From crowd-sourced transcriptions and Wikipedia edit-a-thons to folksonomies or user-created keywords for browsing content, digital projects are frequently making use of the digital environment to invite new publics to participate in the creation of scholarship. At the very least, these initiatives result in encouraging public engagement with humanities research. But in some cases—particularly when a project’s methods and workflows are designed not only to enable but also facilitate such interactions—these activities can cultivate meaningful and substantive collaborations with the public.

Initiatives like these, which rethink how scholarship can be created and shared, are known by many names, including open scholarship and social knowledge production. They can range from providing open access to resources and inviting the re-use and remediation of project data, to sharing in the work of project decision-making or preparing content. But how does this actually work in practice and how do you make it happen?

This fall, eLaboratories—in partnership with the Electronic Textual Cultures Lab at the University of Victoria—will host a month-long workshop focused on introducing and exploring the definition, contexts, methodologies, and affordances of open and social knowledge production. During the month of September, cohort members will meet virtually once weekly on Fridays from 1:00–2:00 PM (Eastern Time) for a discussion on related readings and topics, with conversations to be led by Ray Siemens, Graham Jensen, Alyssa Arbuckle, and Matt Huculak. Interested individuals may view the workshop schedule and syllabus below.

This workshop is ideal for anyone interested in designing a project or event with the goals of open or social knowledge production, or in exploring the topic as a field for research. Registration for the workshop is free, but is limited to 20 individuals. By signing up for this workshop, you agree to attend all four sessions (Sept. 5, 12, 19, and 26 | 1:00–2:00 PM ET).

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