1. Opening up the Humanities Linda Wilks and Elton BarkerFaculty of Arts

2. Overview

Introduction to the Arts Facultys Digital Humanities project

Highlight of some of the current research projects within the Faculty which are using digital technologies to disseminate output beyond academia

A look at how the Arts Faculty opens up its content by providing material for OU open access initiatives

Focus on two websites which provide innovative content while straddling the boundaries of the OU

Discussion of some of the issues relating to digital humanities

3. Background to theDigital Humanities project

Where we are: the OUs Faculty of Arts

Who we are: Linda Wilks, John Wolffe, Lorna Hardwick, Elton Barker, Tim Chappell

What we do: critically evaluate the role of technology in:

• humanities research agendas

• humanities research processes

• humanities research outputs

4. Digital Humanities:within the faculty

Evaluation of Arts projects with digital outputs

Promotion and evaluation of the potential for the role of social media in humanities research

A Digital Humanities blog to encourage reflection and discussion (intranet only)http:// www.open.ac.uk/blogs/dighum /

5. 6. Digital Humanities:beyond the faculty

Drawing on external views and experiences through the seminar programmehttp://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/digital-humanities/events.shtml

Link ups, such as with Project Bamboohttp:// www.projectbamboo.org /

Dissemination of findings/reports such as:

• a JISC-funded study of early career researchers

• a study of scholarly networking at the OU

http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/digital-humanities/investigations.shtml

7. 8. 9. Unlocking research outputs

Several of the OU Arts Faculty projects provide open access to research outputs.

For example:

The Reading Experience Database (RED) at:http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/RED/index.html

The Classical Receptions project at:http://www2.open.ac.uk/ClassicalStudies/GreekPlays/Projectsite/welcom.html

The Herodotus Encoded Space-Text-Imaging Archive (HESTIA) at:http:// www.open.ac.uk/Arts/hestia/index.html

10. http:// www.open.ac.uk/Arts/RED/index.html 11. http://www2.open.ac.uk/ClassicalStudies/GreekPlays/Projectsite/welcom.html 12.

http:// www.open.ac.uk/Arts/hestia/index.html

13. Spreading the word

The Arts Faculty contributes to the OUs various open access to research and learning materials initiatives.

For example:

Multi-media outputs

• on iTunesU at:www.open.ac.uk/itunes/

• on YouTube at:http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOpenUniversity

14. Spreading the word: iTunesU

The Arts faculty contributes to the OUs presence on various social media, for example:

• itunesUhttp:// www.open.ac.uk/itunes /

15. Spreading the word: YouTube

One picture is worth a thousand words Professor Gill Perry takes us round the National Portrait Galleryhttp:// www.youtube.com/watch?v =7qArhzUeHfY

16. Spreading the word:Open Research Online

Free, publicly accessible repository of the Open University's peer-reviewed research outputs

Over 1,000 Arts documents

http:// oro.open.ac.uk /

17. 18. Spreading the word:pushing the boundaries

Specialised websites have been developed by members of Arts faculty, such as:

• Philosophy Bites: podcasts of top philosophers interviewed on bite-sized topicshttp:// philosophybites.com/past_programmes.html

• Classics Confidential: interviews and news relating to research and study of the classics at:http://www.classicsconfidential.co.uk/Classics_Confidential/Home.html

19. 20. Classics Confidential http://www.classicsconfidential.co.uk/Classics_Confidential/Home.html 21. Classics Confidential http://www.classicsconfidential.co.uk/Classics_Confidential/Home.html 22. Classics Confidential http://www.classicsconfidential.co.uk/Classics_Confidential/Home.html 23. Key issues

Financial constraints vs. sustainability and reuse

Rights (particularly IP) vs. openness

The essence of research vs. technological advances

Barriers vs. access

24. Linda Wilks / Elton Barker Faculty of Arts The Open University Walton Hall Milton Keynes MK7 6AA

http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/digital-humanities/index.shtml