The JISC funded ‘Building a Virtual Research Environment for the Humanities’ (BVREH) focuses on the humanities division at Oxford, identifying areas where VRE tools would be beneficial, both at Oxford and in a wider context. The project is carrying out a detailed survey of research activities across the division forming the basis for the selection of a number of tools which, implemented as demonstrators, will enable the project to provide the community with tangible ideas of how their needs might be addressed and to begin a phase of user testing.

Current findings reveal a need for generic tools such as:

Services/tools to help with grant applications and funding;
Services to centralise forms and information, e.g. travel and expense forms;
Resources and information about research and research interests;
Searchable lecture/seminar lists where one can pre-select areas of interest and be alerted to relevant events.

Specific functionality includes:

An integrated interface allowing browsing and searching of multiple image collections, including tools to compare and annotate the researcher’s personal collection;
Project management tools, such as wikis, shared calendars and access to chat facilities.

Using a number of scenarios, the poster will illustrate the diversity of researchers across the humanities division and will demonstrate how individuals and groups might benefit from the tools and services available within a VRE. The poster will utilise information gathered during the user requirements survey and feedback from user testing on tools which will, by summer 2006, be available for demonstration.

Building a Virtual Research Environment for the Humanities. (Ruth Kirkham, John Pybus)

Building a Virtual Research Environment for the Humanities.
(Ruth Kirkham, John Pybus)