The Faculty of Arts is conducting original research into the ways in which humanities scholars use digital technologies. Recent publications include:
Wilks (2009) It’s like a permanent corridor conversation: an exploration of scholarly networking at the Open University, February 2009. The Open University.
James at al (2009) Lives and technologies of early career researchers, October 2009, JISC
Wilks (2009) The use of digital technologies in
Faculty of Arts research:
an overview (intranet access only)
The Faculty of Arts is working with a range of partners on research relating to digital technologies. These include:
Project Bamboo is a multi-institutional, interdisciplinary, and inter-organizational effort that brings together researchers in arts and humanities, computer scientists, information scientists, librarians, and campus information technologists to tackle the question:
How can we advance arts and humanities research through the development of shared technology services?
eScholar is a pan European team, which includes the OU, convened by The European Library to bid for FP7 funding on digital technologies projects.
The OU collaborated with the Centre for Applied Research in Educational Technologies (CARET ) University of Cambridge on the JISC-funded project investigating the use of digital technologies by early career researchers.
JISC (the Joint Information Systems Committee), which supports UK university research by providing leadership in the use of ICT, is currently running an e-Content Programme 2009-2011, whose aim is not only to create more digital content, but also to help sustain and deliver existing content in a more effective way. Follow this link for a handy summary of (and links to) the various projects.
Published literature provides useful sources of ideas, debate and discussion relating to digital humanities.
Greengrass and Hughes (Eds) (2009) The virtual representation of the past, Farnham, Ashgate. This book critically evaluates the virtual representation of the past through digital media. A team of leading experts in the field approach digital research in history and archaeology from contrasting viewpoints, including philosophical, methodological and technical. Further information.
Cohen et al (2008)
‘Interchange: the promise of digital history.’ In The Journal of American History, 95 (2). Edited version of an online conversation on the use of digital technologies in history research.
Available online to OU staff and students.