The Linked Editing Academic Framework (LEAF) in the multimodal annotation ecosystem

Conference presentation at Reimagining Annotation for Multimodal Cultural Heritage (Rennes, FR: 7-9 February 2024)

The Linked Editing Academic Framework (LEAF) is a virtual research environment, a platform and suite of tools designed to support researchers working collaboratively in cultural heritage spaces, enabling them to undertake sophisticated editorial work in multiple media formats. Built with the Islandora repository framework, LEAF is based on linked data principles and interlinked with the larger LOD ecosystem, not only through its use of PIDs (Persistent Identifiers) but through a sophisticated toolset that allows novice as well as expert users to annotate cultural heritage materials at both meta- and granular-levels. The platform allows scholars to focus on their subject of study rather than to learn how to code, enabling researchers without extensive technical expertise to annotate content as part of their scholarly workflows. LEAF mobilizes some tools by directly integrating them into the platform; others are supported indirectly by either providing compatible outputs or supporting/retooling their outputs; and some core components are also modular so they can serve as stand-alone tools or be integrated in other systems.