Open Knowledge Practicum (31 May – 2 June 2017)

Electronic Textual Cultures Lab (ETCL; etcl.uvic.ca; @ETCLatUVic)

In partnership with the University of Victoria Libraries and the Faculty of Humanities, UVic’s Electronic Textual Cultures Lab is offering Open Knowledge Practicums for this year’s Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI) participants, as well as university faculty, staff, and students, and members of the greater Victoria community. The practicums will run 31 May – 2 June 2017 (the week prior to DHSI). Open Knowledge Practicum Fellows will join the team in the ETCL in order to contribute to a well-defined topic in open, public venues (e.g., Wikipedia).

The ETCL has been running Open Knowledge Practicums since January 2017. Students may wish to explore an area connected to their study, and to work with a field specialist; faculty and staff may propose to make more accessible some of the work in their field, and choose to work with a student or other colleagues; citizen scholars may wish to engage in family, community, or local public history. Fellows may wish to engage with materials from UVic’s library and archives, create an openly available exhibit of digital material, contribute to online knowledge bases like Wikipedia, and beyond. We ask only that you use your imagination to propose something you’d be interested in doing!

Fellows for this program have basic facility in the area of proposed work and technologies pertinent to the proposal; are self-directed and have experience working toward defined goals; are able to work successfully in a team environment; and are able to make a 3-day commitment to participate on-campus, in the ETCL.

Open Knowledge Practicums will be based in the Electronic Textual Cultures Lab, an interdisciplinary research organization at UVic. Applications, comprising a cover letter that proposes work for the practicum and outcomes, CV, and the names and contact information for two people who can speak to your competencies in the area, may be sent electronically to <khatib@uvic.ca>, and will be considered on a rolling basis. Applications are due by 1 March. Please indicate in your cover letter if you would like to be considered for an honorarium related to the fellowship; several are available.

Honorariums for this practicum are comprised of four night accommodations in UVic’s residence, as well as a standard, institutional per diem for the three days of the fellowship.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.


Randa El Khatib
PhD Student | University of Victoria
Research Assistant | Electronic Textual Cultures Lab
@randaelka