In this talk, Alison Langmead and Thomas Lombardi will discuss their research group’s findings concerning the most effective ways to structure collaborations in the digital humanities. Sustained dialogue and collaborative work between humanists and technologists have a great deal to offer both fields of inquiry. However, we believe that these teams are best structured to account for four distinct collaborative roles: Humanist, Technologist, Data Steward, and Catalyst. These roles can be taken up by any number of people in a collaboration, but to ensure success, they all must be covered. After a discussion of the ways that these roles fit into a model of computing that takes into account the notion of ground truth, responsible data modeling, and sophisticated technical implementation, we will conclude by addressing one of the most pressing issues in digital humanities collaboration—that each participant must have a deep commitment to their own, unique engagement with the project, something that requires sustained effort and the maintenance of interdisciplinary respect.

Presenter(s)

Alison Langmead | Thomas Lombardi