Modular Design, Lateral Project Development, and the Sharing of Work: Lessons from the Edward Winslow Family Papers and the Atlantic Canada Virtual Archives

Abstract

This paper draws on the experience of the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Electronic Text Centre (ETC) digitizing the papers of prominent New Brunswick Loyalist Edward Winslow to address issues relating to the development of laterally developed projects. It defines laterally developed projects as those that reconstitute previously existing project architecture to new ends. It argues that there are many reasons to develop projects laterally. First, it can be financially prudent to develop projects laterally; given the difficulties in securing grant money for projects, lateral development can assist digital humanists in building new and more robust projects on the shoulders of previously competed work. Second, lateral project development can facilitate greater production in the digital humanities, as laterally developed projects need not be undertaken by the researcher or institution that developed the original. Indeed, once the core elements of a project have been published online any other researcher can build upon this previously completed work. However, this presents a bit of a problem, as to fully realize the potential of lateral project development we will have to do away with a proprietary mindset with regard to our digital projects and be willing to share already completed project elements and modules with other researchers