The Latest from Digital Humanities Questions and Answers

Launched in September of 2010, Digital Humanities Questions & Answers is a joint venture of the Association for Computers and the Humanities (ACH) and ProfHacker. (See Julie Meloni’s launch announcement.)

Digital Humanities Questions and Answers (@DHAnswers on Twitter) is designed to be a free resource where anyone with an interest in the digital humanities can pose a question to the community of folks working in the field.

Since we last checked in with the site, many interesting threads have been launched and several “best answers” have been provided. Below, I’ve provided links to a few of the threads with best answers:

• Share your (digital) research workflow: “A grad student in the dissertation-writing stage has gathered folders and folders of digital photos, PDF newspaper articles, research notes, maybe video clips and sound files. How does she organize this mess and make individual documents easily retrievable when she actually needs to write about them? I’d love to know what software you use, how you use it, and any other tricks you can share. For my purposes, simpler is better, since we’ll be introducing these techniques to non-programmers.”
• Recommended resources for introducing programming to kids: “I’m wondering if anyone has experience in introducing computer programming to kids and has resources to recommend. I’m as familiar as one might be with things like Scratch following some quick searches, but I’m wondering if there are some first-hand accounts of what worked and what didn’t at different ages. For instance, I’d be very interested in how to introduce programming concepts without using a computer (kinetic activities).”
• Can you migrate Omeka.net content into Omeka.org? “I am going to be building an Omeka.org site and was wondering if I can transfer my Omeka.net data directly into it? Does anyone know what steps can be done to migrate data? Are there any guides?”
• DOMDocument and UTF-8: How do I get characters with diacritical marks to be properly encoded using this particular WordPress plugin?

In addition to the above questions with “best answers,” check out the discussions taking place in response to these questions:

• Help us design a DH workspace: “We have this insane opportunity to design a space for our new DH program, in a beautiful, light-filled area of the library. We’ve got pros involved, and of course we’re getting advice from everyone concerned, but I’d love to hear your ‘musts’ for an inspiring, collaborative research environment.”
• Collaborative editing HTML in the cloud: “Do folks have thoughts on the best way to collaborate on editing an HTML doc? I was considering using GoogleDocs but I’d love to know if there are problems with that and/or if there are other applications or environments people like to use.”
• Is there a joint MLS MSIS/MA in English degree out there? “We’re thinking of starting a joint MLS or MIS/MA in English with a focus in DH at the UT iSchool. Do folks know of any examples out there?”
• Most comprehensive and current list of DH programs? “It seems to me that maintaining a comprehensive and current list of DH programs should be a high priority for the DH community, especially for outreach to students considering grad and undergrad studies. There’s a great summary of DH syllabi and a more expansive Zotero group, but I’m not sure there’s a reliable resource for DH programs (of course, how to define a DH program is a big issue here). The ALLC’s list of programs is very useful. Are there others that are current and fairly complete that you’d recommend?”

If you’re a newcomer to the site and in need of a primer, check out “How can I find answers, get my questions answered, & help DHanswers grow?”

Whether you’re just “DH-curious” or are someone working in the field with either a question to ask or expertise to lend, you should give DHAnswers a try!

[Creative Commons-licensed flickr photo "Question Mark" by ryanmilani]