Update on Online History Project

As players of the Emerson UnCommon game will recall, the Iwasaki Library proposed the creation of an updated interactive, media-rich version of the College’s history that would be available online. The project was one of three causes that received funding at the end of the game.

The interactive timeline will be useful in recruiting new students and engaging alumni. It will also serve as a teaching tool for faculty and will simply be a wonderful way to learn new things about the Emerson experience. Users can view, search, and interact with the timeline by contributing timeline items for consideration at http:\\emersonhistory.omeka.net.

The Emerson College History Online (ECHO) project was inspired by the fact the College is famous for its performing arts and media programs. It seems only logical that visitors to the College should be greeted with a historical resource that reflects those academic emphases.

The Emerson UnCommon prize funded a student worker to do content research and run user-testing focus groups, and it will also fund a launch party for the Emerson community in the library on September 24.

Christina Zamon (Iwasaki Library)