32. Bibliography's Place in Modern Humanities Research: A Case Study from The Chymistry of Isaac Newt... (50:44)

Date:
2015-04-15
Main contributors:
Beck Sayre, Meridith
Summary:
Over the course of the 20th century, scholars took up categories of knowledge constructed through classification work done in the library and archive, but methods of analytical bibliography were never well integrated into the academy. As scholars increasingly read and work with digitized texts, however, there is renewed and critical need for bibliographical skills in order to understand how texts have changed over time, especially vis-à-vis their material form. In addition to making a case for bibliography as an essential skill for the modern humanities scholar, I will describe my recent work on creating a TEI bibliography of Isaac Newton's alchemical sources. This project, part of "The Chymistry of Isaac Newton" seeks to reconstruct a comprehensive list of the hundreds of alchemical texts that Newton read and employed from over 5000 fragmentary citations in his manuscripts. Because Newton was a lifelong and extensive alchemical reader, reconstructing a bibliography based on his annotations provides an ideal test case for how alchemical texts were studied in the seventeenth century. As such, this bibliography will be a substantial contribution to modern scholarship on Isaac Newton and the history of science more generally, underscoring the argument that bibliography has an important place in modern humanities scholarship.

38. The Steward of Book History in the Digital Age: The Struggles and Rewards of Collecting eBooks an... (1:00:00)

Date:
2021-03-10
Main contributors:
Bigelow, Jessica
Summary:
Special collections libraries have long been repositories for collecting and preserving the history of the book. However, general collecting parameters have not yet encompassed what is, arguably, the most recent manifestation of the book: eBooks. Although scholars of book history have spent the last decade or so including eBooks in their historical overviews, their importance in the overall timeline of book evolution has not yet made an impact beyond historical contemplation. However, there might be a reason institutions are not overly eager to be the first to create a collection of early eBooks. Not only do eBook files come with the same long-term preservation problems as any born-digital materials, they also have added complications such as a lack of standardized file format, a lack of permanence in licensing agreements, and the constant threat of content changes from the seller, just to name a few. Therefore, while this presentation aims to develop an awareness of the need for special collections libraries to begin collecting eBooks, it also seeks to lay out the complications that currently stand in the way of a successful eBook collection to start a conversation around possible solutions for long-term preservation and patron use.

39. The Wikipedia GLAM Project: It's Really Not About Fashion (51:40)

Date:
2012-10-31
Main contributors:
Bishop, Chanitra
Summary:
Contrary to what its name might suggest GLAM, which is a fairly new wikiproject on Wikipedia, stands for Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums. The goal of the project is to improve Wikipedia's content related to cultural topics. The Wikipedia GLAM project is one of Wikipedia's most popular and successful projects. This presentation will provide an overview of the project and discuss some of the institutions that have been involved in the project such as the Indianapolis Children's Museum, the Smithsonian and the National Archives.