[Tap, tap.] Testing. Is this thing on?
Thanks to CUNY’s free Commons in a Box software and the installation skills of CAH technology guru Bryce Jackson, graduate students and faculty working in UCF’s Digital Humanities and Texts & Technology programs now have a common space in which to share ideas, present their work, and launch new collaborations.
I first began looking for a platform like this when I arrived at UCF two years ago, and was thrilled when Matt Gold and his project team at CUNY announced CBox in November 2011 and launched it a year later. I reached out to Matt last week at the Digital Humanities 2013 conference and asked if he thought the platform was ready for widespread adoption. He told me me CBOX had been downloaded more than 5,000 (!!) times, with very minor problems. He urged us to move ahead with the installation, and offered his team’s tech support should we need it.
Yesterday morning, still buzzing with ideas from the DH conference, I sent a note to my CAH colleagues and CHDR co-conspirators Bruce Janz and Mark Kamrath, and suggested we look into creating a Commons for our own DH community using CUNY’s software. I thought maybe we’d schedule some meetings to explore installation and beta testing this fall. But nothing moves faster than an idea whose time has come, particularly when the software’s free and there’s little or no upfront cost. Bruce shared the idea and a link to the software with T&T Program Director and CAH Assistant Dean for Technology Rudy McDaniel and the aforementioned Bryce Jackson. Within an hour Bryce had reviewed the software and outlined key issues for consideration. By 6:25 p.m. he had an installation set up for exploration and testing.
So here we are, world. Welcome to CAH’s Academic Commons for Digital Humanities and Texts & Technology. Watch this space. This is who we are and what we do.
Scot French–
