One of the most effective ways to read and engage with a text is to annotate it as you go. This is particularly true of dense texts! (I’ve tried to avoid those in the syllabus, but sometimes you’ll come across things that are unfamiliar or complex.) Annotations can be anything that stands out to you — underlining a phrase that makes a key point, definitions of unfamiliar words, questions or comments in the margins, or whatever signs and symbols help you make connections throughout the text.

You might have your own strategy for annotating your readings, and throughout the semester, I encourage you to use whatever tools and methods are most effective for you. Today, however, we’re going to try out Zotero. Zotero is a free and open-source tool for reference management, note-taking, and annotation, which you can use on your own or collaboratively. (If you don’t already have a system for taking notes while you read, I recommend trying Zotero out for a few weeks!)

  1. Create a Zotero account. Visit www.zotero.org and click “Log In,” then “Register for a free account” to create your username.
  2. Join the class group. Go to https://www.zotero.org/groups/6392594/hum230sp26 and click the red “Join” button.
  3. Annotate the syllabus. Find the class syllabus in our library. You’ve already read through it once, but go ahead and skim through it again. Is there anything that catches your eye? Leave an annotation on the document. Maybe it’s a tool or topic you’re interested in, or a question you have about a class policy, or even a typo you notice.
  4. Add some metadata. As a group at your table, choose an item in the class library that doesn’t have complete metadata (that is, the information you’d use to cite it). Gather and enter as complete information as you can. You might need to correct what’s there as well!