The Digital Scholarship Center (DiSC) at George Mason University Libraries is an expansion of GMU’s previous Data Services Group. The Data Services Group typically provided consultations on numeric, geospatial, qualitative data and software, and research data management issues. However, more and more requests for help expanded into questions surrounding digital scholarship related methods such as text mining, troubleshooting project-based code (such as R and python), and digital humanities-based tools. A library-wide digital scholarship committee was formed which was tasked with investigating and recommending what needed to be done to create a Digital Scholarship Center. Most of the recommendations from the committee’s final report were implemented. As a result, DiSC includes Data Services along with support for digital humanities and digital projects. While the new DiSC unit received additional staffing through graduate assistants, we sought to fill other staffing holes by working toward cross-unit collaboration. Our experience working with students, staff, and faculty on projects has informed future goals for the unit and for the libraries more broadly.
The University Libraries at UNC-Greensboro are in the early stages of establishing a defined suite of digital scholarship services ranging from online exhibits (Omeka) to data visualization and enterprise-level mapping (ArcGIS). The initiative began organically over a decade ago as the Libraries Web Development Unit began working with researchers across campus on digital projects on a case-by-case basis. Over time, this developed into a small, internal annual grant from which the Libraries selects a number of projects to take on annually, in order to both control the number of project commitments without additional resources and to better assess digital scholarship needs across campus.
This webinar will review where GMU's & UNCG's efforts started, how they got to where they are now, and where they’re heading.
