February 28, 2008
What We’re Reading: February 28, 2008 Edition
The news that the Gutenberg-e project has gone open-access has created quite a buzz, and we start off this week’s post with a Chronicle article on the evolution of the project. Then, the results are in! ArchivesNext has selected the “Best Archives on the Web.” For those interested in copyright issues we offer two articles that examine the challenges of copyright law. And even though the Annual Meeting is over a month behind us, hear about a new professor who takes a look at both sides of the interview table. Also included in this post: the Defense Department reopens a digital library, a new site wants to be the “YouTube” for documents, share info on technology-related museum projects at MuseTech Central, and hear just what American teenagers know about history.
- Landmark Digital History Monograph Project Goes Open Access
The Chronicle’s Jennifer Howard examines the new open-access version of the Gutenberg-e project, which we announced on the blog on February 13. (Link to the Chronicle article available for one month). Also, read a thoughtful commentary on Gutenberg-e and the costs involved at the HASTAC blog. - The winners: 2008 Best Archives on the Web Awards
As mentioned in the January 31, 2008 edition of “What We’re Reading,” the blog ArchivesNext recently held their "first annual Best Archives on the Web awards." Now, the results are in. - Rescuing orphans from obscurity
Free the Books, a blog focused on copyright issues, highlights the absurdities of current U.S. copyright law in a digital environment, as books available in the public domain in other countries remain under copyright at our digital borders. Also check out the TeleRead blog article that highlights one of the challenges for historians of the 20th century. - Switching Sides of the Table
Kimberly Hamlin, a newly hired assistant professor, compares her experiences on both sides of the interview table at the AHA’s annual meeting. - Army Says It Will Restore Public Access to Online Library
The Defense Department rescinded its unfortunate decision to restrict the exceptional materials in its Reimer Digital Library of Army doctrinal publications behind a wall of password protection. - A YouTube for Documents?
The Chronicle’s Wired Campus blog takes a look at a new site called iPaper, which is meant to offer “the best document viewing experience on the web,” but in a “social-network interface.” - A new registry for technology projects in cultural heritage organizations
ArchivesNext highlights the recently launched MuseTech Central site, which allows registered users (it’s free to sign up for an account), to “share information about technology-related museum projects.” - History Survey Stumps U.S. Teens
HNN examines a recent New York Times article on a survey that found “a significant proportion of American teenagers live in ‘stunning ignorance’ of history and literature.”
Contributors: Elisabeth Grant and Robert Townsend
