Using hypothes.is to annotate print books
hypothes.is is a web-based annotation service that I was recently introduced to by my friend Maryann Martone. It is extremely handy for taking notes while web-browsing, and, since it annotates PDFs, I also use it for things like preparing for Faculty-Board negotations regarding the U of L contract.
Today, however, I experimented with a way of using Hypothes.is to annotate print books:
- locate the book in an online library catalogue, Google Books, or an online bookseller like Amazon.com or Chapters.ca
- write notes beginning with the page number you are commenting on/quoting from in hypothes.is
For step 1, you don’t actually need to use an official website, though there are two advantages to doing so:
- You can import the book into a bibliographic manager like Zotero
- Others will be able to find your annotations (if you make them public), because the page you’ve used will be widely available (this is why Google Books or a Library Catalogue are probably best).
As always with hypothes.is, you can force-share your annotations by adding the URL to the end of via.hypothes.is.
Here are some annotations I made today on Weller, Ann C. 2001. Editorial Peer Review: Its Strengths and Weaknesses. Information Today (tied to Google Books).
