Syriac Manuscripts in the British Library: A New Digital Edition of Wright’s Catalog, review panel and online workshop, June and July 2024

Applications due March 23, 2024

Syriaca.org is pleased to call for editorial review panelists to assist in the publication of Syriac Manuscripts in the British Library: A New Digital Edition of Wright’s Catalog, a digital enhancement of William Wright's Catalogue of Syriac Manuscripts in the British Museum published by Syriaca.org in partnership with the British Library.

The new database is an open-access online resource designed to help users search and rearrange the manuscripts according to multiple criteria, many of which were not central to Wright’s system of organization (e.g. chronology, additions, marginalia, scribes, or forms of decoration).

Panelists will be invited to participate in a two-week online workshop hosted by The Digital Lab at Vanderbilt University during the weeks of June 3-7, 2024, and July 8-12, 2024. Honoraria for participants will be paid by a grant from Vanderbilt University’s Office of the Vice Provost for Research & Innovation.

We invite graduate students, independent scholars, researchers, librarians, and faculty members with expertise in Syriac Studies to serve as editorial review panelists who will review and revise the data and test the database. All collaboration will be done remotely, and we welcome applications from scholars in any location, if they can join the project using online tools.

All panelists must be able to read Syriac and have previous graduate-level training in the history of Syriac texts. No prior knowledge of manuscript cataloging, or digital encoding is required (the workshop will provide training).

It is preferred that panelists commit to at least two weeks of full-time collaboration (approximately 40 hours per week) on the project. The project will be held in June and July of 2024 with mandatory workshop training meetings occurring in the weeks of June 3-7, 2024, and July 8-12, 2024.