Training Course on Digital Humanities Librarianship: Advanced Support and Collaboration

Training Course on Digital Humanities Librarianship: Advanced Support and Collaboration

Introduction

The rapidly evolving landscape of academic research demands that librarians transcend traditional roles, becoming integral partners in the burgeoning field of Digital Humanities (DH). This interdisciplinary domain leverages computational methods to analyze and interpret cultural heritage, literature, history, and arts, generating vast and complex datasets. Librarians, with their expertise in information organization, data management, and scholarly communication, are uniquely positioned to provide advanced support and foster collaborative environments for DH projects, ensuring the accessibility, preservation, and discoverability of digital scholarship for future generations.

Training Course on Digital Humanities Librarianship: Advanced Support and Collaboration empowers librarians to navigate the intricate world of Digital Humanities, equipping them with the computational literacy, data curation skills, and project management methodologies essential for contemporary scholarly endeavors. Participants will gain practical experience in leveraging cutting-edge tools and platforms, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and advocating for the crucial role of libraries in the digital scholarship ecosystem. The program focuses on hands-on application and real-world case studies, enabling librarians to confidently lead and contribute to innovative DH initiatives within their institutions.

Course Duration

5 days

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Master Research Data Management (RDM) best practices for complex Digital Humanities datasets, ensuring data integrity and FAIR principles.
2. Implement advanced digital preservation strategies for born-digital and digitized cultural heritage assets, safeguarding long-term access.
3. Apply metadata standards and linked data principles to enhance the discoverability and interoperability of DH projects.
4. Facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration between humanities scholars, data scientists, and technologists within a library context.
5. Develop and manage digital scholarship centers and DH labs, fostering innovative research environments.
6. Advise researchers on open access publishing models and scholarly communication trends in the digital age.
7. Utilize text analysis tools (e.g., topic modeling, sentiment analysis) and data visualization techniques for humanities research.
8. Explore the applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in automating DH workflows, including computational linguistics and image recognition.
9. Understand the ethical and legal implications of data privacy, intellectual property, and digital copyright in DH projects.
10. Design and implement digital exhibits and interactive storytelling platforms for public engagement and knowledge dissemination.
11. Integrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial humanities methodologies into research support services.
12. Engage in digital pedagogy and develop instructional programs for faculty and students on DH tools and methods.
13. Stay abreast of emerging technologies like Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and blockchain for cultural heritage in the context of Digital Humanities.

Organizational Benefits

• A library staff equipped to provide high-level support for increasingly complex digital scholarship projects, fostering innovation and attracting research funding.
• Positioning the library as a leader in digital humanities and a vital hub for cutting-edge research and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Ensuring the long-term accessibility, integrity, and reusability of valuable digital assets and research data.
• Empowering the library to actively contribute to the creation and dissemination of impactful digital humanities scholarship, reaching broader audiences.
• Training staff to efficiently manage and curate digital collections, reducing redundant efforts and maximizing technological investments.
• Developing a workforce prepared to adapt to evolving technological landscapes and emerging research methodologies in the digital age.

Target Audience

1. Academic Librarians.
2. Archivists.
3. Digital Scholarship Coordinators.
4. Information Professionals.
5. Graduate Students.
6. IT Professionals in Libraries.
7. Researchers and Faculty
8. Project Managers

Course Outline

Module 1: Foundations of Digital Humanities & the Evolving Library Role

• Defining Digital Humanities: History, key concepts, and interdisciplinary nature.
• The Library as a Hub for Digital Scholarship: Shifting paradigms and value proposition.
• Understanding DH Project Lifecycles: From conceptualization to preservation.
• Identifying Core DH Methodologies: Textual analysis, spatial analysis, network analysis.
• Case Study: The role of the British Library in supporting the "Living with Machines" project, demonstrating large-scale text mining and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Module 2: Advanced Research Data Management & Curation

• Developing Data Management Plans (DMPs) for DH Projects: Best practices and institutional policies.
• Practical Data Cleaning and Transformation for Humanities Data: Tools and techniques.
• Data Standards and Ontologies in DH: TEI, CIDOC CRM, and other relevant schemas.
• Implementing Data Access and Sharing Policies: Open data, restricted access, ethical considerations.
• Case Study: The curation of the "Mapping the Republic of Letters" dataset at Stanford University, highlighting challenges in data standardization and long-term preservation.

Module 3: Digital Preservation & Long-Term Access

• Strategies for Preserving Born-Digital Humanities Outputs: Bit-level preservation, format migration.
• Digitization Workflows for Cultural Heritage: Best practices for image, audio, and video.
• Digital Rights Management (DRM) and Copyright in the Digital Realm: Navigating complex legal landscapes.
• Establishing and Managing Trusted Digital Repositories: Infrastructure and policy considerations.
• Case Study: The Internet Archive's efforts in preserving web-based digital humanities projects and born-digital scholarly publications.

Module 4: Metadata, Linked Data, & Discoverability

• Advanced Metadata Creation for DH: Descriptive, structural, administrative metadata.
• Introduction to Linked Data and the Semantic Web for Humanities: RDF, SPARQL.
• Developing and Implementing Ontologies for DH Collections: Enhancing semantic richness.
• Leveraging Authority Control and Controlled Vocabularies: Improving search and retrieval.
• Case Study: Europeana's use of linked open data to connect diverse cultural heritage collections across Europe, enabling new forms of discovery.

Module 5: Digital Tools, Platforms, & Methodologies

• Hands-on with Text Analysis Tools: Voyant Tools, AntConc, R/Python for textual data.
• Introduction to Data Visualization for Humanities: Tableau, Gephi, Palladio.
• Geospatial Humanities with GIS: Mapping historical events, literary landscapes, and cultural diffusion.
• Building Digital Exhibits and Storytelling Platforms: Omeka, Scalar, WordPress.
• Case Study: The "Orbis: The Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World" project, demonstrating the power of GIS in historical research.

Module 6: AI, Machine Learning, & Emerging Technologies in DH

• Fundamentals of AI and ML for Librarians: Understanding core concepts and applications.
• AI for Text Recognition and OCR Enhancement: Improving access to digitized materials.
• Machine Learning for Pattern Recognition in Large DH Datasets: Identifying trends and anomalies.
• Exploring VR/AR for Immersive Cultural Heritage Experiences: Virtual tours, interactive exhibits.
• Case Study: The use of AI-powered handwriting recognition in transcribing historical manuscripts at the National Archives, transforming research accessibility.

Module 7: Scholarly Communication, Open Access, & Digital Pedagogy

• Navigating the Evolving Scholarly Communication Landscape: Open Science, preprints, post-publication review.
• Supporting Open Access Publishing in the Humanities: Institutional repositories and open journals.
• Developing and Delivering Digital Pedagogy Workshops: Integrating DH tools into teaching.
• Assessing the Impact and Metrics of Digital Scholarship: Altmetrics and new evaluation models.
• Case Study: An academic library's initiative to establish an institutional repository for digital humanities projects, promoting open access and long-term preservation.

Module 8: Project Management & Advocacy for Digital Humanities

• Project Management Methodologies for DH Initiatives: Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches.
• Grant Writing and Funding Opportunities for Digital Humanities Projects: Strategies for success.
• Building and Sustaining Digital Humanities Labs and Infrastructure: Staffing, technology, and outreach.
• Advocating for the Library's Role in Digital Scholarship: Demonstrating value and securing resources.
• Case Study: The creation and growth of a university's Digital Humanities Center, highlighting successful partnerships and sustainable funding models.

Training Methodology

This course employs a participatory and hands-on approach to ensure practical learning, including:

• Interactive lectures and presentations.
• Group discussions and brainstorming sessions.
• Hands-on exercises using real-world datasets.
• Role-playing and scenario-based simulations.
• Analysis of case studies to bridge theory and practice.
• Peer-to-peer learning and networking.
• Expert-led Q&A sessions.
• Continuous feedback and personalized guidance.

 

Register as a group from 3 participants for a Discount

Send us an email: info@datastatresearch.org or call +254724527104 

 

Certification

Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be issued with a globally- recognized certificate.

Tailor-Made Course

 We also offer tailor-made courses based on your needs.

Key Notes

a. The participant must be conversant with English.

b. Upon completion of training the participant will be issued with an Authorized Training Certificate

c. Course duration is flexible and the contents can be modified to fit any number of days.

d. The course fee includes facilitation training materials, 2 coffee breaks, buffet lunch and A Certificate upon successful completion of Training.

e. One-year post-training support Consultation and Coaching provided after the course.

f. Payment should be done at least a week before commence of the training, to DATASTAT CONSULTANCY LTD account, as indicated in the invoice so as to enable us prepare better for you.