Coalition of Humanities and Arts Infrastructures and Networks - CHAIN

A panel will discuss areas of cooperation and practical work between the various initiatives engaged in building e-infrastructure to support the next generation digital research in the Humanities.

Following from a panel session at DH2009, in October 2009 representatives of numerous important associations, networks and projects met and resolved to form CHAIN – the Coalition of Humanities and Arts Infrastructures and Networks. The initial 'CHAIN Gang' comprised:

The representatives of these various initiatives identified the current fragmented environment where researchers operate in separate areas with often mutually incompatible technologies as a barrier to fully exploiting the transformative role that these technologies can potentially play. CHAIN recognised that their current and planned activities were interdependent and complementary and resolved that they should be oriented towards working together to overcome barriers, and to create a shared environment where technology services can interoperate and be sustained, thus enabling new forms of research in the Humanities.

CHAIN will act as a forum for areas of shared interest to its participants, including:

CHAIN will promote an open culture where experiences, including successes and failures, can be shared and discussed, in order to support and promote the use of digital technologies in research in the Humanities.

This session will feature panellists from the CHAIN gang, who will introduce the practical measures that they are engaged in to build a coherent, interoperable and maximally effective services to support research in the Humanities, and will address the following questions: