PurposeBy reconstructing the genealogy of digital humanities through examining digital humanities projects and evaluative writings, this paper aims to identify core arguments related to disciplinary transformation and pedagogy in the humanities fields. It also seeks to consider knowledge production and transformation of a general humanistic attitude (the Humanities Program) in relation to digital tools. The paper also seeks to examine its perceived impact on disciplinary development, pedagogy, and forms of digital text.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a literature‐based conceptual analysis of distinct and diverse aspects of the enterprise of digital humanities, by identifying their main foci together with implications of these preoccupations within larger discourses. The analysis is grounded in a close reading of 45 exemplary texts published from the 1980s to date, and 14 exemplary projects and initiatives. The analysis highlights several concepts with their underlying assumptions.FindingsThe perceived epistemological advantage of digital technology for new forms of reasoning is that community development has produced theoretical frameworks and shaped practical directions. The paper identified three distinct formations characterized by associated digital artifacts: prominent opinion leaders, foundational projects, and document forms (morphs).Research limitations/implicationsResearch data are not comprehensive. Selected texts and projects are exemplary. The results and findings are relevant for the English‐language context and limited by a selective corpus.Originality/valueThe paper outlines a historical trajectory of digital humanities and the formative stages of development from the discourses of that evolving field. It also identifies constructions of technological advantage with implications for knowledge production in the writing of humanities scholars. The paper contributes to practitioner awareness of the history of digital humanities practice.
This study of the activities surrounding the National Digital Library Program (NDLP) at the Library of Congress (1995Congress ( -2000 focuses on institutional processes associated with technological innovation in the library context. The study identified modalities of successful innovation and the characteristics of creative decision making. Theories of social change and organizational rationality, and the social construction of technology (SCOT) approaches provided the theoretical basis for this study. The underlying design for a phenomenological approach is discussed, together with the method for constructing a descriptive narrative that synthesizes the phenomenon under study (an emergent national digital library program). Theory, methodology, data collection, and the summary of findings with implications for practice are presented here. The accompanying article, Part II (available as an electronic-only article in this issue), presents the narratives of development, applying the interpretive phenomenological framework to document the innovators' perspectives about this formative event. ______________________________________________________________________This study focuses on a major transformative event, the National Digital Library Program (NDLP) at the Library of Congress (1995Congress ( -2000. This event provides a model for NOTE: The author would like to thank the participants in the study, and Heike Schimkat and Anselm Spoerri for reading the first drafts of this paper and offering useful suggestions. This research has been completed with support from Rutgers University Research Council Grant Award (no. 2-02017). • What are the modalities of a successful innovation process?• How can the characteristics of creative decision making be identified retrospectively?The main thesis of this research project is that understanding technological innovation in the library context depends on providing an insight into how innovators and the environment (structure) are shaping innovation decisions. Therefore, the individual decision makers and structure were considered as variables shaping the process of technological transformation. Structure is considered at three levels: society (external to the organization), professional norms (external and internal), and organizational pressures for efficiency and control (internal to the organization). This study aims to explore and describe the organizational process from a holistic perspective as the first step in developing models for studying similar projects of the initial digital library boom (1998 to 2002) and to advance reflection on the nature of historical (transformative) processes in the context of the library institution.The digital library emergence is a major transformative force in the recent history of the library institution. Therefore, it provides meaningful engagement for library historians (or library sociologists). In this paper, discourse around the interpretation of technology is set center-stage and the "digital library" considered as a socio-technic...
1Institutional processes associated with technological innovation in the library context and key transformative event, the completion of the National Digital Library Program (NDLP) at the Library of Congress (1995Congress ( -2000, are discussed in this article and the accompanying Part I. Interviews with seven key participants of the program conducted in 2002 at the Library of Congress (from policy-makers to digital library developers) are interpreted here in terms of loci of control (external/internal) shaping the process of innovation and its institutionalization -the coercive and normative pressures of society, and the professional field of librarianship. The perceptions of individuals are synthesized into a realist narrative in which their voices are still recognizable. Their tales of development show that organizational change driven by external forces and involving individuals who crossed boundaries of organizational fields can be very successful in forcing organizational isomorphism and integration of digitization in the library processes. The accompanying article, Part I, presents theories of social change and organizational rationality, and the social construction of technology (SCOT) as well as the methodological framework for this phenomenological study. 2 The interviewees' responses are aggregated in the analysis. Because of the focus on individual perception, quotes from the interviews are coded (P1-P7).As shown in Table 1, the majority of the informants were involved with the NDLP for most of the duration of the project. The type of their involvement with the NDLP varied in responsibility level and scope. They also shifted their responsibilities over time.Among them were digital projects team managers, coordinators, and administrators.Their institutional roles included core, educational services, and infrastructure staff.Data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews organized around 14 open-ended questions. The questions touched on a variety of themes, including the informants' involvement with the digital library development, the history of the initiative at the Library of Congress, their experience with specific projects, and their awareness of collection development policies and of the novel uses of collections. The description of the study, and the interview guide were (e)mailed to the participants prior to the interview. Some of the participants prepared notes, which they used as memory aids during the interview. The actual interviews lasted from 60 to 90 minutes and were taped.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.