What are the Digital Humanities?
Digital Humanities (also referred to as Digital Scholarship) encompasses any humanistic inquiry facilitated by digital technologies. Digital humanists use tools for mapping, data visualization, text analysis, online exhibits, digital collections, storytelling, and more to interpret, analyze, and present research across all disciplines to a broad audience. Digital Humanities work is characterized by collaborative approaches, public engagement, openness, and transparency. We value process and experimentation as well as scholarly outcomes.
Why do Digital Humanities?
Digital Humanities is more than mashing up digital tools and traditional research, it is a field in of itself with its own values and techniques. While research papers, articles, and books are vital to the scholarly conversation, Digital Humanities projects can reach beyond traditional audiences for scholarly work.
By engaging with the larger DH community of practice, we gain insight into how scholars work across disciplines, institutions and other boundaries. Students and faculty who work with DH get the opportunity to share their work widely, discover new ways to present their research, and gain confidence working with technology. By partnering with librarians and IT, faculty and students also get the chance to collaborate with colleagues in new ways.
For examples, or to get inspired, check out current and past digital projects completed by students and faculty.
How We Can Help
In our liberal arts college context, we focus on undergraduate research. Musselman Library offers:
- Direct support for student researchers, including a high-impact summer learning experience, the Digital Humanities Fellowship
- Collaborative pedagogical support for faculty, including assignment design and instruction of Digital Humanities tools and methods.
Consultations
Digital Initiatives Librarian R.C. Miessler (rmiessle@gettysburg.edu) can be scheduled for consultations and digital project help.
Schedule a Consultation with R.C. Miessler
The DH Toolkit
The DH Toolkit is a work-in-progress that is designed to provide information about common Digital Humanities tools, as well as support for issues related to digital projects such as copyright.
JCCTL Digital Literacy Grant
The Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning offers a Digital Literacy Assignment Grant to faculty interested in incorporating digital literacy skills into their courses.