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The book Digital_Humanities has been used for this program extensively. It was the first book I received on the subject, and it has helped to frame my thinking about DH. So, for one of the last blog posts this summer, I return to this book to look at a larger issue- where does DH, my project specifically, fit within traditional scholarship?

Digital_Humanities is of the opinion that DH is opposed to traditional scholarship in many ways. Where traditional scholarship is done by mainly one person, DH is collaborative. Where journals and books are out of reach to some audiences, DH is accessible to anyone with internet connection. In a way, the two are separate fields, serving different audiences. Traditional Scholarship is often self contained, while DH exists in the realm of the digital for all to see.

In creating my project, I steered away from traditional scholarship thinking and embraced some aspects of DH wholeheartedly. My project is not written to be used by other scholars or kept behind a paywall where it has limited use. It is open to the public online to be used by anyone who wants to learn more about the streets of Gettysburg. It is meant to provide a service to the public. That is not to say that scholars cannot use my work either. I have documented my research to be used by anyone, and I am open to critique by and collaboration with other scholars. That is, after all, an aspect of DH.

I did not, however, abandon traditional methods.  I used typical research techniques. I relied on the archives at the Adams County Historical Society and those who work there to help me find information. I dove deep into research to create solid interpretation, but had a wide scope to consider the history of Gettysburg with. According to Digital_Humanities, I acted like a Hedgefox. That is the book’s metaphor for a Humanist who is both traditional and open to DH. They advocate for a hybridization, where scholars embrace the best of both worlds. Like the fox, scholars should be curious and have a wide scope. Like the hedgehog, scholars should burrow and research in depth.

I certainly embrace this point of view. It is important to acknowledge new technologies and opportunities, but older methods should not be abandoned outright for their age. There is a reason why good research methods have endured. However, I think the problem falls to the issue of what is considered legitimate scholarship. Traditionally, something is known as legitimate scholarship because it has been published, peer reviewed, and is full of qualifications. DH cannot always have that because it is not always given its due. The book gives the example of Wikipedia as a DH project that is not readily embraced as scholarship despite its potential as a source of information.

That is where DH is most directly opposed to the traditional. DH puts power in the hands of many to decide what is important and should be written about, it is a decolonizing force. People are empowered to partake in this collaborative process. Most of all, DH is social and public. People can interact with it. That social aspect is what I strove for in my audio tour, as I felt it was most important that I connect with a larger audience.

These aspects may not be present in all Traditional Scholarship, but that does not mean it should be abandoned. The hybrid that Digital_Humanities described should be a model to strive for. However, to fully allow Digital Scholarship and Traditional Scholarship to coexist, the methods used to validate scholarship must be opened. Then, DH can have a place within scholarship.

 

Emma Lewis

Shameless Hamilton callback?

Look at us! We did it! We made it to week 10! Home stretch! Hooray!

This summer has been one of the more interesting summers I’ve had. I’ll give this program that. It was a similar emotional roller coaster to what I dealt with during the school year, because you can never have too many hills on that. But I’m getting off the ride, and I’m looking forward to continuing my own self improvement.

I’ve gained a lot of knowledge from this program. I’m grateful for that, because I think that knowledge will help me more than I thought it would at the beginning of the summer. Not only was this a study of art and humanities and academia, but it was a study of myself as well, and focusing on how to improve the problems I’ve been helplessly self-aware of and unsure how to fix. This summer was a good kick in the pants to get that taken care of.

I once said humanities is a documentation of the human experience. We all have our emotional outlets, and it’s good to look at the way other people from the past put their problems into pen and paper. Hopefully we can all do that and be not only healthier, but happier.

I hope that for everyone honestly.

Make good choices,

-Britt

I’ve got no song for this, so we’re going for peak Mountain Goats

Back with another verbose rant about where my project fits in the grand scheme of things; my first one is right here.

I want people to first and foremost pay attention to the language and terminology they choose to use when describing actions in DH. Particularly, I was concerned about the use of the word “decolonization.” I see that as a poorly executed, disruptive, and failed attempt at rectifying years of problems that only ended up creating more problems. Decolonization is a poor choice of words, because when it’s been executed it has only ended with more infighting. This is because of how when the West decolonized, lines were drawn without speaking to the people who were being decolonized, and those lines merged old cultures that didn’t go together and wouldn’t acknowledge traditional lands. Basically, setting up for land disputes and war. I’m worried the use of this word in this setting will minimize the effects of this method.

How does that translate into DH? I worry that academia is going to eventually acquiesce to allowing DH to be a valid method of research, but it’ll only be for certain projects and certain types and certain fields. Those lines in the sand might not translate well into what seems to be the recurring themes and values of DH and the revolutionary writers we’ve been reading. Something major is going to get left out of what they want, and the community won’t like it. As I said before, the DH writers we’ve read have indicated a very utopian mindset that wants it all and wants it NOW, ALL AT ONCE, and honestly can get stubbornly uncompromising about those demands. I sympathize with them, but that mindset about it is extremely toxic and dangerous. That means there will be letdown, because there will always, always, always be a problem to solve. There is no such thing as anything or anyone who is perfect or unproblematic. That’s why we’re all here- to learn, because we came together about our love of learning.

I just read this article on Vox about the online revolutionary communities that took the form of the alt-right and what is described as the Tumblr left, which has a point of view that can get to “one mistake, one disagreement, and you’re out.” Don’t let DH turn into that utopian bubble, and don’t let academia turn DH into that mindset. Learning is about the diversity of ideas, and closing ourselves off can turn into a hypocrisy on our own values of accessibility.

As for my own project and how it will affect the community as a whole? I’m not sure. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone said interactive exhibits have been done better. It’s my first rodeo. I’m keeping my expectations low and hoping to get something done that I can be proud of. I didn’t really invite anyone to the presentations- mainly because I want it to be my own. It’s important to stand on your own two feet because I don’t give a shit what the academic community says. I don’t know them, and they don’t know me. That’s okay. Make our own good projects.

Make good choices,

-Britt

The end of this fellowship is fast approaching, which means a lot of work for the Fellows. Instead of a regular microblog post this week, I thought I’d share some interpretation I’m doing and possibly get feedback. These versions of my interpretation have been edited a few times and looked over by Lauren, but fresh eyes are always welcome. Let me know of any notes or questions the interpretation provokes.

 

GETTYSBURG TROLLEY ROUTE: Culture

In the late 1800s, the streets of this town would have looked quite different from today – unpaved, devoid of cars, and (on this stretch of Baltimore Street) shared by a trolley.  In those days, travel options were limited. Trains brought people into Gettysburg, but getting out to the battlefield was harder. Cars did not exist to drive people around the battlefield, and so horses and carriages had to be rented if you didn’t want to walk- until this trolley came around.

Built by Gettysburg Electric Railway Inc in 1893, the trolley filled a need for transportation and made plenty of money off those who flocked to see the legendary battlefield landscape. This ease of travel meant more tourists came, some for only a day, taking advantage of both trains and trolleys to facilitate their travel. The sheer number of visitors was overwhelming!

The trolley did service townspeople, after the Borough government prompted the company to do so, making a regular loop through town. Most of its resources were dedicated to tourists, however. All the cars were named after generals, and most were made to withstand only summer weather, when most visitors would be around. This tourism culture did not last forever, and the service to both residents and tourists came to an end. On September 16, 1916, the trolley ran its last trip. When the World Wars came, the tracks were torn out for scrap metal. Now, visitors do not need trolleys to see the battlefield. Cars, buses, and roads provide the necessary transportation.

 

 

Emma Lewis

In one of the workshops this past week, the cohort was asked to do an exercise. To be more conscious of how we handled ourselves while presenting, we were given a slideshow with only a title and asked to explain the following pictures in three minutes.

Explaining was no problem. The point of the exercise was to practice presentation skills, not sharing information. My problem was that I took too long. I felt the need to give background information that was unnecessary. I knew this was a problem I had, yet I still felt the need to include this information to orient my audience.

That is what I am working on in my presentations- finding a balance between time and information. Since my project divulges information through audio, I need to make sure the necessary information is there. However, I also need to be brief so that I don’t meander and lose my audience. Finding the balance in there will strengthen my project as a whole.

 

Emma Lewis

Do you consider yourself a nerd? What classifies someone as a nerd? Is there a nerd spectrum? These are all questions that I have had over the last few days. This was not something I had thought about until someone told me that they didn’t think I was a nerd. This surprised me because I have always classified myself as a nerd.

I looked up some definitions of nerd and they are kind of mean. You can look them up on your own.

There are also some quizzes you can take.

What Percent Nerdy Are You?

How Nerdy Are You?

What do you think? Is there one way to classify nerd? From the people that I have talked to being a nerd has no concrete definition and it is not exclusive.

I love the term “elevator speech.” The idea of being in an elevator with a stranger and having to talk to them sounds like so much fun! I love talking to strangers (and friends). I guess that is my extroverted self! The following are scenarios that are actually possible .

It’s the start of the fall semester and you’re early for a class. Your professor is already in the classroom. They make small talk and ask how your summer went.

My summer was really great. I spent it here, at Gettysburg, in the Library. I was a Digital Scholarship Summer Fellow. The fellowship consisted of 6 students and a cohort of several people in the library who helped us and taught us how to use different tools. The goal of my project was to research sheet music during the Civil War and presents it digitally. I research the song Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!. I looked at the cover, researched the composer, and did other background research. I really enjoyed learning more about the Civil War and the implications of music. Then I created a website that showcased my research. For example the sheet music cover has five vignettes on it. Each image has a caption and the caption is a song that composer of my piece, George Frederick Root, wrote. With the digital tool that I used, you can click on each one of the images to learn more about the cover. It is really interactive. If you would like to look at my website here is the link.

A librarian from another school is visiting Musselman Library and you happen to be studying on the Main floor; a member of the digital scholarship committee introduces you both and you find out quickly that the librarian is really excited about digital scholarship work.

Last summer I really learned a lot about digital scholarship and digital humanities. I am really excited to see how the field will progress over the next few years. My project looked at the song Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!. I researched the cover, researched the composer, and did other background research. I really enjoyed learning more about the Civil War and the implications of music. I used WordPress as the platform of my website. I then used Storymaps JS to annotate the sheet music cover. I also used TimelineJS to create a timeline that would help to provide context to the song. I believe that because I presented my work digitally, it can be more easily understood by others. If you would like to see my project, here is the link. It was so nice meeting you! I would love to continue this conversation and hear about your work with digital scholarship.

Explaining what I’ve been doing this summer has been hard. People want to know what DH is and what exactly the acronym DSSF stands for. I find it difficult to explain a nebulous term like DH succinctly, so much so that nebulous seems to be the only word I have for it, and I sometimes mess up the acronym.

However, explaining this program is a necessary skill. That is why, this past week, the DSSF cohort focused on “elevator speeches” to explain our projects in a short, easily understandable way. I chose from a list of situations, and the outcomes are written below.

• You’re in line in Servo with one of your friends and they heard you did “some thing with computers” over the summer.

Yeah, the thing with computers was a Digital Scholarship Fellowship. Basically, I created a humanities project completely online. So, I had to learn how to use different platforms, websites, and a some coding along with researching to create this project. We are run through the library, so a lot of our links can be found on the library website. You can actually see all of the projects, including mine, online.

We used Gettysburg Sites to create them. Every student can make an account with this, so that’s pretty cool. We had a lot of discussions throughout the fellowship about how students as a whole could use Digital Scholarship, maybe introducing new forms of projects and  allowing students to see how their scholarship can work in real world situations. I can show you all of the sites made through this program. I’m always looking for feedback. Have a nice lunch! We can talk more later.

• You’re at a job fair and the recruiter is looking over your resume; they ask you, “What’s this Digital Scholarship Summer Fellowship?

The Digital Summer Scholarship Fellowship, DSSF, is a library program that gives students a summer to work and create a Digital Scholarship project. Essentially, students learn skills to create public facing websites that are their project. It isn’t a research paper put online, but a truly digital project form.

I made a public history project that was a ‘choose your own adventure’ style audio tour of the streets of Gettysburg. As of now, I have one of the main roads, Baltimore Street, done. Because this is a digital project, I can easily add more to it. The project can grow with my research. If you’d like to see my website, I put the link on my resume. Feel free to listen to it and leave feedback, I am always looking for other perspectives to help this grow.

To make the projects, everyone in the cohort had to learn basic coding and website platforms. We worked together closely, as there are three fellows chosen every year. The program helped to increase my digital literacy,  and I can now use a variety of tools to make websites and digital visuals. The program has a website you can look at to learn more about this program. I can also answer any questions you may have.

 

 

Emma Lewis

These are elevator speeches I wrote, and included the scenarios in front of it. Just picture the tone being awkward and trying my best.

It’s the start of the fall semester and you’re early for a class. Your professor is already in the classroom. They make small talk and ask how your summer went.

Good morning! My summer went well, I stayed on campus. I was doing research with the library and working more with digital scholarship and web design. I worked with some lithographs in Special Collections that are absolutely gorgeous, and I made a digital exhibit analyzing origins and inspiration behind the art pieces. I used some of the digital tools we learned about to annotate them and mapped out the points of where they came from. I’d be happy to come in to your office hours and give you a tour of it if you’re interested, or just email you the link at a later time?

You’re at a job fair and the recruiter is looking over your resume; they ask you, “What’s this Digital Scholarship Summer Fellowship?”

Thank you so much for asking! It was a summer research fellowship that I did with the library at Gettysburg College where I learned a lot about digital tools, web design, and definitely improved my research skills. The tools I used I’ve seen in multiple publications online, including USA Today, but the platform I used was WordPress. I used them to build a digital art exhibit with some lithographs of 1890s posters we had in Gettysburg’s Special Collections that annotated the pieces and mapped out the location of each event the posters advertised. It definitely improved my computer and technology skills, and if you give me your contact information I’d be happy to send you the link along with a digital copy of my resume.

-Britt