Author Archives: Ostap Kin

Reading Rebuses—project update

(Apologies for posting this late.)

At this point, it is fair to say that our group is working steadily and takes good care of assignments on different fronts. We were able to clarify our goals and make sure we are able to meet our deadlines.

I personally have been dealing, among other things, with archives and special collections—conducting research, communicating with institutions, requesting materials. This didn’t go as I planned initially—our current situation is an answer to this question. I certainly predicted archives and special collections are not working as they used to in the past and don’t provide services they typically would but didn’t realize that would be such a case. That being said, I was still able to locate a number of materials online—using various institutions whose collections are digitized and available online in part.

In regard to other members of my group: Bianca was not able to meet her personal milestones as those, she stated, were unrealistic. For example, she anticipated to learn developing and designing a WordPress site by the end of the semester. Despite that, Bianca managed to have acquired something different, also valuable and new: more specifically—how to conceive of the design and content of a website in contrast to an academic publication. Other skills included how to plan and scale goals as a group and how to collaborate by expanding existing strengths.

In terms of the website, Patricia has been meeting her goals. The website works and looks the way she envisioned it (although it is not filled with content yet). Regarding her research, she is a little behind—she had thought she would be further along and able to locate more examples of rebuses). She’s presently thinking about an essay on the connection between rebuses and technology like alt-tags.

Rachel, too, has been meeting, in general, her personal milestones—largely because she was able to have been adapting to changes as they come along. Being into research, she finds it rewarding as a method of discovery and as a way to plan the future path forward. Rachel was able to find way more rebuses thanks to open access but contributed thus far less content. Also, this week’s administration and organization is a place where she can excel because she’s been craving some repetitive work to soothe her brain during chaotic times.

 

Bio note

Ostap Kin is an editor of New York Elegies: Ukrainian Poem on the City (Academic Studies Press, 2019), and the co-translator (with John Hennessy) of Serhiy Zhadan’s A New Orthography (Lost Horse Press, 2020) and (with Vitaly Chernetsky) of Yuri Andrukhovych’s Songs for a Dead Rooster (Lost Horse Press, 2018). He holds an M.S. in library and information science from Long Island University and is presently working on an M.A. in digital humanities from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Kin works as Archivist/Librarian/Research Center Coordinator at the Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University

Fair Use in the Digital Humanities

One of the workshops I attended was “Fair Use in the Digital Humanities.” Copyrights and other legal issues are sometimes unpredictable matters in any business. The world of digital humanities is no exception here. Therefore, it is essential that a researcher is well equipped with knowledge regarding how to use the materials available as well as unavailable online, what are the steps one should take lest they are lampooned for improper usage of materials. And this is where the question of fair use enters the stage. 

My classmate, montage, already posted a blog about this workshop, but I would like to point out some of the very basic nuances one might be interested in to start thinking about fair use for their projects. International copyright laws are different–and that’s important to remember if one intends to work with content produced elsewhere in the world. When you’re thinking about the local situation and the US copyright, 17 U.S. Code §106 is a place to consult and see that the copyright owner has the exclusive rights to do the following: reproduce the work, prepare derivate works; distribute copies of the work; perform the work; and display the work.

Usually, the creator or creators are the ones who own the copyright to their work, and these rights remain with them for the full term of copyright unless transferred elsewhere. When we discuss the significant dates related to copyright, one of such dates is the year 1978 because the copyright for the work produced during this year, or after, lasts the life of the author plus seventy years. It’s getting more complicated with the works created before 1978. Another significant aspect is that the work can enter the public domain and thus in this case no intellectual property laws can be applied in this case. As of January 1, 2021, those works that appeared before 1926 are in the public domain. Even though the abovementioned can seem to be pretty straightforward, it might not be always the case. As it was already said, more information related to fair use in the DH can be found here.

Skills – Ostap

Hello! This is my second semester in the M.A. program in Digital Humanities. I have a Master’s degree in library and information science with a focus in archives and records management. In the past, I also studied English and world literature. I’m presently working as an archivist and librarian and research center coordinator at a museum. 

I have been working on several books often involving a large number of people. So I tend to believe that I have good organizational skills and can work on (and oversee, if necessary) a project from the very beginning to the very end. I also was in charge of a blog dedicated to things in the archival field — I was communicating with potential authors, reading their contributions, selecting books for reviews, findings reviewers, publishing materials on this blog, and, in general, kept this blog in good order.

As an archivist, I am constantly being with touch with various kinds of researchers who seek help with their research. I like helping others — working with archival materials and library holdings means you’re always going to find out new things and that is what I find exciting. 

And when I’m not helping others with their research, I conduct my own research. Because of my degree in library and information science, I feel good about navigating all sorts of various library databases and archives databases. If/when necessary, I read in several Eastern European languages.