FORMAT: Facilitated talkfest producing agreed list of specific skills
This may be better as two topics, but many of the skills will be the same.
PART ONE – Improving technological literacy for humanities researchers
What specific skills do humanities researchers need to be sufficiently technologically literate to take advantage of possibilities offered by the digital humanities?
Whose responsibility is it to help them gain these skills?
What model would work to help support researchers to gain these skills? Is there a role for research institutions to provide:
- digital tools sandboxes for researchers
- facilities like the Scholars Lab at UVa
- tech skills clinics in the same model as writing clinics
- support for digital humanities champions and mentors
PART TWO – Preparing professionals to support digital humanities
Information Studies courses at universities claim to be producing graduates who are specialists in metadata, database design, taxonomies and information design. They claim that graduates will be experts in collecting, organising and retrieving digital and physical information.
What specific skills should be taught in Information Studies courses so that graduates can support the digital humanities?
How can libraries and librarians provide better support for digital humanities?
Have librarians and Information Studies departments missed to boat at becoming useful in this arena, or is there still a chance to be usefully involved? If so, what do we need to do?
