Research, teaching, and scholarly communications in theology and religious studies are all undergoing a shift. The dominance of print as our scholarly information medium is waning as new practices emerge that leverage the vast capabilities of large linked data sets, interactive data visualizations, and machines as partners in the reading and writing of texts.
The combination of collaboration, interdisciplinarity, and attention to materiality operative in libraries at institutions focused on theology and religious studies make them ideal laboratories for the exploration of the rich potential of digital humanities.
Experimental Humanities Lab @ Iliff, “Library as Interface for Digital Humanities Work,” in Digital Humanities and Libraries and Archives in Religious Studies, ed. Clifford B. Anderson, De Gruyter.
Librarians and information professionals have never been more important as key partners in learning and implementing the right tools and practices for the accessibility and sustainability of digital projects. The resources in this guide will hopefully provide a useful starting point to begin building the skills and dispositions needed to participate in the exciting new projects made possible through the digital humanities.
The digital humanities (DH) encompass a wide area of scholarship. It can be hard to clearly define and not everyone agrees on the same definition. Below are several examples of ways to understand the term and its relationship to librarians.