Abstract

The Renaissance English Knowledgebase (REKn) is an electronic knowledgebase consisting of primary and secondary materials (text, image, and audio) related to the Renaissance period. The limitations of existing tools to accurately search, navigate, and read large collections of data in many formats, coupled with the findings of our research into professional reading, led to the development of a Professional Reading Environment (PReE) to meet these needs. Both were conceived as necessary components of a prototype textual environment for an electronic scholarly edition of the Devonshire Manuscript. This article offers an overview of the development of both REKn and PReE at the Electronic Textual Cultures Laboratory (ETCL) at the University of Victoria, from proof of concept through to their current iteration, concluding with a discussion about their future adaptation, implementation, and integration with other projects and partnerships.

Keywords

Renaissance, computer-human interaction, knowledgebase, professional reading, interface design, social annotations, prototyping, social networking / Renaissance, interaction homme-machine, base de connaissances, lecture professionnelle, conception

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