2017 Charleston Library Conference

For decades, library publishers have provided primary source materials in a variety of formats to academic libraries all over the world. As the breadth and depth of this content has increased, the page counts alone have led us to think about digital collections in both qualitative and quantitative ways. During that time, our industry has seen enormous change as data analysis broadens the spectrum of understanding beyond traditional scholarship research and close reading. In the wake of this research evolution, many academic libraries still struggle to find a seat at the digital humanities table despite the myriad of resources available today that are perfectly suited for text data mining and driving visualizations.

In this session, the panelists will discuss the varying levels of student and faculty engagement at their own institutions related to digital scholarship practices and projects that require a data analysis component. In addition, the panelists will talk about their experiences with new resources that help bridge the gap between library collections and the use of digital scholarship tools, which have the potential to reveal new scholarship that traditional research methods do not or cannot accomplish.

The session will conclude with a discussion about the role libraries can play in driving the evolution and adoption of digital scholarship across the campus, especially in the classroom.