Annotating Books

… of the second ACM international conference on Digital …, 1997

Readers annotate paper books as a routine part of their engagement with the materials; it is a useful practice. manifested through a wide variety of markings made in service of very different purposes. This paper examines the practice of annotation in a particular situation: the markings students make in university-level textbooks. The study focuses on the form and function of these annotations, and their status within a community of fellow textbook readers. Using this study as a basis, I discuss issues and implications for the design of annotation tools for a digital library setting.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), 2011

We report on three years of data collected in the field from students in graduate and undergraduate seminars at two universities. The students annotated texts for discussion in classes where hypertext and computer interfaces were core topics. The results of our analysis show how annotation style changes with a combination of experience and study of material related to annotation. Our major conclusions are that there are essentially six purposes for scholarly user-readers to annotate; and support for textual glosses is a necessary part of any successful annotation technology for such use. Our study suggests tools that will be appreciated by e-text users.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), 2009

Annotation plays a major role in a user's reading of a document: from elementary school students making notes on text books to professors marking up their latest research papers. A common place for annotations to appear is in the margin of a document. Surprisingly, there is little systematic knowledge of how, why and when annotations are written in margins or over the main text. This paper investigates how margin size impacts the ease with which documents can be annotated, and user annotation behavior. The research comprises of a two part investigation: first, a paper study that examines margins and their use in physical documents; secondly, we evaluate document reader software that supports an extended margin for annotation in digital documents.

A collection of essays exploring annotation and scholarly practice in early medieval manuscripts. Annotations in modern books are a phenomenon that often causes disapproval: we are not supposed to draw, doodle, underline, or highlight in our books. In many medieval manuscripts, however, the pages are filled with annotations around the text and in-between the lines. In some cases, a ‘white space’ around the text is even laid out to contain extra text, pricked and ruled for the purpose. Just as footnotes are an approved and standard part of the modern academic book, so the flyleaves, margins, and interlinear spaces of many medieval manuscripts are an invitation to add extra text.

The class notes on academic reading and writing provide essential guidance for students seeking to improve their skills in these critical areas. The notes emphasize the importance of active reading, which involves engaging with the material, asking questions, and making connections. Additionally, the notes provide practical strategies for effective writing, such as developing a clear thesis statement, using evidence to support arguments, and avoiding common grammatical errors. The notes also highlight the significance of citation and referencing in academic writing, including the use of appropriate citation styles. Overall, these class notes offer valuable insights and practical tips for students to enhance their academic reading and writing abilities and succeed in their academic pursuits.

2017

Annotation Studio will be a web-based application that actively engages students in interpreting literary texts and other humanities documents. While strengthening students' new media literacies, this open source web application will develop traditional humanistic skills including close reading, textual analysis, persuasive writing, and critical thinking. Initial features will include: 1) easy-to-use annotation tools that facilitate linking and comparing primary texts with multi-media source, variation, and adaptation documents; 2) sharable collections of multimedia materials prepared by faculty and student users; 3) multiple filtering and display mechanisms for texts, written annotations, and multimedia annotations; 4) collaboration functionality; and 5) multimedia composition tools. Products of the start-up phase will include a working prototype, feedback from students and instructors, and a white paper summarizing lessons learned.

2024

Reading is an important skill and understanding how to effectively read and engage with texts is crucial for young scholars. In this research project, we investigate how the annotation style of one of the most prominent contemporary philosophers—Jacques Derrida—can provide insights into the effective reading strategies for young scholars across different fields.

annotated bibliography about ESP