Founded and directed by Dr. Dene Grigar, the Electronic Literature Lab (ELL) contains over
80 vintage Macintosh & PC computers, dating back from 1977, vintage software,
peripherals, and a library of over 300 works of electronic literature and other media.
ELL's activities focus on curation, documentation, preservation, conservation, and
production of born-digital art, literature, and video games. It has created and continues
to manage the ELO's The
NEXT and supports video game R&D through CMDC Studios.
ELL is only lab in the world of its kind and, for that reason, draws international artists, developers, and scholars to study with us from Poland, Spain, France, Germany, Canada, England, the US, Australia, and Japan.
Our Spaces
The Reading Room
One of the only spaces of its type in the world, The Reading Room is the location where
visitors interested in born- digital art, literature, and games can access historical
media on one of the 30 functioning vintage computers that date back to 1983.
The Archives Room
Physical archives belonging to or managed by the Electronic Literature Organization and are
processed and held in The Archives Room. Digitalizing as well as cataloging materials take
place in this space. The space is also used for processing the physical archives in The
Dene Grigar Collection.
The Studio
Equipped with sound and video tools, The Studio hosts live Traversals, artists talks, and
interviews relating to born-digital art, literature, and games. The space includes
computers, mixing boards, speakers, microphones, and a large-screen monitor.
ELL developed the first metadata schema that addresses the needs of people with disabilities and sensory sensitivities so that they can know in advance how to access and engage with born-digital art, literature, and games.
Our Story
ELL has been founded for the purpose of studying the curation, preservation, and
production of born digital literary works and other media that are participatory,
interactive, and experiential. At the heart of what we do is care for the digital objects
that reflect human expression and creativity, ensuring that they remain accessible to the
public and sustainable over time.
We have recently received a $250K grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (with UK scholar Frode Hegland) to explore the use of WebXR for reading and writing texts in Virtual Reality environments Learn more at thefutureoftext.org/xr.
What's new in ELL
Dene Grigar received the Electronic Literature Organization's 2024 Marjorie C. Luesebrink Career Achievement Award
The award "honors a visionary artist and/or scholar who has brought excellence to the field of electronic literature and has inspired others to help create and build the field."
The lab pioneered born-digital conservation and preservation, saving Flash works, leading the reconstruction of classic hypertext and interactive literature, and documenting important interactive novels published from the late 1980s onward.
Our Research
Our work ranges from innovations to archival practices, experimenting with publishing
methodologies, and rethinking preservation techniques. Our research output includes
traditional publications like books and articles but also exhibition curation, museum
design, and translation media.
Our Team
The lab's many talented designers, programmers, 2D animators and 3D modelers, videographers,
and social
media specialists are all alums from Creative Media & Digital Culture at
Washington State University Vancouver. Many begin their careers as paid interns in the lab
and stay on to take up leadership roles after they graduate with their B.A. Some take the
skills they learn and land excellent jobs in industry.
