HULCE Guide: Introduction
HULib Critical Editions (HULCE) enables the creation of free editions of all kinds of texts based on ancient or modern manuscripts. The system is based on the idea of linking data. For the user of the edition, digitized manuscripts and old digitized editions open up as pop-up windows in the right place, making it much easier to study the manuscripts and editions at the same time (synoptically). Furthermore, the editor can easily provide a critical apparatus, translation and commentary, which all can be opened as pop-up windows in the right place, elucidating the study of the text. All of these elements can also be studied separately, copied and printed according to the needs of the user.
HULCE is developed to promote the materially cost-free creation and open availability of digital editions. It seeks to open possibilities for cooperation between institutions, librarians, scholars and teachers who are interested in creating editions of texts based on digitized manuscripts and editions. At the same time, new open and digital editions give a chance for manuscripts that have not yet been digitized, hoping they may be available someday. HULCE also promotes digital humanities, the study of the reception history of ancient texts, issues related to local texts and more.
Last but not least, the agenda of HULCE is not only that of specialists and professionals. It also seeks to promote citizen science – anyone's interest in ancient authors, old books and manuscripts – a past that becomes alive.
Main part of HULCE is open Critical Editions (CE). Structure of the first HULCE CE is described below. Other parts of HULCE are Manual, Help and Administration.
HULCE Manual describes how to make a CE using LibApps.
HULCE Help gives advice for users of the CEs.
HULCE Administration provides tools for CE administrators.
Digitized documents enabling HULCE
Digitized documents (manuscripts, editions, translations) enable making of critical edition in HULCE. Links to the documents give opportunity to check immediately the original source.
LibApps features used in HULCE
HULCE takes advantage of the features of the LibApps platform.
HULCE is a group under HULib ResearchGuides (helsinki.libapps.com/libguides). HULCE uses ResearchGuides' look&feel -elements with some modifications (e.g. different logo). Modifications are described in this Manual <link>.
Each Critical Edition (CE) is a Guide in the HULCE-group.
Each CE consists of (LibApps) pages. You can select any number of pages for your CE. For large CEs child pages are useful.
LibApps boxes are used on the pages. In the pilot corpus texts were divided in the boxes by chapters. It is advisable to divide the text into sections. Rich Text/HTML -items were used for text, links and images.
Links are Rich Text/HTML links and anchors. This means that LibApps Link Checker is not checking these links. If you want them to be checked, you should make a link asset of all the links you want to checked. Because the Link Checker is a tool for administrators, we put the Epistula Polycarpi link asset page in the HULCE Administration guide, which is internal.
Pilot critical edition Epistula Polycarpi has six pages:
Digital Corpora and Scholarly Editions of Latin Texts: Features and Requirements of Textual Criticism,
Franz Fischer, University of Cologne (franz.fischer@uni-koeln.de)
Speculum, Volume 92, Number S1, October 2017, The Digital Middle Ages, The journal of the Medieval Academy of America
https://doi.org/10.1086/693823
