Digital Editing

Digital Editing Methods and Concepts

Instructors:

Nikolaus Wasmoen        University at Buffalo

Jennifer Stertzer          University of Virginia

Description:

This course will explore all aspects of conceptualizing, planning for, and creating a digital edition. Participants will be led through discussions and exercises that will equip them to make sound choices between commonly-used platforms and technologies, such as TEI-XML, Omeka, Drupal, and others, while developing editorial policies and workflows that align with the needs of their end users. In the early sessions, participants will be introduced to the various types of digital editions with an emphasis on how each of these support different uses and types of access. Approaching a digital edition means taking time to think about how end-users will want to work with a particular edition, as well as how it might fit in with other existing editions and systems they may already use. With the needs of end-users in mind, editors are better able to develop effective editorial strategies that will result in a dynamic, useful, and sustainable digital edition. Over the course of the workshop, we will practice implementing editorial policies and processes across multiple digital editing platforms to explore which options are best suited to participants’ needs and goals for their projects. Participants should bring a few sample documents from the collection(s) they are thinking about editing. Over the course of the week, participants will create a draft project proposal, technological development plan, and some digital prototype materials. These materials will be designed with an eye toward each participant’s specific aims for their project, whether they are a graduate student wishing to integrate a digital editing project into their studies or dissertation, or a faculty member preparing to apply for grant funding for a new project. Our goal is for participants to return to their home institutions ready and able to build upon, enhance, and transform these initial ideas into robust digital editions.

Interested?