On the Alliance for Networking Visual Culture “About Scalar” page, they open their “About” text with the following statement: “Scalar is a free, open source authoring and publishing platform that’s designed to make it easy for authors to write long-form, born-digital scholarship online.” And though it is technically a “free” and “open” source tool, its actual accessibility is not readily apparent. In order to fully partake in utilizing the Scalar tool, one must apply and receive permission to use the software. It is an unexpected barrier and could be interpreted as clashing with their opening statement.
The next statement accomplishes as little or as much as the first statement. “Scalar enables users to assemble media from multiple sources and juxtapose them with their own writing in a variety of ways, with minimal technical expertise required.” As one continues on reading the description about Scalar, the language used to explain the tool requires one to have a little more than “minimal technical expertise” in order to understand what is actually being said.
Also on this page is their “Scalar 2.0-Trailer” video that provides various examples of Scalar projects, as well as describing all that the platform has to offer. Scalar, they claim is better than and a combination of blogs and ebooks, but with enhanced audiovisual elements that can be added with ease. Scalar also allows one to display information in a variety of ways beyond the normal linear route. Overall, the video did clarify several aspects of what Scalar is, it still came across as something that would not be too easy for the less tech savvy community.
The Scalar project I decided to investigate was the article “Performing Archive: Edward S. Curtis + ‘the vanishing race’” (created with Scalar 2.0). The project functions as both a “meta-archive” and as, “an interpretive layer that examines Curtis’ materials through essays written by a variety of contributors.” Upon opening the “Performing Archive” project, one sees a photograph and at the bottom of the page a “Begin with ‘Introduction’” blue icon to click on to proceed through the site. The introduction (as they often do) describes the project and its parameters. There is another section on this page that also discusses how one should use the “Performing Archive.” Below that is a Contents list that functions as a guide map for what is to come next. It is also useful for those looking to read through a specific section, and aren’t forced to go through the entire project. Overall, the Scalar project was easy to navigate through. But creating one seems like it would be a hardship for the not tech savvy and fun for experts and those who better understand this kind of software and can make the most of it.
Amber Sophia 