Volume 2, Number 4
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SHARP News Volume 2 | Number 4 Article 1 Fall 1993 Volume 2, Number 4 Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/sharp_news Recommended Citation (1993) "Volume 2, Number 4," SHARP News: Vol. 2: No. 4. Available at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/sharp_news/vol2/iss4/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in SHARP News by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. et al.: Volume 2, Number 4 Volume 2, Number 4 Autumn 1993 The Reading Experience Database (RED) Behind many of the questions posed by book history A small steering group was formed earlier this year to lies the problem of "Who read what, and how?" It is explore the feasibility and the academic value of such not a question that can be satisfactorily answered by a project. The group, jointly chaired by Mike Crump setting a couple of Ph.D. students to study "reading (British Library) and Simon Eliot (Open University), experience" because, of course, the evidence is patchy, also includes Elisabeth Leedham-Green (Cambridge obscure and uncertain, and its discovery often a matter University), James Raven (Cambridge Universiky), of serendipity. Commonly the most interesting Jonathan Rose (Drew University), and Alexis Weedon evidence we have for reading experience tends to be a (Luton University). The group has decided that, by-product of other research: one stumbles over an whatever the difficulties, the value of such a database extensively glossed book, a diary entry reveals a day would be so great that at least a pilot project should be devoted to specific reading with comments attached, a attempted. For the purposes of this pilot, chrono- public librarian reports a literary conversation with a logical and geographical boundaries should be set. borrower, and so on. On their own they are nothing The project will collect evidence of reading experience more than picturesque anecdotes; listed together they between 1450-1914 within the British Isles and among seem too disparate to mean much. Quite often these those either born or normally resident in the British interesting anecdotes get recorded on 6x4-inch cards Isles between those dates. Within those parameters all and then forgotten. languages and all nationalities will be covered. The fact that someone owned or borrowed a text would not There is a danger that this evidence might remain in itself be regarded as adequate proof that he or she permanently fragmented and useless unless something had read it (there are many reasons for possessing a is done to record and coordinate it. A couple of years b~okthat have nothing to do with reading it). ago, in the Book Trade History Group Newsletter, it Evidence of the individual having at least scanned part was proposed that we should construct a database that of the text would be required. could store this information: we could then spread the word far and wide that we were collecting reading Having established the limits, the next task was to experience data and invite individuals and institutions to devise a record format which would include as many contribute evidence. The results would be made useful fields as possible without becoming available via both an on-line retrieval system and CD- unrnanageably difficult to fill in. Given that few ROM. This would not be a short-term project. pieces of evidence would be comprehensive enough to However, within five to ten years the quantity of satisfy this full record, we also felt it necessary to material collected, and the fact that it could be searched define the minimum record that would be acceptable. in a multitude of ways, would make the Reading The format, size, and content of both the full and Experience Database (RED) a major resource for the minimum records are still being discussed within the history of reading, the history of the book and, indeed, group. What follows is simply an early draft. The the history of culture and communications generally. group felt very strongly that it did not wish to finalise Published by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst, 1993 1 SHARP News, Vol. 2, No. 4 [1993], Art. 1 SHARP News define the minimum record that would be acceptable. terms that we propose to offer in that field. Fields The format, size, and content of both the full and followed by words within round parentheses indicate minimum records are still being discussed within the that these fields will allow any descriptive word to be group. What follows is simply an early draft. The used, and that those given are merely indicative. group felt very strongly that it did not wish to finalise either the full or minimum records, or any of the fields Proposed Record Fields for Full Record within them, until the widest possible discussion between interested parties had taken place. There are 1.0 RECORD NWMBER two main reasons for inviting such a wide debate: one, we want to involve as many people as possible in the 1.1 Number: collection of evidence, and this will only work if people feel that they have been fully consulted; two, it is no 2.0 THE READER intention of the current group to go much beyond the geographical limits set. Given that other groups may in 2.1 Reader Name: the future wish to run similar projects for North 2.2 Reader Age: America, Europe, Australasia, etc., we should get 2.3 Gender: international agreement on a common format of 2 .4 Socioeconomic Class: records. Significant differences in the way that national [royal/aristocracy/gentry OR projects record reading experience could have professional/academic/merchantOR disastrous consequences for the development of the clerk/tradesman/artisan OR history of reading as an international subject. We laborer (agricultural) OR intend to publish the following draft record formats as laborer (nonagricultural)] widely as possible, and welcome comment and 2.5 Occupation: (e.g., prince, curate, servant, feedback. farmhand) 2.6 Place of Origin: If you have any comments or suggestions, or if you 2.7 Country of Experience: wish to become a contributor to the project, please 2.8 Date of Experience: (e.g., 4 February 1723, contact either Dr. Simon Eliot, Open University, 4 February 1723, 1723, 1720s, 1700-1750, 1700s) Portwall Lane, Bristol BS1 6ND, England, e-mail 2.9 Time of Experience: (e.g., 11:30 a.m., late [email protected]; or Mr. Mike Crump, morning, daytime) Centre for the Book, The British Library, Great Russell 2.10 Place of Experience: (e.g., drawing room, Street, London WClB 3DG, England, e-mail study, church, open air) BM. ESB % RLG. EXRN@NSFNET-RELAY . 2.1 1 Type of Experie~~ce: 2.11.1 [silent OR aloud] NOTE: In any given field words with square brackets 2.11.2 [solitary OR in company] indicate that these are the fixed range of classifying 2.11.3 [listening OR reading] 2.11.4 [passive OR reactive] 2.11.5 [single event OR serial event] 2.12 Listeners: (e.g ., family, friends, servants) SHARP News is the quarterly newsletter of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing, Inc. Annual membership in SHARP, which 3.0 THE TEXT includes a subscription to SHARP News, is $15 in the United States and Canada, €10 in Britain, $20 3.1 Author Name: elsewhere. Send membership dues to Linda Connors, 3.2 Author Date: Drew University Library, Madison, NJ 07940, USA. 3.3 Title: Address editorial correspondence to the Editor, 3.4 Form of Text (MS): [roll, codex, pamphlet, Jonathan Rose, History Department, Drew University, letter, sheet] Madison, NJ 07940, USA. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/sharp_news/vol2/iss4/1 2 et al.: Volume 2, Number 4 Autumn 1993 3 3.5.2 Date of Publication: 3.0 THE TEXT 3.6 Language: (e.g., English, Latin, French) 3.7 Genre: [Bible, sermon, other religious, fiction, 3.1 Author: OR 3.3 Title: OR 3.4 Type: poetry, drama, children 's, history, biography, social OR 3.9 Genre: science,politics ,philosophy, education, textbooks/self- educators, arts/cra#s, law, medicine, technology, 4.0 THE EVIDENCE science, reference/general works, classics] 3.8 Part of text read: (e.g., whole text, section, 4.1 Textual Proof: [this field would contain the text chapter, page, verse) that constituted the evidence] 3.9 Provenance: [owned, borrowed (private library), 4.2 Printed Source: borrowed (institution library), borrowed (circulating 4.2.1 Author: library), borrowed @ublic library), borrowed (other), 4.2.3 Date sf Publication: found, stolen, read in situ] OR 4.3 Manuscript Source: 4.0 THE EVIDENCE 4.3.1 Location: 4.3.2 Call number: 4.1 Textual Evidence: [this field would contain the text 4.3.3 Pagelfolio number: that constituted the evidence] 4.6 Supplied by: 4.2 Printed Source: 4.7 Date supplied: 4.2.1 Author: 4.2.2 Place of Publication: 5.0 GENERAL NOTES 4.2.3 Date of Publication: OR 5.1 Note field: 4.3 Manuscript Source: 4.3.1 Location -Simon Eliot 4.3.2 Call number: 4.3.3 Pagelfolio number: 4.4 Supplied by: me History of the Book at the 4.5 Date supplied: University of Alabama 5.0 GENERAL NOTES The University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies has taught the history of the book 5.1 Note Field: since the founding of the school in 1971. The emphasis initially was on book arts, including courses on printing and the history of printing. These courses developed into a separate two-year M.F.A.