This section covers various software useful in launching a digital project, as well as programs that support the overall research process. Not all software is specific to working with Japanese, but all can accommodate multilingual work in some way. If you have a project you would like to see featured, please let us know.
Digital Toolkit
Web Publishing
Esri StoryMaps
Esri StoryMaps
Esri Story Maps lets you combine authoritative and interactive maps with narrative text, images, and multimedia content. Numerous tutorials are available online, as well as a large gallery of examples that highlight creative approaches and best practices. Librarians in The Harvard Map Collection have expertise working with many geographic and cartographic software, and offer support for Esri Story Maps.
Esri StoryMaps Exhibits on Japan
京都大学地理学教室所蔵の絵葉書コレクション: Kyoto Univ, Dept of Geography Postcard Collection
Life of U.S. Military Families in Tokyo: University of Maryland Library
Omeka
Omeka
Omeka is a free, flexible, and open source web-publishing platform for the display of visuals, text, and scholarly collections and exhibitions. It is simple to create and makes launching an online archive or exhibition as easy as launching a blog. It is possible to request an Omeka site for use in Harvard College and GSAS courses through Academic Technology for FAS.
A collection of useful and quick tutorials called Omeka Sugar was created by Jeremy Guillette, Instructional Technologist at Academic Technology for FAS. It is a useful supplement to the official Omeka documentation.
Japan Omeka Exhibits
Imaging Kanto, Mapping Japan’s 1923 Earthquake through Visual Culture: Duke University, Gennifer Weisenfeld and Nicole Gaglia
Scalar
Scalar
Scalar is a free, open source authoring and publishing platform that is designed for long-form, born-digital writing. It enables users to assemble and manage media from a variety of sources and juxtapose them with essay and book-length narratives. Minimal technical expertise is required, and both linear and non-linear navigation is possible.
Harvard’s Scalar is managed by Academic Technology for FAS and Arts and Humanities Research Computing. To get started, fill out this request form for access. For more information, you can look to the Scalar User's Guide, developed by the team who created Scalar at USC, or for Harvard-specific customizations, look to the Harvard Scalar Guide.
Scalar Exhibits on Japan
Bodies and Structures: Deep-Mapping Modern East Asian History: David Ambaras, NC State and Kate McDonald, UC Santa Barbara
Unpinning History: Japanese Posters in the Age of Commercialism, Imperialism, and Modernism: University of Southern California (USC) Libraries
Japanese Book History: A View from USC LIbraries: Rebecca Corbett, University of Southern California
Mapping Isabella Bird: Geolocation and Unbeaten Tracks in Japan (1880): Christina M. Spiker, Art Historian
Timeline.JS
Timeline.JS
TimelineJS is an open-source tool that enables anyone to build visually rich, interactive timelines. Beginners can create a timeline using nothing more than a Google spreadsheet. Examples highlight the wide array of sources that use Timeline.JS.
TimelineJS Exhibits on Japan
Further assistance is also available through the Digital Scholarship Support Group (DSSG), which brings together Harvard faculty and staff with expertise in incorporating digital methods into their teaching and research. In addition to a recurring Foundations Seminar Series, the DSSG also provides individual guidance on getting started with digital scholarship projects. Drop in during Office Hours with questions and DSSG members will suggest tools, methodologies, and approaches that benefit your work, and try to connect you with relevant resources, organizations, and researchers. We encourage you to fill out this Google Form before attending Office Hours so that the appropriate DSSG experts can be contacted.
Consultation requests for digital project planning, library research, and training in the skills associated with software tools are welcome and encouraged. Please email Katherine Matsuura or Mac Gill to schedule an appointment.