The role of annotations in digital humanities is well known and documented (Agosti et al., 2004, 2007)(Bélanger, 2010). Subsequently, many different tools which allow for the annotation of digital humanities content have been developed. Unfortunately, tools designed specifically for an individual portal are typically only compatible with that system. More general solutions, which can be easily distributed across various sites, have been developed, but these systems often have limited functionality (only annotating a single content type, no sharing features etc.)(Okfn)(TILE, 2011).

FAST-CAT (Flexible Annotation Semantic Tool-Content Annotation Tool) is a generic annotation system that directly addresses this challenge by providing a convenient and powerful means of annotating digital content. This paper introduces FAST, the backend service providing powerful annotation functionalities, and CAT, the frontend Web annotation tool, and discusses how its features are tackling important challenges within the Digital Humanities field.