First World War: are we getting the complete picture?

The First World War is one of the most widely covered topics in further and higher education and schools, but according to a new JISC report, little is known about what aspects of the War are being taught, the key research questions or indeed the digital content available to support education and research in this area. The new survey report by the JISC-led Strategic Content Alliance, 'Digital Content for the First World War' , based on a study undertaken by King's College London, addresses these questions for the benefit of people managing digital resources in universities, libraries and museums. The report argues that the centenary of the War in 2014 offers digital content creators the opportunity to reappraise received notions of the experience and legacy of the conflict across disciplines. For example, they might choose to create digital resources for aspects of the War that have been little explored - such as the global nature of the War, medical and nursing history and the study of wider economic and social issues. William Philpott, Professor of the History of Warfare at King's College London, said: 'The findings of this report will prove of exceptional interest to scholars of the First World War. It identifies the diverse range of approaches to teaching about the Great War and demonstrates the enduring interests in the subject as the centenaries approach.' To draw attention to the breadth of under-used content in often small and medium sized collections as well as to encourage collaboration between people working on them, JISC have also funded King's College London to develop a new online resource 'UK World War One Collections' .