A series of 21 'living books' has been launched online as part of a pioneering initiative designed to provide a bridge between the humanities and the sciences. The Living Books About Life series is written and produced by humanities scholars from universities across the world - from the UK and America to Poland and Australia - and has re-packaged and re-presented science-related research material to make it more accessible to a humanities audience.
Funded by JISC and published by the Open Humanities Press (OHP), the publications address a number of scientific topics whose unifying theme is life, including air, agriculture, bioethics, cosmetic surgery, energy, neurology and human cloning. The books present recent research on these subjects in a palatable way using interactive maps, podcasts and audio-visual materials. The result, which can be shared freely amongst both academic and non-academic individuals alike, is an engaging and diverse resource for researching and teaching relevant science issues across the humanities.
As well as bridging the divide between the humanities and sciences, the three partner institutions working on the project - led by Coventry University and including the University of Kent and Goldsmiths, University of London - have 'rethought' the conventional book by developing a new, low-cost and sustainable model for creating, publishing and sharing content.
By embracing the age of open information and the increasing prominence of crowdsourcing, the project leaders have ensured that each volume in the Living Books About Life series is a 'living' medium itself, able to be updated by readers through ongoing collaborative processes of writing, editing, remixing and commenting.
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