London Summer Program

London 2013 Summer II - Two exciting 3-credit courses: 

1. In partnership with Kings College London, Department of Digital Humanities, E-Publishing and Digital Scholarship, course and the Strand Symposium - June 24-July 5, 2013;  

2. In partnership with Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, Museums and Digital Media working with the National Maritime Museum - July 8-26.

*Students may attend both courses but must apply separately. Below you will find detailed information for London 1, followed by practical information and the application for both courses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. E-publishing and Digital Scolarship with Kings College London:  This course and symposium feature lectures by leading academics, researchers, and publishers; visits to London publishers; day-trips to Oxford (OUP and the Boleian) and Cambridge (Proquest); and a one-day symposium on current issues in e-publishing, and a day at the British Library for collection visits and afternoon seminar.

Kings College London (KCL) is ranked as one of the world's best academic institutions, and its Department of Digital Humanities is recognized internationally as a leader in digital humanities research and publication.

London students, Professors Watkinson and Giannini at the entrance to the British Library - 2012

Students at a British Library Seminar on digital scholarship

Strand Symposium on Digital Scholarship and ePublishing - 27th and 28th June 2013
CREATING ONLINE RESOURCES
Academic librarians at universities, colleges, and cultural institutions are not just concerned with linking to or purchasing books and journals. There is a growing range of resources which their patrons need and which contain and integrate a wide range of content and tools. There is something of a division not just between the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, but also between those resources created within the Academy and those created by commercial entities. Yet in many ways the same processes are gone through in building a resource whatever the financial model. Additionally, there are many open standards and platforms for the preservation and discovery of digital content once it has been created. Choice of the best platform and standard is informed by a range of factors.  As with resource creation, such considerations cut across both academia and cultural heritage. In all cases, there is a need to evaluate the market and audience; to determine the most appropriate content and the most user-friendly interface; and to study the level of usage after the resource is built and made available. Someone has to pay for everything and justify the expenditure. There is an ongoing process involved. Sustainability is important.

Today, electronic and digital publishing are at the heart of information professions, cutting across the full range of information contexts and environments. Whether you are interested in digital archives and libraries, journals and scholarly communication, collection development, networked information, information policy, academic, public, or museum libraries, you will need to understand e-publishing as it now transforms the relationships between all constituencies of the our information society. What will be the future of e-books? What new publishing models will emerge as dominant? How will open source effect the publishing industry?  You will hear leaders of English publishing, such as representatives of Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Macmillan, of public institutions such as the British Library and National Archives, as well as KCL faculty, speak to these questions and issues both in lecture sessions at KCL and on visits to publishers, archives, and libraries in London, Oxford and Cambridge and at the course symposium.

Cambridge and Oxford Trips

On these day-long outings, students will visit the leading publishers of each city.  In Oxford, they will also visit the Bodleian Library.

Course Schedule

*Plan to arrive by Monday, June 24
Week 1 schedule:

June 25 - Morning lectures; afternoon visit to a publishing house

June 26 - Day at the British Library: morning collection visits and talks; afternoon, seminar on digital scholarship

June 27 & 28 - Symposium on e-publishing, current trends and issues

Weekend - June 29 & 30 - free time

Week 2 begins Monday, July 1.
July 1 - morning lectures; afternoon, visit to a publishing house

July 2 - day in Oxford, morning -Oxford University Press, class lunch - afternoon - Bodleian Library

July 3 - morning lecutures; afternoon visit to a publishing house

July 4 - day in Cambridge - morning Proquest - class lunch - Kings College Chapel, walking tour, Pembroke College Library 

July 5 - morning lecture, afternoon free - Final class dinner

Course Project -

Each student is required to complete a course project directed by Dean Giannini. Project topics will be based on course studies, participation and experiences during the course and symposium. Students will complete the project (digital format) once they have returned to the US. The project is due no later than three weeks after the end of the course.

A Sampling of Student Projects - London 2012 - http://www.pratt.edu/uploads/london-projects-2012.pdf

 

Course 2: Museums & Digital Media
in partnership with Ravensbourne
July 8-26, a 3-credit, 3 week course, with project work at the National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum will be opening a major new installation in March 2013 - The Great Map.

Above - Ravensbourne College of Design and Communicaiton in London located near the Millenium Dome in New Greenwich.

This course is project-based and focuses on how museums use digital media to engage visitors.  Students will draw ideas for their project from a major new NMM installation, opening in March 2013, called The Great Map.   This exhibition brings the Museum’s largest open space to life with a huge interactive world map that visitors can use to discover more about some of the most famous, infamous and exciting events in Britain’s maritime history.

"Walk across the map’s surface, use a touch-screen tablet to find out more about seafaring stories; and understand from live data the currents and winds that drive vessels and people across the world’s oceans and seas. The Great Map provides a new space at the centre of the Museum where people can gather together, delve deeper into the museum’s collections, and join in with events and celebrations. This multi-sensory, digital experience is especially suitable for families."
The Great Map installation will act as the prime inspiration for this course, with students generating their own installation as a direct response. Their work could then be shown alongside The Great Map as a complementary exhibit at the NMM or at Ravensbourne. They might choose to create a short film or animation, an interactive touch screen exhibit or installation using video projection mapping. (below - Ravensbourne, first floor space)

Short Course Structure
Week 1
Pratt students will begin with a visit to see The Great Map installation and Maritime Library at the National Maritime Museum.  This will enable the students to gain an overview of the historical resources available.  The students will also attend a series of workshops to secure the technical skills required to produce the exhibit. This will involve the services of Media Projects East (video production and animation) and building an interactive touch screen with a guest lecturer in coding and programming from Goldsmiths College.
Week 2.
The students will generate a detailed proposal for their installation, which could take the form of a single collaborative work or a set of related individual contributions.  We anticipate that these ideas will evolve alongside the technical training, as the students gain insights into how best to use their new skills.  Week 2 will involve a second visit to the Maritime Library and other selected museums to begin focused research for content upon which to base the touch screen installation.
Week 3
Intensive content development at Ravensbourne.  Participation in Ravensbourne Research Day ‘Heuristic Journeys’ topics include:
• Choosing your methods (to suit the research question and the research situation).
• A brief history of methods - how researchers developed ways to do research.
• Why have methods? Being scientific/objective.
• Internal and external validation of methods (triangulation, checking data, coding and data analysis).
• What is the range of typical methods?
• New methods (creative methods, online ethnography, etc).
• Inventing methods! Creating new, robust methodologies.
• Research cultures that influence methods (Production Studies, Audience studies, Textual Analysis).
* Provisional Schedule 8th July – 26th July 2013  (below - entrance of the National Maritime Museum)

8th July 2013 Welcome at Ravensbourne
Visit to the National Maritime Museum:
1. The Great Map
2. The Library and Archive

9th July 2013 Ideas Discussion for Exhibition Piece
Digital Photography Workshop
10th July 2013 Projection Mapping Workshop 1
11th July 2013 Projection Mapping Workshop 2
12th July 2013 V&A and Science Museum (independent-study)

15th July 2013 Moving Image Workshop
16th July 2013 Animation Workshop
17th July 2013 Creative coding workshop 1 (Touch Screen)
18th July 2013 Creative coding workshop 2 (Touch Screen)
19th July 2013 Gallery and Museum visits (independent-study)

22nd July 2013 Exhibition work 1 / Development Discussion for Exhibition Piece
23rd July 2013 Rave Research Day
24th July 2013 Exhibition work 3
25th July 2013 Exhibition opening and celebration
*exhibition piece can be either a video installation/screening (film or animation), projection mapping piece, or interactive content for the touch screen.

The London summer program is open to students enrolled in graduate programs or holding graduate degrees in library and information science, the arts, and the humanities. We encourage students to apply as early as possible. For London 1 with KCL, a maximum of 16 students will be accepted, and for London 2 wth Ravensbourne, a maximum of 6 students will be accepted.
Click for application form.

CONTACT: for further information or questions email Dr. Tula Giannini, Dean Pratt-SILS: giannini@pratt.edu 
or Quinn Lai, Advisor for Academic Programs (qlai@pratt.edu) or call the Pratt-SILS office: 212-647-7682.

APPLYING:
Fill out the application form and include a resume indicating undergraduate degree, graduate study and or graduate degree(s), related work experience, and a statement on professional goals and your interest in the London program.
Your full name, address, e-mail, and telephone number.
Send application and materials to:
Pratt Institute, School of Information & Library Science
144 West 14th Street - 6th floor
New York, NY 10011
 

Cost

Tuition for each course: $3,375 (the cost of three graduate course credits at Pratt-SILS) and an international student fee)
Pratt International Program fee per course: $200

Full Payment - Payment in full is due by April 20.
 

Student Housing on UCL Campus

Once a student is accepted into the program, he or she will make a room reservation for Astor College, which is on the UCL Bloomsbury campus, through the SILS office.  This will require a small deposit.  Astor College has single room with Internet access and desks.  Students taking London 2 with Ravensbourne may also consider the KCL dormitories which open July 1 for summer bookings.

If you plan to stay at Astor College, it is important to make your room reservation as soon as possible.  Astor College is conveniently located in Central London (W1T 4QB). There is easy access to the West End, and Oxford Street is a 15 minute walk away (see photo at right). At the point where rooms are no longer available at Astor, students will need to make their own arrangements for accommodations.

Travel 

RT Airfare to London: Students make their own arrangements for travel to London. Thus, students will be able to accommodate their individual travel needs, such as those of students traveling from locations other than New York. Students are encouraged to book early and to use agencies that offer student fares or other special rates.
Estimated RT airfare New York/ London - $1,200
For students in the Florence course traveling to London, Easy Jet and Ryan Air offer inexpensive fares.

Contact

For questions or further information contact: Quinn Lai, Advisor for Academic Programs - qlai@pratt.edu; Dean Giannini - giannini@pratt.edu; or the SILS office -infosils@pratt.edu