European initiatives.

[1] https://www.h2iosc.cnr.it/training-infrastructure/