Make a digital edition of an unpublished Bodleian manuscript

The Bodleian Libraries is looking for enthusiastic undergraduates and postgraduates from any discipline to participate in workshops in textual editing. These workshops are entering their third year and the first sessions will take place this term on Tuesday 6 November and Wednesday 28 November from 10am-4.30pm in the Centre for Digital Scholarship, Weston Library.

Participants study previously unpublished Bodleian manuscripts to produce annotated digital transcriptions which will be incorporated in the international database ‘Early Modern Letters Online’, as ‘Bodleian Student Editions’ (letters from the first two years can be found here) as a citable resource.

The sessions focus on letters of the early modern period, covering social history, political negotiations, history of science and intellectual thought; the skills learned can be applied to any collections. Working with Bodleian curators and technical experts, participants receive a hands-on introduction to the following:

• Special Collections handling
• Palaeography and transcription
• Metadata curation, analysis, and input into Early Modern Letters Online
• Research and publication ethics
• Digital tools for scholarship and further training available

This is a rare opportunity to work with students from other faculties and degree levels, combining material sources and digital tools to explore the history of your discipline in new ways. Although the sessions are standalone, participants in previous workshops have gone on to further transcription work with Bodleian collections or as research assistants with projects around the country, as well as incorporating the material into their own research. We also provide first-hand experience with primary sources, and a citable publication, for those wishing to apply for postgraduate study in areas where this is valuable.

Participation is open to all students of the University of Oxford, of all levels of experience. If you would like to participate, please contact Francesca Barr, Special Collections Administrator, [email protected], including your ox.ac.uk email address, department, level and year of study, any particular access or dietary requirements, and whether you can only attend the workshop in Michaelmas or would be available for alternative dates in Hilary/Trinity

The sessions and activities are fully integrated, so please register only if you are available for the entire workshop.

The workshops are a collaboration between the Department of Special Collections, Centre for Digital Scholarship, and the Cultures of Knowledge project. For more information, please visit the workshop webpage.