About

Video © Modern Language Association
Music © Cody Ross Rex

 

About MLA Commons

The MLA Commons network links members of the Modern Language Association and provides new avenues for scholarly communication and collaboration. This growing platform allows MLA members to create a professional profile, connect with one another, seek feedback on their work, establish and join groups to discuss common interests, and share their ideas with a broader audience through new kinds of open-access publications.

Ways to use MLA Commons

Scholars are working together and communicating about their research in more ways than ever. MLA Commons serves a number of purposes, so we encourage you to explore how it can help with your particular goals, needs, and interests.

  • Take part in group discussions. All MLA committees and forums have a discussion space on the Commons, but any member can start a group on a topic of interest.
  • Create your own Web site. Take control of your online presence and present your work the world at large with a networked WordPress Web site hosted on the Commons. 
  • Use CORE to reach out to new audiences for your work. Upload articles, course materials, teaching resources, conference papers, or works in progress to the publicly accessible MLA repository.
  • Connect with colleagues that you may ordinarily see only at conferences and meet new people who share your interests.
  • Voice your opinion. If there are changes that you would like the MLA to consider, the Commons is an excellent venue to share your opinions with the MLA leadership and with fellow members.
  • Stay informed. Check in frequently for the latest MLA news and other updates from the association.

Future directions of MLA Commons

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the platform is its potential for uses that we haven’t even thought of yet. MLA Commons is a site of experimentation, so we hope you’ll share ideas with us as you think of ways you’d like to be able to use it. Use the Feedback tab on the right side of any page or e-mail us at commons@mla.org. We’re constantly working to improve the site to make it as useful as possible.

As you explore, you may want to watch this brief video or visit the Welcome Group for tips on getting started. Thanks again for joining us here; we look forward to seeing what can be done on this new platform.