digital humanities andthe role of community

Dave Lester 2013 Lobene Lecture in the Humanities

Tuesday, March 19, 13

Twitter

• 500+ million users

• 340 million tweets / day

• Now archived by the Library of Congress

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Outline

• What is digital humanities?

• Empowerment and community

• A decentralized future

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What is digital humanities?

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digital humanities is a community of practice using technology to understand, create, and share information related to the humanities

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“Big Tent” DH

• Universities

• Libraries

• Archives

• Museums

• Enthusiasts

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Types of DH Projects

• Uses of Computational Methods

• Studying New Media

• Shaping Publication and the Profession

• Technology in the Classroom

• Technology for Public Programming

• Archive Building

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DH-Specific Orgs

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digital humanities is a big deal

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Computational Methods

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Studying New Media

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Publication and the Profession

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alt-metrics

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Technology in the Classroom

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Technology for Public Programming

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Archive Building

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there is no single type of DH project

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Empowerment and Community

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we have the tools we need,

and we’re growing a community

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Problem:

there is confusion over the role of institutions and professions

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Maker Culture

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Making is Connecting

• you have to connect things together (materials, ideas, or both) to make something new

• acts of creativity involve a social dimension and connect us with other people

• through making and sharing things in the world, we increase our connection with our social and physical environments

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Unconferences

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Lightning Talks

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#thatcamp

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Regional Events

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Began @ THATCamp

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A Decentralized Future

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regional THATCamps as a model for future local, community groups

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What is profound about digital humanities is not the use of technology, it is how our relationships with one another are being challenged and changing

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what’s the hashtag?

networked community groups (public libraries, universities, local governments)

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lifelong learning through diverse networked communities of practice and projects

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