The Sweeping Change of ‘Digital Things’

By Alexandra Klingelhut

The digital age has changed the way information is shared on a daily basis. The widespread use of computer technology pushes us away from traditional books or other tangible materials and into “digital pragmata,” or “digital things.” For example, instead of visiting the James Branch Cabell Library to find the first issue of the Commonwealth Times, it can be viewed in the library’s digital archive.

“Digital pragmata can be textual databases, creative visualizations of information, multimedia explorations, collaboratively annotated maps, course-related blogs and a thousand other projects,” said John Glover, reference librarian for the humanities and reference collection coordinator.

Glover and Kristina Keogh, reference librarian for the arts, have organized “Digital Pragmata,” a series of panel discussions at VCU designed to explore the trends and techniques in modern scholarship, teaching and creative work. The “Digital Pragmata” series is the result of a collaboration between VCU Libraries, the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of Research.

Panel sessions include:

• “Visualizing the Digital: Design, Ideas and Platforms,” March 26, 1 to 4 p.m. Panelists are Edward L. Ayers, president of the University of Richmond; Amanda French, THATCamp coordinator at the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University; and Emily Smith, executive director of 1708 Gallery and curator and creator of InLight Richmond. Roy D. McKelvey, associate professor in the VCU Department of Graphic Design and co-founder of Loop: AIGA Journal of Interactive Design Education, will moderate.
  
  
• “Crafting Content: Creation, Scholarship and Organization,” April 25, 1 to 4 p.m. Panelists are Ben Fino-Radin, digital conservator for Rhizome at the New Museum and manager of the Museum of Modern Art Digital Repository; Francesca Fiorani, associate professor in the history of art and architecture at the University of Virginia and director of “Leonardo da Vinci and His Treatise on Painting,” an electronic archive; and Michael Poston, database applications associate at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Joshua Eckhardt, associate professor in the Department of English and founder, general co-editor of British Virginia, will moderate.
  
  
• "Funding Innovation: Avenues, Resources and Support for Projects,” May 2, noon to 2 p.m. Panelists are David Holland, research and entrepreneurial specialists in the School of the Arts, and Jessica Venable, grant analyst in the VCU Office of Research.

Each event will be held in the Multipurpose Room on the second floor of the James Branch Cabell Library, 901 Park Ave. Sessions are free, but seating is limited to a first-come, first-served basis and online registration at https://www.support.vcu.edu/event/pragmata is required.

Faculty and graduate students interested in the digital arts and humanities, as well as digital scholarship and teaching, are encouraged to attend these events. Artists, scholars, critics, editors, curators and programmers ¯ all of these people might find “Digital Pragmata” useful, said Keogh.

“We hope (the sessions) will offer the opportunity for scholars and students engaged in digital arts and humanities projects to hear speakers from around the region and to interact and share information,” said Keogh. “We want to help members of the VCU community who work in these areas to find collaborators, mentors and kindred spirits.”

“The March 26 panel will focus on the way material ¯ historic documents, digital installations, course blogs, etc.¯ are accessed through interfaces,” said Glover. “The April 25 panel will focus on how the same materials are gathered, organized and managed.”

The third installment is a workshop on May 2 that will give advice on how faculty and students can fund their own digital projects.

“These projects sometimes require new hardware or software, or it can be easier to work on them with time away from regular work duties,” said Glover. “Workshop attendees will get an overview of ways to fund their creativity.”

For more information or to register for the series, go to http://www.library.vcu.edu/events/pragmata/.

 

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