Introducing the ELMCIP Knowledge Base

Screencast: Introducing the ELMCIP Knowledge Base (HD) from Scott Rettberg on Vimeo.

I’m pleased to announce that we have just flipped the switch and made public the ELMCIP Knowledge Base, the central project being produced at the University of Bergen as part of ELMCIP. The Knowledge Base is an information resource including information about works of electronic literature, critical writing, authors, publishers, organizations, teaching resources, and events in the field. The Knowledge Base is both an information resource and a research archive. Although there are a number of features still in the pipeline and you’ll notice that many of the records in the database are still being developed, we have decided to open the Knowledge Base to readers and contributors while our development process is taking place. It is no longer necessary to log in to access the information in the Knowledge Base. We are also looking for a few brave beta-testers to join the team at Bergen and the researchers working around Europe on the ELMCIP project in contributing to the Knowledge Base and helping us to develop it. As you will see by browsing it, it is developing into quite a powerful research resource that will be useful for everyone working in the field, and it will get even more useful and new records are added and existing ones are developed. If you are a researcher or writer working in the field and would like to join the research community as a submitter or contributor, contact Eric Rasmussen at kb_editor@elmcip.net

We are also planning to collaborate and share information with other databases in the field that document the works and practices of electronic literature, such as the Electronic Literature Organization’s Electronic Literature Directory. I recently published a paper about the Knowledge Base and our plans for an international Electronic Literature consortium based on sharing and making accessible information about electronic literature titled The ELMCIP Knowledge Base and the Formation of an International Field of Literary Scholarship and Practice which is available in full-text. The Bergen team will also be publishing a number of screencasts showing you how to use and contribute to the Knowledge Base in coming days and weeks.