A Kaleidoscope of Digital American Literature

by Martha L. Brogan
with assistance fromDaphnée Rentfrow

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Contents
Acknowledgments ……………………………………………………………………………………………………vi
About the Authors ………………………………………………………………………………………………….viii
Foreword … ix
1. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..1
1.1. Scope …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….1
1.1.1 What Is American Literature? ……………………………………………………………….1
1.1.2. Parameters …………………………………………………………………………………………….3
1.1.3 Typologies …………………………………………………………………………………………….4
1.2 Interviews …………………………………………………………………………………………………….5
1.3 Resource Descriptions …………………………………………………………………………………..5
1.4 Delving Deeper into the Literature ……………………………………………………………….6
1.5 A Word about the Audience …………………………………………………………………………6
2. Summary of Findings …………………………………………………………………………………………….7
2.1 “A Revolution Led from Above” …………………………………………………………………..7
2.2 Creating a Culture of Innovation …………………………………………………………………..8
2.3 Building Cyberinfrastructure for the Humanities and Social Sciences …………10
2.4 Shaping the Future ……………………………………………………………………………………..11
2.5 Communities of Practice ……………………………………………………………………………..16
2.6 Tools to the Rescue? …………………………………………………………………………………….17
2.6.1 Tool Projects Under Way ……………………………………………………………………..19
2.7 What’s Not to Like? …………………………………………………………………………………….21
2.7.1 Insufficient Peer-Review Processes ……………………………………………………..22
2.7.2 Absence of Trusted Mechanisms to Sustain and Preserve Digital Work 23
2.7.3 Thorny Issues of Copyright and Permissions ………………………………………26
2.7.4 Paucity of Sustainable Business Models ………………………………………………29
2.7.5 Dearth of Specialists ……………………………………………………………………………30
2.8 Conclusion: Toward a “Celestial Kaleidoscope” ………………………………………….31
3. Review of Resources …………………………………………………………………………………………….33
3.1 Quality-Controlled Subject Gateways …………………………………………………………33
3.1.1 Identifying Internet Resources: A History Lesson ……………………………….33
3.1.2 Directories of American Literature Internet Resources ………………………..34
3.1.3 Contact Your Librarian ………………………………………………………………………..36
3.1.4 Resource Links …………………………………………………………………………………….37
3.2 Author Studies ……………………………………………………………………………………………39 3.2.1 Author Societies ………………………………………………………………………………….39
3.2.2 Scholarly Editions ……………………………………………………………………………….41
3.2.3 Other Models and Producers of Digital Content ………………………………….46
3.2.4 Interpretative and Teaching Collections ………………………………………………48
3.2.5 Resource Links …………………………………………………………………………………….51
3.3 E-Book Collections and Alternative Publishing Models ………………………………56
3.3.1 Public Domain E-Books ……………………………………………………………………….56
3.3.2 Digital Conversion Projects: Overview ………………………………………………..58
3.3.2.1 Distributed Proofreading: Project Gutenberg …………………………………59
3.3.2.2 Page Images with “Rough OCR”: Making of America …………………..61
3.3.2.3 Conversion from Microfilm to Fully Encoded Transcriptions:
Wright American Fiction ………………………………………………………………..62
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3.3.2.4 Conversion from Original Print Copy to Fully Encoded Texts:
Early American Fiction …………………………………………………………………..63
3.3.2.5 Mass-Digitization Projects: One Million Books Plus ………………………64
3.3.3 Indexes of E-Books ………………………………………………………………………………66
3.3.3.1 A Master Index: Digital Book Index ……………………………………………….67
3.3.3.2 An Archival and Distribution Management Service:
Oxford Text Archive ……………………………………………………………………….68
3.3.3.3 Online Books Page, Celebration of Women Writers,
and the Alex Catalogue of Electronic Texts …………………………………….69
3.3.4 Scholars’ Concerns: Ensuring Quality and Sustainability ……………………69
3.3.5 Postscript to the Future: Alternative Publishing Communities ……………72
3.3.5.1 EServer …………………………………………………………………………………………..72
3.3.5.2 Electronic Literature Organization …………………………………………………73
3.3.5.3 NINES ……………………………………………………………………………………………73
3.3.5.4 eScholarship Program ……………………………………………………………………74
3.3.5.5 Rotunda Electronic Imprint ……………………………………………………………75
3.3.6 Resource Links …………………………………………………………………………………….76
3.4 Reference Resources and Full-Text Primary Source Collections …………………..79
3.4.1 Quality Proprietary Products ………………………………………………………………79
3.4.1.1 Evaluated ……………………………………………………………………………………….81
3.4.1.2 At a Price ……………………………………………………………………………………….82
3.4.2 Scholar-Publisher-Librarian Partnerships ……………………………………………83
3.4.2.1 Text Creation Partnership ………………………………………………………………84
3.4.3 Resource Descriptions …………………………………………………………………………86
3.4.3.1 Catalogs …………………………………………………………………………………………86
3.4.3.2 Bibliography of Printed Works ………………………………………………………87
3.4.3.3 Indexes …………………………………………………………………………………………..87
3.4.3.4 Bibliographies of Scholarship …………………………………………………………88
3.4.3.5 Corpora ………………………………………………………………………………………….89
3.4.3.6 Full-Text Periodicals ………………………………………………………………………94
3.4.3.7 Full-Text Newspapers …………………………………………………………………….94
3.4.3.8 Full-Text Fiction ……………………………………………………………………………..97
3.4.3.9 Full-Text Poetry ……………………………………………………………………………..98
3.4.3.10 Full-Text Drama ……………………………………………………………………………..99
3.4.3.11 Integrative Platforms ……………………………………………………………………100
3.5 Collections by Design ………………………………………………………………………………..102
3.5.1 Why Digitize? ……………………………………………………………………………………103
3.5.2 Metadata ……………………………………………………………………………………………104
3.5.3 Discovery …………………………………………………………………………………………..106
3.5.3.1 Directories of Digital Collections or Aggregations ……………………….107
3.5.3.2 Finding Special Collections and Archives …………………………………….109
3.5.3.3 EAD Tools …………………………………………………………………………………….110
3.5.3.4 Consolidated Access to Finding Aids …………………………………………..111
3.5.3.5 Exhibitions on the Web …………………………………………………………………112
3.5.4 Genre Collections ………………………………………………………………………………114
3.5.4.1 Fiction ………………………………………………………………………………………….115
3.5.4.2 Poetry …………………………………………………………………………………………..117
3.5.4.3 Manuscripts, Documents, Archival Ephemera ……………………………..119
3.5.4.4 Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories ………………………………………………121
3.5.4.5 Drama ………………………………………………………………………………………….123
v
3.5.5 Resource Links …………………………………………………………………………………..126 3.6 Teaching Applications ……………………………………………………………………………….127
3.6.1 A Profusion of Resources …………………………………………………………………..127
3.6.2 From “Dynamic Syllabi” to Digital Learning Environments ……………..127
3.6.3 Taking a Closer Look: Syllabus Finder ………………………………………………128
3.6.4 Intentional Change: The Visible Knowledge Project ………………………….129
3.6.5 The Role of Professional Organizations ……………………………………………..131
3.6.6 Engaging Departments of English, American Studies, and Students …132
3.6.7 Resource Links …………………………………………………………………………………..134
Appendixes
Appendix 1: Interviewees …………………………………………………………………………………140
Appendix 2: Guiding Questions for Vetters of Scholarly Editions …………………….148
Appendix 3: Indexes of E-Books ……………………………………………………………………….150
Appendix 4: Checklist for the Evaluation of Free e-Books ………………………………..152
Appendix 5: Alternative Publishing Communities …………………………………………..154
Appendix 6: Checklist of Criteria Used in the Literary Research Guide ……………….156
Appendix 7: Glossary ……………………………………………………………………………………….158
References ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………165

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