Getting Started: Strategies for DH Professional Development
Date
2019-12-10
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Routledge
Abstract
With so many facets in digital humanities practice, and an increasing number of off-the-shelf tools
available, it’s common for would-be DH scholars to feel uncertain about how to begin integrating digital
methods into their graduate training or their postgraduate research agendas. The question of how to
begin is especially important for practitioners based at institutions without any formal DH/DS training
opportunities; or at institutions where such opportunities are still emerging and in development.
This chapter explores specific strategies for practitioners working to develop a DH scholarly identity, i.e.
a focused set of complementary expertise and interests; and discusses strategic choices and questions
to consider while establishing that identity. First, I will guide readers through the process of performing
environmental scans to determine how research ideas fit into the larger environment of DH activity.
Environmental scans can help practitioners answer a vital trio of questions: what data is available? what
format is the existing data in? what data needs to be created? Answers to these questions and
information from environmental scans allow new DH scholars to plan activities and goals based on the
current and future needs of the research community. I will identify potential micro-projects that new
DHers could undertake, emphasizing small milestones designed to be manageable within existing
research and teaching schedules. Finally, I will discuss strategies for framing these activities as
experience and as components of a larger portfolio, and ways of explaining their value to both DH and
non-DH audiences.
Description
Keywords
digital humanities, professional development, project development, social media
Citation
Morgan, Paige. "Getting Started: Strategies for DH Professional Development." Doing More Digital Humanities: Open Approaches to Creation, Growth, and Development. Edited by Constance Crompton, Richard J. Lane, and Ray Siemens. Routledge, December 10, 2019.)