How authorship is made and named: a meta-aggregator / The NEXT
The NEXT
https://the-next.eliterature.org/
historical lineageAvant-garde and experimental archivesHeteronymy, persona and pseudonymous authorshipCollective and distributed authorshipMachine participation in authorshipactive
The archive's reading. The NEXT keeps electronic literature under the names its authors published under, and the saved sources show a pen name held as such beside the civil name (M.D. Coverley, Marjorie C. Luesebrink); in #940's terms that is a pseudonym kept and traceable to its bearer, and the sources show no distinct authorial function constituted under it. It holds a collaborative work under a collective's name and lists AI among its collections' qualities; what the sources show is preservation of authored works through migration, with authorship left with the author, and no record of how machine participation is attributed.
| Relation to this census | historical lineage |
|---|---|
| Record type | archive |
| The question it answers | Under which names, collections and preservation states are born-digital literary works held (name preservation in author collections; work-level metadata)? |
| Kind | a combination museum, library, and preservation space for digital art and writing (its own words); a repository of electronic literature (Wikipedia, third party) |
| Operator | managed by the Electronic Literature Lab at Washington State University Vancouver, with Dene Grigar as Managing Director and Curator, and supported by grants, donations and commissions; Wikipedia (third party) says it is supported by Washington State University at Vancouver and the Electronic Literature Organization |
| Evidence | primary text; anthology; catalogue |
| Unit of record | a work of digital art or writing within one of its collections (individual artists and scholars, online journals, anthologies, showcases, scholarly publications, ELO archives), described in its Extended Electronic Metadata Schema (ELMS) per Wikipedia |
| What it records | born-digital literature and net art in 48 collections: individual author collections, online experimental journals from 1995 to the present, the Electronic Literature Collections, showcases, scholarly publications and the Electronic Literature Organization's historical media; physical artifacts are held at the Electronic Literature Lab |
| Whose authorship it keeps | the authorship of the electronic-literature authors and artists whose works and materials are donated or collected, by author collection, journal or anthology |
| Under what name | under the name the author published under, with a pen name kept as such: Wikipedia (third party) says the Marjorie C. Luesebrink Collection holds 66 works, 27 of them created and published under the pen name M.D. Coverley, and describes her as an artist 'who publishes under the name M. D. Coverley'; the ELO Repository page gives her as 'Marjorie C. Luesebrink (M.D. Coverley)'; a collaboratively designed work stands under its collective's name (Decameron Collective); how ELMS records an author name or pen name is not in the saved sources |
| Who holds it | The NEXT, managed by the Electronic Literature Lab and supported by grants, donations and commissions; author collections are donated by artists and scholars; access is open and online ('open-access, travel-free') |
| Authorial function and responsibility | author collections hold an author's own works with donated materials, including personal copies of other authors' works; the museum re-creates, migrates and records video playthroughs of works made on obsolete software, and the work stays under its author; a collaborative work is held under its collective (nine Canadian artists and scholars for Decameron Collective); the saved sources show no attribution model for machine participation |
| Method | donation of author collections and journals; curated exhibitions and showcases; migration and re-creation of works written on obsolete software, and metadata where re-creation is not yet possible (Wikipedia); description in ELMS |
| Coverage | geography: international: individual artists and scholars 'from around the world'; period: online experimental journals from 1995 to the present; early hypertext works from the 1980s and 1990s among the re-created works (Wikipedia) |
| Count | value: 48 collections (home page); over 3,000 works by 2022 (Wikipedia, third party); as_of: home page read 2026-11-01; works count 2022 |
| Holdings | 48 collections of digital art and writing (home page); over 3,000 works by 2022, up from 30 collections of 2,500 works (Wikipedia); author collections, among them Hayles, Holeton, Joyce, Kendall, Kolb, Larsen, Luesebrink, Memmott, Moulthrop, Strickland and Zellen (Wikipedia); online journals: Iowa Review Web, BeeHive, Cauldron and Net, Poems That Go, Turbulence.org, The New River (Wikipedia); the Electronic Literature Collections (anthologies); re-created works such as Victory Garden (2022) and Uncle Buddy's Phantom Funhouse (2021) (Wikipedia); an expanded exhibition of Talan Memmott's 22 works of net art |
| Stated limits | where re-creation is not yet possible (Shockwave works such as Nio and The Impermanence Agent) it provides as much metadata as possible (Wikipedia, third party); its own curatorial statement, which would state its scope, saved 1 character and is unread |
| Data access | public website, open access, with basic search; physical archives held at the Electronic Literature Lab |
| Licence | not stated in the saved sources |
| Lifecycle | state: active; detail: the home page (read 2026-11-01) features a new work (Annie Grosshans, ThinkingDaughters) and an expanded exhibition; Wikipedia gives 2011 as the year established and was last edited 6 September 2026 |
| Version and time | established: 2011; works_count: 2022; wikipedia_last_edited: 2026-09-06; read: 2026-11-01 |
| Founded | 2011 (Wikipedia, third party) |
What its record can settle
- which collections, journals and author collections the museum holds
- under which published name, including a pen name, an author collection stands (Luesebrink as M.D. Coverley, per Wikipedia and the ELO Repository page)
- which works it has re-created from obsolete software
What it cannot settle
- how ELMS records names, pen names or contributors (the schema is not in the saved sources)
- which of its works are made with AI, and how machine participation is attributed: AI is one listed quality of its collections
- its curatorial principles (the curatorial statement is unread)
- a current count of works (the latest in the saved sources is 2022)
Kept apart
- NOT the ELO Repository: archive.the-next.org is the Electronic Literature Organization Repository, which names The NEXT as ELO's 'newly created museum/library/preservation space' for collections still 'coming soon'
- NOT the Electronic Literature Lab: the lab manages The NEXT and holds its physical artifacts, and is its own row
- NOT read through its curatorial statement: that page saved 1 character
- NOT a record of AI-made literature as such: AI is one quality among many listed for its collections
- NOT a register of civil identities: works stand under their published names
Relations
- neighbour: Electronic Literature Lab (ELL) (The NEXT is managed by the Electronic Literature Lab, which holds its physical artifacts (home page; Wikipedia))
Evidence
- self_description (the resource's own statement):
Envisioned as a combination museum, library, and preservation space, The NEXT maintains and makes its archives accessible for the next generation
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - open_access (the resource's own statement):
responds to the growing need for open-access, travel-free cultural and research experiences for today's public and scholars.
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - collections (the resource's own statement):
these are some of the qualities found among the 48 collections of digital art and writing at The NEXT.
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - qualities_ai (the resource's own statement):
Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Codework, Combinatory, Generative
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - managed (the resource's own statement):
The NEXT is supported by grants, donations, and commissions and managed by the Electronic Literature Lab.
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - curator (the resource's own statement):
Dene Grigar, Managing Director and Curator
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - individual (the resource's own statement):
Discover the work of individual artists and scholars from around the world donated to The NEXT
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - journals (the resource's own statement):
View works published in online experimental journals from 1995 to the present
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - anthologies (the resource's own statement):
Explore the exciting works published in the Electronic Literature Collections
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - decameron (the resource's own statement):
A virtual world collaboratively designed by of nine Canadian artists and scholars with audio, text, films, photographs, music, visual art, algorithmic poetry, and games
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - memmott (the resource's own statement):
22 works of net art that explore the aesthetic of code, language, and code language
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - new_work (the resource's own statement):
A new Web essay by Annie Grosshans following her haunting
https://the-next.eliterature.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 34dca9a805e7e346… - wp_repository (a third-party account):
The NEXT: Museum, Library, and Preservation Space is a repository of electronic literature . It is supported by Washington State University at Vancouver and the Electronic Literature Organization .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_physical (a third-party account):
Physical artifacts are held at the Electronic Literature Lab in Vancouver, Washington , US.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_established (a third-party account):
Established 2011
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_count (a third-party account):
This digital museum originally housed 30 separate collections of 2,500 electronic literature works [ 1 ] [ 5 ] which had increased to over 3,000 works by 2022.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_elms (a third-party account):
The NEXT uses an Extended Electronic Metadata Schema (ELMS) to describe the complex and interactive digital works it holds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_migrate (a third-party account):
The NEXT has re-created these works by migrating them to newer systems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_metadata_limit (a third-party account):
Where recreating the work is not yet possible, such as Shockwave works like Jim Andrew's Nio , and Noah Wardrip Fruin et al.'s The Impermanence Agent , the NEXT has provided as much metadata as possible.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_author_collections (a third-party account):
The NEXT Museum also focuses on collections for notable authors in the electronic literature field, which include their own digital works and other donated physical or digital materials.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_coverley (a third-party account):
Luesebrink created and published 27 of these works under the pen name M.D. Coverley—and the NEXT Museum re-imagined, migrated, and developed video playthroughs of these works as they were written on now-obsolete software.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_coverley_2 (a third-party account):
features 66 works created and collected by this pioneering digital literary artist who publishes under the name M. D. Coverley.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_personal_copies (a third-party account):
The other works in this collection were donated by Luesebrink and include her personal copies of other author's works.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_victory_garden (a third-party account):
Stuart Moulthrop , Victory Garden [ 11 ] in 2022
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_journals (a third-party account):
The NEXT Museum has curated and collected works from these journals, including the Iowa Review Web (1999-2008) BeeHive (1998 -2004), Cauldron and Net (1997-2002 founded by Claire Dinsmore ), Poems That Go (2000-2004), Turbulence.org (1996-2016 co-founded by Jo-Anne Green ), and The New River (1996–present).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - wp_last_edited (a third-party account):
This page was last edited on 6 September 2026, at 19:41
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_NEXT_Museum · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 92caf8d621194af2… - repo_self (the resource's own statement):
ELO has developed the ELO Repository that collects and/or manages online journals, works of electronic literature, community archives, and other digital materials for other organizations and makes them available to the public.
https://archive.the-next.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 647d842fd60320f4… - repo_coming_soon (the resource's own statement):
Coming soon to ELO's newly created museum/library/preservation space, The NEXT
https://archive.the-next.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 647d842fd60320f4… - repo_coverley (the resource's own statement):
an all-star editorial team that included Marjorie C. Luesebrink (M.D. Coverley), Rob Swigart, Deena Larsen
https://archive.the-next.org/ · read 2026-11-01 · http 200 · sha256 647d842fd60320f4…
Unchecked
the-next--curatorial (https://the-next.eliterature.org/curatorial-statement): http 200 with 1 character of text (script-rendered); unread and unquoted; the ELMS metadata schema and any individual work or author-collection page (not saved); the ELO Repository (archive.the-next.org) is read only for its page of collections; its relation to The NEXT is taken from its 'coming soon' notes; a current count of works later than 2022
Cite: Lee Sharks, ed. "The NEXT." How authorship is made and named: a meta-aggregator, leesharks.com, compiled 2026-11-01. https://www.leesharks.com/apparatus/aggregators/the-next