Getty Scholars’ Workspace: Online collaboration and publication tools for scholars

Getty Scholars’ WorkspaceAn Online Collaboration and Publication Tool for Scholars

The Getty Research InstituteThe Getty

Susan [email protected]@jolifanta

Will [email protected]

@altinjimbiz

“Attempting to transform the way that art history research is conducted and published.”

- Murtha Baca, Head, Digital Art History, The Getty Research Institute

Scholarly Process

Photo: Kamal H. http://www.flickr.com/photos/97715891@N00/384258821/

Scholarly Process

Photo: David VDM. http://www.flickr.com/photos/12915821@N00/4746094571/

Analog Scholarship

Analog Scholarship

• Solo exploration• Verbal idea-sharing• Unlinked data• Image rights issues• Physical publications

Analog Scholarship

• Solo exploration• Verbal idea-sharing• Unlinked data• Image rights issues• Physical publications

Digital tools used primarily for access

“Scholars are working on the same topics separately. We may have these tools, but we don’t cooperate. This is a way to bring these people together around a single object.”

- Thomas Gaeghtens, Head of the Getty Research Institute

What would a digital version of this look like?

http://prezi.com/01fiqg2xasig/copy-of-digital-mellini/

The Mellini document

A 17th-century Roman inventory, written in rhyming verse

The experiment—Digital Mellini

Image of annotation from Mellini

Annotation—a discussion within the text

More please!

More please!

More please!

Scholarly Process

Photo: Kamal H. http://www.flickr.com/photos/97715891@N00/384258821/

Lessons

• Scholars usually don’t have a specific methodology in mind we don’t have requirements to work from

• Technologists are more comfortable with messy content.

Lessons

• Changing social behavior is much more difficult than the technology!

• Scholars and technologists have different mental frameworks for work.

Collaboration Insights

• Technologists need to be part of the research team.

• Make no assumptions!• Role of collaboration in our worlds is different.

…more digital projects

New methodologies = new tools

New methodologies = new tools

"The design of digital tools for scholarship is an intellectual responsibility, not a technical task.”

- Johanna Drucker, Professor of Information Studies, UCLA

Johanna Drucker, “Blind Spots: Humanists Must Plan Their Digital Future,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, volume 55, issue 30, page B6 (April 3, 2009).

Scholars’ Workspace

• Scholarly process—methodologies emerge in process of exploring the material

• Different projects will have different needs

• Are there some common methodologies art historians need? Can we build a suite of tools to accommodate those needs?

Scholars’ Workspace

Scholars’ Workspace – text annotation

Scholars’ Workspace – image annotation

Scholars’ Workspace—light table

Scholarly Process

Photo: Kamal H. http://www.flickr.com/photos/97715891@N00/384258821/

Digital Mellini Publication

Digital Mellini Publication

What is this thing?

What is a “digital publication” anyway?

Digital Mellini Publication

What does it look like?

Digital Mellini Publication

“Where’s the research?”

Digital Mellini Publication

Who is the audience?

Digital Mellini Publication

How do we edit it?

Digital Mellini Publication

How will we maintain it?

Digital Mellini Publication

Where are the standards?

Digital Mellini Publication

What does the team look like?

“Attempting to transform the way that art history research is conducted and published.”

- Murtha Baca, Head, Digital Art History, GRI

Transforming Art History• Catalyze a paradigm shift—break with single

authorial model

• Capture conversations, debates, different interpretations and perspectives

• Enable production of new knowledge, visualizations, new types of publications

• Validate digital publications

Getty Scholars’ WorkspaceAn Online Collaboration and Publication Tool for Scholars

The Getty Research InstituteThe Getty

Susan [email protected]@jolifanta

Will [email protected]

@altinjimbiz