is310-fall-group-6

To be updated with a description for a collaborative semester long project

Tentative Group Members

These members were selected because of your broad interests as film buffs and social media cultures. You are not required to keep your group focused on this area for this project, but I share this broad overview to hopefully help spark initial brainstorming together.

Please note this list of members is tentative and subject to change as students join or leave the class in the next week or so.

• Francis A.
• Cindy L.
• Gloria L.
• Lucas W.
• Yunchae (Sophia) C.

Group Dynamics and Logistics

1. Introduction Objective: Define the goal of the projects. Team Composition: Introduce each member and their roles.

2. Group Dynamics Roles and Responsibilities Leader: Oversees the project, makes final decisions, and ensures deadlines are met. Coordinator: Manages communication and schedules meetings. Researcher: Gathers and analyzes information relevant to the project. Creator: Develops and produces content or solutions. Reviewer: Provides feedback and ensures quality and accuracy. Communication Channels: Email, instant messaging, video calls, etc. Frequency: Weekly meetings, daily check-ins, as needed. Protocols: How to handle disagreements, decision-making processes. Decision-Making Approach: Consensus, majority vote, or leader’s decision. Tools: Voting apps, discussion forums, collaborative platforms. Conflict Resolution Process: Address issues directly, seek mediation if necessary. Strategies: Active listening, compromise, and finding common ground. Motivation and Engagement Incentives: Recognition, rewards, or other forms of motivation. Support: Encouragement, constructive feedback, and assistance.

3. Logistics Meeting Planning Scheduling: Finding suitable times for all members. Location: In-person, virtual (platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams). Agenda: Key topics to be discussed, time allocation for each topic. Task Management Tools: Project management software (e.g., ChatGPT). Task Assignment: Delegating specific tasks to each member. Deadlines: Setting and tracking milestones and final deadlines. Resource Management Budget: Allocating funds if necessary, tracking expenses. Materials: Sharing documents, tools, and other resources. Progress Tracking Updates: Regular status reports or updates from each member. Metrics: Measuring progress against goals and deadlines. Risk Management Identification: Potential risks or challenges. Mitigation: Strategies to address or minimize risks.

4. Evaluation and Feedback Performance Review Frequency: Mid-project and post-project evaluations. Criteria: Assessing individual and group performance. Feedback Mechanism Channels: Anonymous surveys, open discussions. Process: Constructive criticism and improvement suggestions.

5. Conclusion Summary: Recap of key points and decisions. Next Steps: Outline immediate actions and future tasks.

6. Appendices Templates: Meeting agendas, progress reports, feedback forms. Contact Information: Details for all team members. References: Any relevant documents or resources.

Area of Focus: The fantasy genre of children’s literature

1. What might be considered a digital object or digital representation for your area of focus? You can have multiple examples, but you should explain why you consider it relating to your area of focus (this can be short though).

   In the area of Children's Literature, digital objects or representations could include several types of media:

Digitized e-books: Children's books are scanned and converted into e-books, allowing interactive or multimedia elements to be added, such as audio narration or animated illustrations.

Audiobooks: Narrated versions of children's books, often including sound effects or music, making stories accessible to young readers.

Interactive apps: Digital platforms or apps where children can engage with stories through interactive elements like games or touch-sensitive illustrations.

Digital archives: Collections of classic or rare children's literature available online for access and research. International Children’s Digital Library: http://www.childrenslibrary.org/ UIUC Library: https://www.library.illinois.edu/s-collection/research/digitalcollections/

2. How are digital objects and representations created for your area of focus? What are the processes involved in digitizing these objects? In the African American Periodical Poetry (1900-1928) dataset, we learned about the process of digitizing periodicals and Kahle also mentioned a process called OCR, Optical Character Recognition, for extracting text from digitized print materials. What are some of the digitization processes for your area of focus?

   In Children's Literature, digital objects are created through processes such as scanning physical books to create high-resolution digital copies, often followed by OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to convert text into machine-readable formats. Additionally, interactive features like animations or audio can be integrated into digital versions. Metadata is added for categorization, making them searchable and accessible. Projects might also involve manual editing and tagging to ensure accuracy.

3. Kahle repeatedly made reference to the Library of Alexandria in his article. What are some historical equivalents to digital objects in your area of focus? How do these historical objects compare to their digital counterparts?

   In the article, Kahle compares the ancient Library of Alexandria, whose goal was to gather and preserve the knowledge of a world for universal access, to the modern-day effort of digitization of books, manuscripts, and other literary works. In the past, knowledge was stored in tangible forms like manuscripts and scrolls, which were frequently accessible in certain places like libraries or museums and were prone to loss or destruction over time. Due to its fragility, there were few options for preservation and the only method of finding information was by hand reading it. While digital texts overcome these constraints and provide universal access to knowledge from any location with an internet connection, the ability to create multiple digital copies provides better preservation and reduces the dangers associated with technological failure. Digital resources, in contrast with printed texts, allow quick keyword searches, which improves research efficiency and changes the way we engage with literary works. This move to digital media not only makes literary texts more accessible but also improves their durability and functionality, which eventually changes how we save, exchange, and use knowledge.

4. Relatedly, are there examples of born-digital materials for your area of focus? How do these materials compare to digitized objects? For those unfamiliar, born-digital materials are those that were created digitally and never existed in analog or physical form (think most social media, for example).

   Looking at different literatures and texts that are born-digital materials, we can look at various texts incorporated in digital-based news, user-generated content, and even digital storytelling. An example of this that comes to mind would be the Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail is a text based video game that involves decision making and storytelling. You live your life as a 19th century pioneer looking to cross the trail. When it comes to user-generated content, we can also see a lot of digital text based forums. An example of this could be Reddit where users provide text looking to seek responses of other people. With the theme of children's literature in digital born materials we can often see a lot of this come up in online applications. Things such as apps that provide interactive storytelling elements or even apps that allow the user to create their own characters and use their creativity are things worth mentioning.

For example, the idea of the application “Living Books” by Broderbund which is an early example of this. This was created in the 1990s where it provided clickable animations and interactive read along adventures aimed for children aged 3-9. This provided a lot of the foundation for the examples you see today.

5. What is the oldest digital library or archive you can find that relates to your area of focus? How has this resource been maintained and updated over time? You may also include examples that are no longer maintained or have been abandoned.

   One of the oldest archives that includes fantasy children's literature is Project Gutenberg, founded in 1971. It offers thousands of classic books, including children’s fantasy, such as early works by authors like Lewis Carroll and L. Frank Baum. Project Gutenberg has been maintained and updated by volunteers over the years, focusing primarily on digitizing public domain texts. While it lacks modern features like interactive elements or a child-friendly interface, it has been updated to include more formats, such as ePub, Kindle, and plain text, for greater accessibility. However, its basic user interface and design have not evolved significantly, remaining more functional than visually engaging, which limits its appeal to younger readers. Some earlier digital projects related to children's literature, such as The Rosetta Project, are no longer actively maintained, having been abandoned due to lack of funding or technological advancements, highlighting the challenge of preserving digital archives over time.

6. Conversely, what is the newest digital library or archive you can find that relates to your area of focus? How does this resource compare to older digital libraries or archives?

   The International Children's Digital Library (ICDL) is one of the newer archives focused on children's literature, including many fantasy titles, offering a user-friendly, interactive platform designed specifically for younger readers. It provides a diverse, multilingual selection of books, accessible on mobile devices, and tailored for a global audience. In contrast, older digital libraries like Project Gutenberg are more text-focused, with less emphasis on child engagement or visual appeal. ICDL’s modern features and accessibility make it more engaging for children compared to the more research-focused nature of older archives.

7. Are there any examples of your digital object that have gone viral? How did this happen and what impact did it have on the object or the digital library/archive that hosted it?

   One example of a well-known case of a digital object in Children's Literature is "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" written by Roald Dahl. Ever since Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was published, it has been consistently found on the list of top favorites in the category of children's literature. Besides, after the movie release, this book gained even more fame among people of all ages. For example, it was highlighted that millions of digital copies of the books were downloaded and spread via social media on its 50th anniversary. Certain scenes, like finding the Golden Ticket from the movie, have been used around online as memes and GIFs. This also increased the popularity of the printed and digital copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and gained more attention from people through digital platforms and e-books libraries. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory further increased its popularity through digital time videos on many platforms: such as on YouTube. This has created, globally, more access for a new generation of readers.

8. Can you find any examples of free vs. proprietary digital libraries or archives for your area of focus? How do these resources differ in terms of access?

   There are plenty of examples of both free and proprietary digital libraries related to literature and texts. Some examples of free digital libraries are project gutenberg, internet archive, HathiTrust Digital Library, and Google Books. All of these libraries offer a vast collection of free books and offer open access to the public. You can read books and texts online or even download texts for later. Some examples of proprietary digital libraries are JSTOR and ProQuest. Both of these are not free and accessible to anyone, and there are plenty of other sites that also require a membership or subscription in order to gain access to the materials in the database. They differ in terms of access in multiple significant ways. The free libraries are accessible to the public and usually focus on texts that are in the public domain or freely licensed. The users don’t have to worry about paying for access, registering, or affiliation with an institution. On the other hand, proprietary libraries do require a subscription or affiliation with an institution. This limits the availability to only certain and desired users, such as maybe students, professors, researchers, or something else.They usually have access to more recent publications and copyrighted work.

Shield:

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