Goals

The EarlyPrint library seeks to create a digital library of most English texts published prior to 1700 to “enhance the query potential” of text, images, and metadata. EarlyPrint’s website lists 4 distinct goals the project hopes to provide scholars:

1. Mobile-friendly and accurate transcriptions of texts within the database
2. High-quality images within an intuitive page viewer
3. Detailed data files with bibliographical, structural, and linguistic metadata
4. A collaborative annotation tool scholars can use to make suggestions or corrections on text transcriptions

Ultimately, these goals align with the general goals of DH by publishing, providing access to, and analyzing information from texts that are often difficult to find or are otherwise behind a paywall. Moreover, the ability to download, share, and suggest modifications of EarlyPrint’s data aligns with DH’s best practices of fostering open collaboration.