Kickstarter

This is another big thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far! THANK YOU! 

This is also an explanation of how much further we can go. We estimate that with an additional 30% over our original goal, we can actually start building not only the software infrastructure for things like multilingual editions, but also support the necessary, painstaking scholarship that goes into the kinds of interactive, useful edition-apps we are imagining. We have already begun talking with software engineers about making this a reality, but we're not there yet! So these last days are vital for pushing this project to its limits. 

In Phase IV, we will not only be able to work with the kinds of materials we have been talking about for the first three phases of our project, but also take existing public domain works (classic works of philosophy, literature, and more!) and re-create them in ways that can promote learning, close-reading, language study, critical thought, and, in general, integrate the works that are available more closely into the daily lives of YOU, the users, the "public" that owns that "domain." This is tremendously exciting for us. It is yet another way for us, as an organization, to continue our mission of bringing the humanities, social sciences, and sciences into the social worlds of communities around us here in New York and also, using our tools, anywhere else. 

So thank you all again! We know we wouldn't have made it this far without you, and we know that with your support, especially in getting the word out about the Brooklyn Institute and the ~Archive, we will be able to make these last remaining days as rewarding as possible! 

It's also the end of our Spring Term for the Brooklyn Institute. We've attached some photos here. These aren’t photos of old books, or books we're working to preserve. Rather, we're posting photos of what our classes are like here at the Institute. Our e-tools aren't only about us. And they're not even only about you. They're also about making rigorous, serious scholarship more widely available to everyone. They're about making this kind of experience possible everywhere: easily replicable, sustainable, adaptable, transparent, and accessible. Our ~Archive and our other e-projects are not about replacing the social world with a virtual one. They're about using technology in innovative ways to support and enhance the world we share and the communities we live in. We thank you again for your support. We can't wait to keep talking with about preserving books, creating new ways to share them, and more, in the coming months and beyond.  

FYI: If you are posting or forwarding this, some articles about the BISR:

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/04/17/new-york-project-seeks-wider-audience-liberal-arts 

http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/brooklyn-institute-2012-4/ 

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/02/stone-links-a-physicists-flap/