(Courtesy Photo)
Mustang Daily Staff Report
arts@mustangdaily.net
“Moebius,” a compilation of work from the Cal Poly community and published by the College of Liberal Arts, is getting a major makeover.
The previously printed journal will become web-based beginning fall quarter.
Last printed two years ago, the team realized that lessened interest in the publication and a shortage of submissions called for a change.
Before “Moebius” went on a two-year hiatus in preparation for the online launch, the final annual printed publication’s theme in 2010 was “Campus Controversy.”
“Sounds of Life,” will be the theme heading off the relaunch.
With the change of medium, “Moebius” needed to be re-conceptualized, communication studies professor and “Moebius” managing editor Jnan Blau said.
“’Moebius’ is coming back to life in a new and improved way,” Blau said. “Once I let go of the sadness that print seems to be a dying medium, I realized there are many benefits to going online.”
Through Digital Commons, not only can the publication now feature multimedia and other mixed media, but the journal, which has always been published around a specific theme, can reopen past themes, Blau said.
“It erases the notion of past, present or future; it is all there all the time,” Blau said.
Though Blau said he looks forward to the rebirth of “Moebius,” the online transition has been challenging.
“It has become a two-year process of getting the website designed and meeting the appropriate people,” Blau said. “There is a lot involved in building a website and that I certainly didn’t realize.”
Blau said he wants “Moebius” to become a recognizable element of campus life.
“Maybe people don’t read it everyday, but they know that it exists and engage in it,” Blau said.
Not just anyone can have their work published in the journal. There is a process meant to maintain the journal’s quality.
Work is submitted to a blind review board made up of students and teachers who either accept or deny the work. In some cases, the review board and the submitter work together to make the piece ready for publication.
“It is a valuable outlet for the arts, broadly speaking, and now with a web-based publication, we can have all arts represented,” Blau said.
While working out the online configuration, students Amanda Gonzalez, Lily Gonzalez and Corrina Powell have been working to inform people of its presence.
“Our main goal is to raise awareness for ‘Moebius,’ and we hope creating an online journal would increase readership and submissions in this growing technological age,” communication studies senior Amanda said.
In geometry, a Moebius is a continuous surface with one side and one edge; the infinite nature of the shape is also representative of the transition from print to web, Amanda said.
“It means continuous flow, and that is our idea with the new online website,” Amanda said. “It is not so highly structured, open ended and will transcend time and space.”
Lily said being published comes with great prestige and it is also a résumé builder.
“’Moebius’ will give students an upper hand once they leave college,” Lily said. “They will be leaving a legacy behind that says my work was top-notch to the point that it was published in a scholarly publication.”
The publication also embraces Cal Poly’s leading philosophy, Lily said.
“We are learning by doing, creating something, getting feedback and making it our own,” Lily said.
Hillary Kaiser contributed to this staff report.