Students create virtual museum of digital literature

A virtual museum and library of more than 2,500 digital literary works from around the world is now accessible thanks to the collaborative work of more than three dozen recent graduates of WSU Vancouver’s Creative Media and Digital Culture program.

Called The NEXT, it was created for the Electronic Literature Organization, an international arts group currently housed at Washington State University.

The online museum responds to the growing need for open-access, travel-free cultural and research experiences for today’s public and scholars, making its archives accessible for the next generation of readers. Since its launch on May 24, The Next has attracted more than 1,000 visitors from 21 countries.

The virtual museum is designed so that visitors can interact with and experience the collections. It includes more than 50 videos, more than 4,000 images, some 30 3D models that visitors can manipulate, and several interactive GIFs. Visitors may download selected works.

Five of the students who helped create The Next participated in the ELO’s 2021 virtual conference in May and presented the class’s work to the international electronic-literature community. In April, the project was awarded second place in the Podium Competition of WSU Vancouver’s Research Showcase.

Originally posted at WSU Vancouver