Slides from my talk. My notes are at http://www.scribd.com/doc/109944195/Notes-for-NEASSA-Talk-10-12

1. Public Digital
Humanities

2. Digital Public
Humanities

3. Public Digital
Humanities

4. Digital Public
Humanities

5. Digital Public
Humanities
Steven Lubar
Brown University
NEASA Conference
Providence, RI
October 2012

6. Digital Humanities
Public Humanities

7. Digital Humanities
Public Humanities
How much do they overlap?

8. Digital Humanities
Public Humanities
How much do they overlap?
How can they overlap more?

9. What if?
We said that public humanities should be
fifty percent digital?

10. What if?
We said that digital humanities should be
fifty percent public?

11. Venn Diagram!

12. Venn Diagram!
The Humanities

13. Venn Diagram!
The Humanities
Open Humanities

14. Venn Diagram!
The Humanities
“The open humanities are those
aspects of the humanities
aimed at democratizing
production and consumption of
humanities research.”
--Eric Johnson Open Humanities
www.scholarslab.org

15. Venn Diagram!
The Humanities
“The open humanities are those Public
aspects of the humanities Humanities
aimed at democratizing
production and consumption of
humanities research.”
--Eric Johnson Open Humanities
www.scholarslab.org

16. Venn Diagram!
The Humanities
Digital
Humanities
“The open humanities are those Public
aspects of the humanities Humanities
aimed at democratizing
production and consumption of
humanities research.”
--Eric Johnson Open Humanities
www.scholarslab.org

17. Venn Diagram!
The Humanities
Digital
Humanities
Public
Humanities
Open Humanities

18. Topics
• Museum
Collections
• Geospatial/
Landscapes
The Humanities • Oral histories
• Public
Digital Connections
Humanities
Public
Humanities
Open Humanities

19. Tools
• Databases
• Social Media
• Visualization
• Spatial Analysis
The Humanities
Digital
Humanities
Public
Humanities
Open Humanities

20. Style
• Collaboration
• Open Access
• Open-source
The Humanities • Inclusivity
• Interdisciplinary
Digital • “Communities of
Humanities Passion”
Public
Humanities
Open Humanities

21. Many visions of
digital humanities

22. Many visions of
digital humanities

23. digital humanities
Many visions of
• Humanities computing
• Media literacies
• Insurgency
• Public Questions
• Cultural Heritage
• Digital public sphere
• New modes of outreach

24. digital humanities
Many visions of
Digital humanities scholars use
computational methods either to
answer existing research
questions or to challenge existing
theoretical paradigms, generating
new questions and pioneering new
approaches.
--Wikipedia

25. digital humanities
Many visions of
...a visionary humanities program
that addressed the critical needs of
literacies for the twenty-first
century. That would not have to be
all we need to do, but why we aren't
making that our mission, staking
that as our invaluable inestimable
value in a radically changing world,
is beyond my comprehension.
--Cathy Davidson

26. digital humanities
Many visions of
“The digital humanities should not
be about the digital at all. It’s all
about innovation and disruption.
The digital humanities is really an
insurgent humanities”
--Mark Sample

27. digital humanities
Many visions of The problem is not the humanities
as a discipline... the problem is its
members. We are insufferable. We
do not want change. We do not want
centrality. We do not want to speak
to nor interact with the world. We
mistake the tiny pastures of private
ideals with the megalopolis of real
lives. [We dismiss the] ambitions of
the public at large—religion,
economy, family, craft, science.
--Ian Bogost

28. digital humanities
Many visions of We should place the world’s cultural
heritage—its historical
documentation, its literary and
artistic achievements, its
languages, beliefs, and practices—
within the reach of every citizen.
The value of building an
infrastructure that gives all citizens
access to the human record and the
opportunity to participate in its
creation and use is enormous.
--John Unsworth

29. digital humanities
The Digital Humanities seeks to
Many visions of
play an inaugural role with respect
to a world in which, no longer the
sole producers, stewards, and
disseminators of knowledge or
culture, universities are called upon
to shape natively digital models of
scholarly discourse for the newly
emergent public spheres of the
present era.
--Digital Humanities Manifesto

30. digital humanities
Many visions of
New ways of representing our
scholarship—integrating text,
image, sound, and video—are
emerging, as are new ways of
disseminating it to ever broader
publics.
--Kathleen Woodward

31. digital humanities
Many visions of
• Humanities computing
• Media literacies
• Public Audience
• Public Questions
• Cultural Heritage
• Digital public sphere
• New modes of outreach

32. What if?
We said that public humanities should be
fifty percent digital?

33. What if?
We set out to teach it this way

34. Public Humanities
Theory
AMST2650: Introduction to
Public Humanities

36. Culture Community Curation
What groupings What to
How do groups
make sense to preserve, how to
and people enact
themselves and interpret, for
identity?
to us? whom?
New groups New challenges
New forms of emerge; digital of preservation,
culture online communities broader
more fluid definition
More fluidity, openness, but the categories still work.

37. Culture Community Curation
What groupings What to
How do groups
make sense to preserve, how to
and people enact
themselves and interpret, for
identity?
to us? whom?
New groups New challenges
New forms of emerge; digital of preservation,
culture online communities broader
more fluid definition
More fluidity, openness, but the categories still work.

38. Culture Community Curation
What groupings What to
How do groups
make sense to preserve, how to
and people enact
themselves and interpret, for
identity?
to us? whom?
New groups New challenges
New forms of emerge; digital of preservation,
culture online communities broader
more fluid definition
More fluidity, openness, but the categories still work.

39. Culture Community Curation
What groupings What to
How do groups
make sense to preserve, how to
and people enact
themselves and interpret, for
identity?
to us? whom?
New groups New challenges
New forms of emerge; digital of preservation,
culture online communities broader
more fluid definition
More fluidity, openness, but the categories still work.

41. Us Them You
Public historians, The “other”, us in The audience,
museum people, the past, the readers, historic
interpreters, “community”, the site and museum
experts object of display visitors, tourists
New audiences;
We need new New ways for
audience
tools; expertise them to present
becomes co-
challenged themselves
creators
How do relationship between categories change?
Categories become fuzzier; are they still useful?
New tools allow for disintermediation

42. Us Them You
Public historians, The “other”, us in The audience,
museum people, the past, the readers, historic
interpreters, “community”, the site and museum
experts object of display visitors, tourists
New audiences;
We need new New ways for
audience
tools; expertise them to present
becomes co-
challenged themselves
creators
How do relationship between categories change?
Categories become fuzzier; are they still useful?
New tools allow for disintermediation

43. Us Them You
Public historians, The “other”, us in The audience,
museum people, the past, the readers, historic
interpreters, “community”, the site and museum
experts object of display visitors, tourists
New audiences;
We need new New ways for
audience
tools; expertise them to present
becomes co-
challenged themselves
creators
How do relationship between categories change?
Categories become fuzzier; are they still useful?
New tools allow for disintermediation

44. Us Them You
Public historians, The “other”, us in The audience,
museum people, the past, the readers, historic
interpreters, “community”, the site and museum
experts object of display visitors, tourists
New audiences;
We need new New ways for
audience
tools; expertise them to present
becomes co-
challenged themselves
creators
How do relationship between categories change?
Categories become fuzzier; are they still useful?
New tools allow for disintermediation

45. Museum Memories Historic
Artifacts and Stories Landscapes

46. Museum Memories Historic
Artifacts and Stories Landscapes
Curators
Museum
Visitors

47. Museum Memories Historic
Artifacts and Stories Landscapes
Curators Oral Historians
Museum Researchers
Visitors and the public

48. Museum Memories Historic
Artifacts and Stories Landscapes
Curators Oral Historians Preservationists
Museum Researchers Cultural
Visitors and the public Heritage

49. Museum Memories Historic
Artifacts and Stories Landscapes
Disintermediation
Curators Oral Historians Preservationists
Museum Researchers Cultural
Visitors and the public Heritage

50. What new categories
if the course were
“born digital”?

51. What new categories
if the course were
“born digital”?
• Texts / Connections / Visualizations

52. What new categories
if the course were
“born digital”?
• Texts / Connections / Visualizations
• Markup / Metadata / Modeling

53. What new categories
if the course were
“born digital”?
• Texts / Connections / Visualizations
• Markup / Metadata / Modeling
• Database / Network / Interaction

54. Digital / Public Theory
• Texts / • Culture /
Connections / Community /
Visualizations Curation
• Markup / • Us /
Metadata / Them /
Modeling You
• Database /
Network /
Interaction

55. Digital / Public Theory
• Texts / Culture / Them
• Us / Visualizations / Modeling /
Curation
• You / Interaction / Community /
Connections

56. Public Humanities
Practice
AMST1550: Methods in
Public Humanities

57. History and Memory
Culture and Community
Preservation and Representation
Remember and Save
Classify and Value
Preserve and Interpret

58. Topics
• Museums: • Cultural Heritage:
Collections, Property, Planning,
Exhibitions, Tourism
Education,
Outreach • Civic Engagement
• Historic • Public Art
Preservation
• Creative Economy
• Oral History
• Non-profit
• Community Memory Organizations

59. Projects
• Exhibitions - Labels, • Program proposal
design, installation,
public programs • Proposal to increase
participation at a local
• Exhibit review museum
• Collecting proposal • Community outreach
programs
• National register
nomination • Grant proposal
• Memoranda to boss on • Plan to assess a public
contentious topic, and program
letter to the editor

60. Projects
ite Labels,
• eb s
Exhibitions -
W installation, • Program proposal
design,
public programs • Proposal to increase
participation at a local
• Exhibit review museum
• Collecting proposal • Community outreach
programs
• National register
nomination • Grant proposal
• Memoranda to boss on • Plan to assess a public
contentious topic, and program
letter to the editor

61. Projects
ite Labels,
• eb s
Exhibitions -
W installation, • Program proposal
design,
public programs • Proposal to increase
bs ite participation at a local
•
We
Exhibit review museum
• Collecting proposal • Community outreach
programs
• National register
nomination • Grant proposal
• Memoranda to boss on • Plan to assess a public
contentious topic, and program
letter to the editor

62. Projects
ite Labels,
• eb s
Exhibitions -
W installation, • Program proposal
design,
public programs • Proposal to increase
bs ite participation at a local
Weal
• Exhibit review museum
it
Dig
• Collecting proposal • Community outreach
programs
• National register
nomination • Grant proposal
• Memoranda to boss on • Plan to assess a public
contentious topic, and program
letter to the editor

63. Projects
ite Labels,
• eb s
Exhibitions -
W installation, • Program proposal a
design, to
public programs io n
tata local
• Proposal to increase
ite v isi
ite
participation at
bs ive bs
Weal
• Exhibit review
Dr museum
we
it
Dig
• Collecting proposal • Community outreach
programs
• National register
nomination • Grant proposal
• Memoranda to boss on • Plan to assess a public
contentious topic, and program
letter to the editor

64. Projects
ite Labels,
• eb s
Exhibitions -
W installation, • Program proposal a
design, to
public programs io n
tata local
• Proposal to increase
ite v isi
ite
participation at
bs ive bs
Weal
• Exhibit review
Dr museum
we
it
Dig
• Collecting proposal • Community outreach
programs
• National register
nomination • Grant proposal
Plan to assessg ital
di
• Memoranda to boss on • a public
contentious topic, and program
letter to the editor

65. What if?
We said that public humanities should be
fifty percent digital?

66. What if?
We set out to teach it this way

67. DH: Tools and Topics
Topics/ Concepts"
Key Concept: Data and More
Terms I Expected to See &
Technologies Taught in DH
Interaction
Openness
Key Concept: Network"
"
Copyright"
Database"
Of…"
Courses"
Term"
Term" Frequency" # Uses"
#Courses"
argument"
xml" 107" 54"
19"
statistics"
• “Ability to assess digital data for preservability” (Salo, “Digital
TEI" 59" 50"
15"
programming" survey the
• curation”) 9832B is a studiodigital humanities, internet 16"
• “The course as Innovation: distributed cooperation (what47"
“Openness will canʼt
Omeka"
• “History 51"
course on interactive exhibit
"history, network society…”“IntroductionMyers, “Seminar in
be coordinated?)” (Kelty, (Tullos and to Openness”"
representation"
• “Our goal forthis course is to build a database-driven
PHP"Scholarship historians.” Studies”) 38"
design in public
Digital and Media
(Turkel) 32"
5"
interpretation"
"
• " “How does interactive, do-it-yourself open source remix28"
website” (Quamen, “Technical Approaches & Concepts”) 11"
Zotero" 35"
• accessibility"INTERACTIVE FICTION (Sample, “textual 14"
WEEK 4 //
• "“Tuesday, change what constitutes (Rheingold, property? 1"
potential October 26 (Networks)” intellectual “Virtual
Perl" 24"
media”"
• “We believe that a systematic use of large-scale analysis
sustainability"
Community/Social Media”) Literacies”)"
“ (Davidson, “21st Century 9"
" SQL/mySQL"
and interactive visualization of cultural data will become a 3"
19"
" “What is interaction design?” (Mazalek, “Principles of
• algorithmic" humanities research in the coming
• majorRosenzweig, “Can History be Open Source?” (Price,7"
• Apr 22: Thein
“R. trend Networked Book (Fitzpatrick, “digital media
Interaction Design”)" http://www.flickr.com/photos/alive_at_now/4255059444
decades.” (Manovich, “Theories of Media and New Media”)" /
theory”)" History”"
“Hacking

68. DH: Tools and Topics
Key Concept: Data and More
Terms I Expected to See &
Technologies Taught in DH
Interaction
Openness
Key Concept: Network"
"
Copyright"
Database"
Of…"
Courses"
Term"
Term" Frequency" # Uses"
#Courses"
argument"
xml" 107" 54"
19"
statistics"
TEI" 59" 50"
• “Ability to assess digital data for preservability” (Salo, “Digital
15"
programming" survey the
• curation”) 9832B is a studiodigital humanities, internet 16"
• “The course as Innovation: distributed cooperation (what47"
“Openness will canʼt
Omeka"
• “History 51"
course on interactive exhibit
"history, network society…”“IntroductionMyers, “Seminar in
be coordinated?)” (Kelty, (Tullos and to Openness”"
representation"
• “Our goal forthis course is to build a database-driven
PHP"Scholarship historians.” Studies”) 38"
design in public
Digital and Media
(Turkel) 32"
5"
interpretation"
"
• " “How does interactive, do-it-yourself open source remix28"
website” (Quamen, “Technical Approaches & Concepts”) 11"
Zotero" 35"
• accessibility"INTERACTIVE FICTION (Sample, “textual 14"
WEEK 4 //
• "“Tuesday, change what constitutes (Rheingold, property? 1"
potential October 26 (Networks)” intellectual “Virtual
Perl" 24"
media”"
• “We believe that a systematic use of large-scale analysis
sustainability"
Community/Social Media”) Literacies”)"
“ (Davidson, “21st Century 9"
" SQL/mySQL"
and interactive visualization of cultural data will become a 3"
19"
" “What is interaction design?” (Mazalek, “Principles of
• algorithmic" humanities research in the coming
• majorRosenzweig, “Can History be Open Source?” (Price,7"
• Apr 22: Thein
“R. trend Networked Book (Fitzpatrick, “digital media
Interaction Design”)"
decades.” (Manovich, “Theories of Media and New Media”)"
theory”)" History”"
“Hacking

69. DH: Tools and Topics
Key Concept: Data and More
Terms I Expected to See &
Technologies Taught in DH
Openness
Key Concept: Network"
Copyright"
Database"
Of…"
Courses"
Term"
Term" Frequency" # Uses"
#Courses"
argument"
xml" 107" 54"
19"
statistics"
TEI" 59" 50"
• “Ability to assess digital data for preservability” (Salo, “Digital
15"
programming" survey the digital humanities, internet canʼt
• curation”)
• “The course as Innovation: distributed cooperation (what47"
“Openness will
Omeka" 51" 16"
"history, network society…”“IntroductionMyers, “Seminar in
be coordinated?)” (Kelty, (Tullos and to Openness”"
representation"
• “Our goal in this course is to build a database-driven
PHP"Scholarship and Media Studies”) 38" 32"
5"
Digital
interpretation"
• " “How does interactive, do-it-yourself open source remix28"
website” (Quamen, “Technical Approaches & Concepts”) 11"
Zotero" 35"
• "“Tuesday, change what constitutes (Rheingold, property? 14"
accessibility"
potential October 26 (Networks)” intellectual “Virtual 1"
Perl" 24"
• “We believe that a systematic use of large-scale analysis
sustainability"
Community/Social Media”) Literacies”)"
“ (Davidson, “21st Century 9"
and interactive visualization of cultural data will become a 3"
SQL/mySQL"
" algorithmic" 19"
• majorRosenzweig, “Can History be Open Source?” (Price,7"
• Apr 22: Thein humanities research in the coming media
“R. trend Networked Book (Fitzpatrick, “digital
decades.” (Manovich, “Theories of Media and New Media”)"
theory”)" History”"
“Hacking

70. DH: Tools and Topics
Key Concept: Data and More
Terms I Expected to See &
Technologies Taught in DH
Openness
Copyright"
Database"
Of…"
Courses"
Term"
Term" Frequency" # Uses"
#Courses"
argument"
xml" 107" 54"
19"
statistics"
TEI" 59" 50"
• “Ability to assess digital data for preservability” (Salo, “Digital
15"
programming" Innovation: distributed cooperation (what canʼt
• curation”)
“Openness as
Omeka" 51" 47"
16"
" representation"
be coordinated?)” (Kelty, “Introduction to Openness”"
• “Our goal in this course is to build a database-driven
PHP" 38" 32"
5"
interpretation"
• “How does interactive, do-it-yourself open source remix28"
website” (Quamen, “Technical Approaches & Concepts”) 11"
Zotero" 35"
" accessibility"
potential change what constitutes intellectual property? 14"
• “We believe that a systematic use of large-scale analysis 1"
Perl"
sustainability"
“ (Davidson, “21st Century Literacies”)"
24"
9"
and interactive visualization of cultural data will become a 3"
SQL/mySQL"
algorithmic"
19"
• majorRosenzweig, “Can History be Open Source?” (Price,7"
“R. trend in humanities research in the coming
decades.” (Manovich, “Theories of Media and New Media”)"
“Hacking History”"

71. DH: Tools and Topics
Key Concept: Data and
Terms I Expected to See More
Technologies Taught in DH
Database"
Of…"
Courses"
Term"
Term" Frequency" # Uses"
#Courses"
argument"
xml" 107" 54"
19"
statistics"
TEI" 59" 50"
• “Ability to assess digital data for preservability” (Salo, “Digital
15"
programming"
curation”)
Omeka" 51" 47"
16"
" representation"
• “Our goal in this course is to build a database-driven
PHP" 38" 32"
5"
interpretation"
website” (Quamen, “Technical Approaches & Concepts”) 11"
Zotero" 35" 28"
" accessibility" 14"
• “We believe that a systematic use of large-scale analysis 1"
Perl"
sustainability"
24"
9"
and interactive visualization of cultural data will become a 3"
SQL/mySQL"
algorithmic"
19"
major trend in humanities research in the coming 7"
decades.” (Manovich, “Theories of Media and New Media”)"

72. DH: Tools and Topics
Terms I Expected to See More
Technologies Taught in DH
Of…"
Courses"
Term"
Term" Frequency" # Uses"
#Courses"
argument"
xml" 107" 54"
19"
statistics"
TEI" 59" 50"
15"
programming"
Omeka" 51" 47"
16"
representation"
PHP" 38" 32"
5"
interpretation"
Zotero" 35" 28"
11"
accessibility" 14"
Perl" 24" 1"
sustainability"
SQL/mySQL" 19" 9"
3"
algorithmic"
7"

73. DH: Tools and Topics
Technologies Taught in DH
Courses"
Term" Frequency" #Courses"
xml" 107" 19"
TEI" 59" 15"
Omeka" 51" 16"
PHP" 38" 5"
Zotero" 35" 11"
Perl" 24" 1"
SQL/mySQL" 19" 3"

74. Public Digital Tools

75. Public Digital Tools
Content
Omeka,
Collections Mangement
Pinterest
Systems
Multimedia/
Story-telling Digital Storify, iMovie
Storytelling
Fund-raising Viral Marketing Kickstarter

76. Public Digital Tools
Content
Omeka,
Collections Mangement
Pinterest
Systems
Multimedia/
Story-telling Digital Storify, iMovie
Storytelling
Fund-raising Viral Marketing Kickstarter

77. Public Digital Tools
Content
Omeka,
Collections Mangement
Pinterest
Systems
Multimedia/
Story-telling Digital Storify, iMovie
Storytelling
Fund-raising Viral Marketing Kickstarter

78. Public Digital Tools
Content
Omeka,
Collections Mangement
Pinterest
Systems
Multimedia/
Story-telling Digital Storify, iMovie
Storytelling
Fund-raising Viral Marketing Kickstarter

79. Public Digital Tools
Content
Omeka,
Collections Mangement
Pinterest
Systems
Multimedia/
Story-telling Digital Storify, iMovie
Storytelling
Fund-raising Viral Marketing Kickstarter

80. Public Digital Tools
Content
Omeka,
Collections Mangement
Pinterest
Systems
Multimedia/
Story-telling Digital Storify, iMovie
Storytelling
Fund-raising Viral Marketing Kickstarter

81. Public Digital Tools
Content
Omeka,
Collections Mangement
Pinterest
Systems
Multimedia/
Story-telling Digital Storify, iMovie
Storytelling
Fund-raising Viral Marketing Kickstarter

82. Public Digital Tools
Content
Omeka,
Collections Mangement
Pinterest
Systems
Multimedia/
Story-telling Digital Storify, iMovie
Storytelling
Fund-raising Viral Marketing Kickstarter

83. Public Digital Tools
Content
Omeka,
Collections Mangement
Pinterest
Systems
Multimedia/
Story-telling Digital Storify, iMovie
Storytelling
Fund-raising Viral Marketing Kickstarter

84. Disability History Pinterest

85. National Heritage Day Storify

86. Everhart Museum Kickstarter

87. Tools
Topics
Style
The Humanities
Digital
Humanities
Public
Humanities
Open Humanities

88. Why go digital?

89. Why go digital?
It’s the
real
world!

90. Why go digital?
It
demands
rigor

91. Why go digital?
It is open
and public:
“a utopian
core”

92. Why go digital?
It allows
and
demands a
more
complex
view of
community

93. Why go digital?
Sarah Morris, UT-Austin

94. Why go digital?
It has a
maker,
collabor-
ative
mentality
Sarah Morris, UT-Austin

95. Why go digital?

96. Why go digital?
It’s where
the jobs
are.

97. Public Digital
Humanities

98. Digital Public
Humanities

99. Digital Public
Humanities
NKS!
THA