taking a byte out of history
Historical scholarship using hypertext certainly seems to be a promising field. For starters, it helps escape some of the “format tyranny” inherent in publishing in a scholarly journal (x number of words, set out in x columns, etc). And, it allows one be creative in how to present one’s work. How much a scholar takes advantage of the flexibility is entirely up to them. Furthermore, the author has a far larger potential audience, since anyone may come across his/her work via a search or link, rather than being confined to the more limited number who come across the issue of the print journal in which they are featured. It also enhances the experience of the reader considerably. In an article which takes more advantage of the medium, the experience can take on a certain “Choose Your Own Adventure” quality, the reader can go off on a tangent which interests them and perhaps get more from the site than they would from having picked up the journal and thumbed through it looking for items of interest. Further, finding a particular note and reference is as simple as clicking a link, no paging back and forth muttering imprecations on the author and editor for using endnotes. Given the prevelence of scholarly articles online, one can even easily check the author’s evidence with a single click. Unfortunately, like all digital media, there is the problem of impermanence. The work can be lost if the website is not kept up, if the site changes domains but does not notify those who link to it of the shift, etc. Unlike a print journal which has many copies and potential places to be archived, unless the originating author or organization keeps up the site, that’s it. The practice of using hypertext may revolutionize historical scholarship, but unless it keeps an eye on itself, it will be a revolution that in future has little of its own history left.