The Digital Lab as an arena for teaching and outreach activities connected to the Special Collections at the University Library of Bergen

Abstract

The Digital Lab at the University of Bergen Library was established in 2020 and is set up to be an interdisciplinary hub for researchers, lecturers, and students, both on-site and digitally. The lab provides a space to learn, to discuss, and to apply various digital tools and methods used in research within the Digital Humanities. Each semester the lab sets up different courses, workshops, seminars, and lectures aiming to support and serve the target groups. This paper presents a case study that investigates how the Digital Lab can provide an arena for DH activities connected to the Special Collections at the library. The aim is to explore how these activities can have a cross-disciplinary and collaborative approach, and to investigate the lab’s potential as a community-building arena and its impact on the involvement of the library and the librarian‘s role in DH.