AbstractThe aim of this article is to discuss the “multimedia encyclopedia” genre launched in the 1980s, the era of “the multimedia revolution.” Encyclopedias of this kind were released on CD-ROM by several well-respected encyclopedia publishers and were widely discussed as an innovation which would lead to information and communication technologies extending rather than replacing the Gutenberg Galaxy. While discussing the launch of multimedia encyclopedias I aim to show how the culture of the printed word was perceived in “the information revolution” discourse of the time by relevant cultural intermediaries.
Between January and June 1993, GeoSystems-an R.R. Donnelley and Sons Company-compiled and produced thirty animated maps for the 1994 edition of the New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Animated subjects requested by Grolier included the American Revolutionary War, World War II, and Magellan's circumnavigation of the world. I collaborated with GeoSystems as a private consultant, providing design specifications for the series. In this paper, I discuss some of the cartographic challenges GeoSystems faced in condensing these complex events into brief (4-5 minute) animations.
Automatic Generation of a Multimedia Encyclopedia from TV Programs
