Trends in Digital Scholarship Centers

Joan K. Lippincott
Associate Executive Director
Coalition for Networked Information

Harriette Hemmasi
Joukowsky Family University Librarian
Brown University

Vivian Lewis
University Librarian
McMaster University

Many higher education institutions are considering how to better support e-research in a wide variety of disciplines on their campus. One response is the development of physical spaces, often called “digital scholarship centers,” that provide high-end technologies and support services primarily to faculty, graduate students, and seniors working on capstone projects. This session will provide an overview of digital scholarship center trends and encourage participants to both add their own examples and discuss what types of information they would like CNI to gather in order for them to develop or strengthen a digital scholarship center on their campus.

The recently opened Brown University Library Digital Scholarship Lab is an expansion of a long-standing library program to support faculty and graduate students working with complex digital content. Featuring a 7×16 foot tiled wall comprised of twelve 55-inch LED screens, the high-definition visualization facility supports innovative methods of teaching and research, and enables new forms of student learning and interaction. The Lab has already attracted faculty and students at all levels working on projects in a wide variety of disciplines, and it is also used for public presentations.

At the Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship at McMaster University, faculty and graduate students receive support in their e-research activities in many disciplines. A new fellows/internship program enables library staff to work closely with a core group of users. In addition, McMaster is one of the lead institutions for an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant to explore “best in class” digital scholarship programs. After visiting centers around the world and conducting interviews, the co-investigators will generate a set of benchmarks for such programs.

http://library.brown.edu/dsl/
http://scds.ca/about-the-centre/

 Presentation (Hemmasi)
Presentation (Lippincott)
Presentation (Lewis)