Readers are required to have a wide range of background knowledge to understand the scholastic texts of James Joyce which cover Irish history, Christianity and European cultures. There have been various kinds of annotations, guidebooks and academic books about Joyce's works in book form. Recently, numerous websites related to James Joyce have been developed in order to offer annotations and articles free of charge.

James Joyce himself was very interested in the progress of technology as he described some aspects of the early twentieth-century technological culture in his literary works. Digital Joyce studies might be what the author wanted us to be engaged in. The ultimate digital Joyce tool is probably "Joycestick," a virtual reality game developed by a Boston College team, which enables you to experience the world of "Ulysses" virtually.