Digital Humanities Journal #2: Elements of Digital Humanities

- A picture of the Digital Lab located in the University of Southern Mississippi Library. Photo by Kelan Amme.

For my second entry into my Fall semester Digital Humanities journal, I will discuss the elements that make up the Digital Humanities discipline, specifically how digital technologies change how humanists interact with text and documents. Once again, I will be referencing Eileen Gardiner and Ronald Musto's book, The Digital Humanities: A Primer for Students and Scholars, when discussing my findings relative to my research question. Also, I would like to preface that due to the nature of the book title, I plan to use Primer as an easier way to communicate my references.

In chapter 3 of Primer, Gardiner and Musto begin by prefacing that as digital scholarship progresses, humanists see themselves using "...traditional materials and those previously considered outside the parameters of their disciplines..." including data as a cultural or artistic text or object (1). They continue by describing how data is used similarly by humanists and those in the sciences. While social and natural sciences tend to use a number-heavy system of data, humanists are typically associated only with the "facts" that are gleaned from textual research. Through the advancement of digital technologies and projects, digital humanists can transition from the more traditional data collection methods within tactile research to the digital world, where scholars work to process materials online. Both authors emphasize how text can include both written works made digital but also objects like painting, sculpture, and architecture. By applying analytical tools to studying these objects, we can find additional meanings outside of the traditional base-level artistic features (2). Like the examples in the first few chapters, the authors describe how digital collections like the Rossetti Archive influenced researchers as a visual and textual database, also referred to as "verbal and visual." This allows the viewer expanded access to primary sources without worrying about travel costs or unnecessary steps to access sources in physical archives worldwide (3).

Continuing to the document side of the chapter, Gardiner and Musto write that the digital transformation of information is valuable for preserving evidence. In Primer, a document is "... the next level of evidence for humanistic research, since it places the raw data or text into a more active relationship with the investigative process" (4). In simpler terms, the document carries more agency and authority. The addition of digital practices allows researchers to browse collections where every piece of information is cataloged and searchable. This once again expands access and ensures that more information can be surveyed faster than traditional methods of flipping and annotating. As the chapter continues, the authors give examples of different types of documents, such as wills, deeds, charters, leases, receipts, and the organizations that work to preserve them in digital collections (5).

One example of an organization that I feel adds value to texts and documents is the Digital Collections at the University of Southern Mississippi. During the summer of 2023, I had the opportunity to work on a research project at USM and learn what it takes to run and manage not just a physical archive but also a digital one as well. The Digital Collection at USM partners with the Digital Lab (pictured above) and the McCain Library and Archives to provide access to an untold amount of historical documents and artifacts through their online website. I was able to hear from Jennifer Brannock, the curator for the Mississippiana and Rare Book collection, during a visit to the archives. This on-site and online collection "...constitutes a vital resource for the study of Mississippi history and culture" and houses books by and about Mississippians (6). From the official State Board of Health Offices to the All Saints Episcopal Guild, researchers can access fully searchable official and public documents for free. This is vital for states like Mississippi because researchers can now better understand topics and voices that may not have been preserved elsewhere in the state, country, or world. The list goes on.

In summary, the idea of digital access is arguably the most impactful part of understanding texts and documents from the past. Through efforts like digital archives and collections, pieces of history gain a renewed sense of importance and priority in the path of humanistic scholarship.

A few of the items presented to us from the Mississippiana collection from the McCain Library and Archives at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Notes:

1. Eileen Gardiner and Ronald Musto, The Digital Humanities: A Primer for Students and Scholars (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2015) 30, https://archive.org/details/digitalhumanitie0000gard/page/n9/mode/2up.

2. Gardiner and Musto, The Digital Humanities, 35.

3. Gardiner and Musto, The Digital Humanities, 36.

4. Gardiner and Musto, The Digital Humanities, 37.

5. Gardiner and Musto, The Digital Humanities, 39.

6. "Mississippiana landing page," accessed September 5, 2023, https://www.digitalcollections.usm.edu/mississippiana-and-rare-books.