This course provides a wide-ranging and practical exploration of electronic texts and related technologies. Drawing on the experience and resources available at UVa's Electronic Text Center, the course covers the following areas: how to find existing etexts; how to create archival-quality etexts, including digital image facsimiles; the necessity of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) for etext development and use; the implications of XML; text analysis software; and the management and use of Web-based SGML text databases.

As a focus for the study of etexts, the class creates an electronic version of a printed text, marks its structure with SGML ("TEI") tagging, creates digital images of sample pages and illustrations, produces a hypertext version, and makes it all available on the Internet. For this year's course, participants created electronic texts based on the letters of former slaves from Virginia who settled in Liberia between 1834 and 1866. These electronic texts make accessible two versions of the transcribed documents, the original version and the modernized version. They also include images of the manuscript pages, which are available in large or small formats..