NEH Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants

The Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants program awards relatively small grants to support the planning stages of innovative projects that promise to benefit the humanities.

NEH Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants (http://www.neh.gov/grants/odh/digital-humanities-start-grants)


Deadline September 12, 2013 for Projects Beginning May 2014

Proposals should be for the planning or initial stages of digital initiatives in any area of the humanities. Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants may involve

• research that brings new approaches or documents best practices in the study of the digital humanities;
• planning and developing prototypes of new digital tools for preserving, analyzing, and making accessible digital resources, including libraries’ and museums’ digital assets;
• scholarship that focuses on the history, criticism, and philosophy of digital culture and its impact on society;
• scholarship or studies that examine the philosophical or practical implications and impact of the use of emerging technologies in specific fields or disciplines of the humanities, or in interdisciplinary collaborations involving several fields or disciplines;
• innovative uses of technology for public programming and education utilizing both traditional and new media; and
• new digital modes of publication that facilitate the dissemination of humanities scholarship in advanced academic as well as informal or formal educational settings at all academic levels.

FYI: Your historical odds are not great; in its last five competitions the Digital Humanities Start-up Grants program received an average of 151 applications per competition. The program made an average of 26 awards per competition, for a funding ratio of 17 percent.

Digital Humanities video chat 8.13.12 from 12-1PM

On August 13, 2012, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm, the Connecticut State Library will be hosting the second digital chat focusing on Digital Humanities in Connecticut (see the first digital chat here).

The platform is Google+ Hangouts, which allows up to ten participants to join in a live video conference discussion. More information about joining the session here.

Preliminary topics are:

·         Collaborative projects

·         Using geospatial tools to teach and present history in new ways

·         Using Google Refine to clean your metadata

Joining the Connecticut State Library’s Christine Pittsley in this discussion will be:
Michael Howser – University of Connecticut Libraries, Map and Geographic Information Center (MAGIC)
Greg Colati – Director, University Archives & Special Collections, Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut
Tom Scheinfeldt – Managing Director, The Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University
Clarissa Ceglio - Research Associate, The Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media and Content Manager, ConnecticutHistory.org
Brenda Miller – Curator, Hartford History Center at the Hartford Public Library

National Archives Electronic Records Project Grants

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission seeks proposals that will "increase the capacity of archival repositories to create electronic records archives that preserve records of enduring historical value."

All information is on the program website.

Applications are for the following categories:

1. Start-up projects: Develop the capacity of institutions to prepare to capture and preserve electronic records, through program planning; or
2. Collaborative projects: Establish and/or improve electronic records archives by engaging in effective and innovative collaborations; or
3. Electronic Records Professional Development projects: Develop and offer professional education curricula, basic and advanced institutes, or research seminars.

Plus you probably get a link with the cool logo. If any of that sounds like fun to you, I wish you luck!

NEH Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is accepting applications to their Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants program.

This program is designed to encourage innovations in the digital humanities. By awarding relatively small grants (from $5,000 to $50,000) to support the planning stages, NEH aims to encourage the development of innovative projects that promise to benefit the humanities.

Due date is September 1, 2012.

Free Webinar: New Trends in Content Curation and Group Collaboration

This free Infotrieve webinar, New Trends in Content Curation and Group Collaboration, is scheduled for Thursday, October 13, 2011 10:00AM

Learn from new media expert and adjunct Harvard professor Nicco Mele about the newest trends in content curation and how implementing secure group collaboration within your organization brings products to market faster and improves the bottom line.

Register here. It's free.

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Digitizing Hidden Collections: Success Stories from Small and Medium-sized Digitization Projects

Free! Wednesday, November 2, 2011. 1:00PM – 2:30PM EDT. Free!

Although large-scale initiatives receive the lion’s share of attention, countless small and medium-sized digitization projects provide invaluable access to hidden collections from North American libraries, archives, and museums.

Spurred by the OITP Perspectives paper, “Digitizing Hidden Collections in Public Libraries,” (pdf) Digitizing Hidden Collections: Success Stories from Small and Medium-sized Digitization Projects is a free, 90-minute webinar aimed at sharing success stories, best practices, and the lessons learned to encourage other successful projects. Register today.

Panelists include:

• Gwen Glazer from Cornell University Library, 2010 Google Fellow with ALA, and author of “Digitizing Hidden Collections in Public Libraries.”
• Jason Kucsma from the Metropolitan New York Library Council and co-editor of Digitization in the Real World
• Natalie Milbrodt, Project Manager for Queens Memory Project, will discuss her recent work on a collaborative digitization project
• Beth Goble and Devra Dragos, Nebraska Library Commission, will discuss The Nebraska Memories Project that provides access to important collections held by libraries and historical societies in Nebraska
• Erin Kinney, Wyoming State Library, will discuss the Wyoming Newspaper Project
• Larry Carey, Tompkins County Public Library, will discuss the library’s local-history digitization initiative

Panelists will address the following topics:

• Real-life, practical strategies for initiating and managing projects and how those strategies could be applied more broadly
• Where to find best practices for a variety of digital project needs (conversion, metadata standards, storage, access etc.)
• How to create a successful collaborative project between multiple institutions
• Short survey of initiatives aimed at providing increased access to collections (via portals, directories, etc...)

Connecticut Forum on Digital Initiatives

The Connecticut State Library Presents: The Connecticut Forum on Digital Initiatives

 October 28, 2011, 9:00AM to 4:00PM at the Connecticut State Library's Memorial Hall, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut (directions). Free! Register.

The Connecticut Forum on Digital Initiatives will bring together academic and research libraries, museums and cultural institutions from around the state to talk about the digital projects happening in our historic state. It’s a chance for institutions to bring their projects and ideas to the table and learn from each other about how to improve and enhance them. The theme of this forum is collaboration, and how in the face of ever tightening budgets, Connecticut institutions and organizations can work together to create better digital projects for the people of Connecticut.

Speakers from institutions including Yale University and the Hartford History Center will cover issues just as diverse. Topics will cover the digital lifecycle of a project, from digitization to preservation as well as platforms, like Omeka and Historypin. Several successful collaborative projects underway in Connecticut will be highlighted.

The forum will broaden participant’s skills and perspectives on digital initiatives, and encourage participants to form new collaborative partnerships. This may be a simple collaborative collection, or a complex grant partnership. In order to facilitate this, we hope to create a project repository where institutions can list their digital projects. Take this opportunity to meet people institutions next door and help create a community that will move Connecticut forward.

Presenters scheduled:

• Paul Baran, Assistant State Archivist, Connecticut State Archives
• Meg Bellinger, Director, Office of Digital Assets and Infrastructure, Yale University
• Michael Bennett, Digital Projects Librarian & Institutional Repository Coordinator, Univ. of  Conn.
• Jack Dougherty, Associate Professor of Educational Studies, Trinity University
• Chris Edwards, Digital Studio Production Manager, Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library
• John ffrench, Director, Visual Resources Department, Yale Art Gallery
• Kathleen Foulke, Project Director, Connecticut History Online
• Michael Howser, Undergraduate Education and GIS Librarian, H. Babbidge Library, Univ. of Conn.
• Gail Hurley, Statewide Library Catalog Coordinator, Connecticut State Library
• Brenda Miller, Curator, Hartford History Center
• Leah Prescott, Digital Projects Coordinator, Getty Research Institute
• Tom Scheinfeldt, Managing Director, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
• Nick Stanhope, CEO, We Are What We Do/Historypin
• Kendall Wiggin, State Librarian, Connecticut State Library

A special thank you to the Connecticut Humanities Council for sponsoring Nick Stanhope, CEO, We Are What We Do/Historypin.

Who Should Attend: This is not an introduction to digitization. It is strongly recommended that attendees currently be involved in some form of digital project or initiative. Attendees must be Connecticut based institutions.

For more information please contact:

Christine Pittsley
Digital Collections Technician
Connecticut State Library
231 Capitol Ave.
Hartford Ct. 06106
860-757-6517

IMLS director, Susan Hildreth to visit Bangor, Maine on October 18 for Digitally Inclusive Communities forum

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) director, Susan Hildreth will visit Bangor, Maine on October 18, 2011and work with state librarians to lead community and leadership forums. If you’re up there anyway, or if you always wanted to participate in a nation-wide forum, this is your shot.

According to IMLS, as access to broadband becomes increasingly important to full participation in society, the need for communities to develop plans that address the needs of all of their residents is urgent. Answering the call of the National Broadband Plan, IMLS has worked with more than one hundred organizations and individuals with deep knowledge about public access to technology and the diverse information needs of communities to develop a "proposed framework for digitally inclusive communities."

Libraries and other community-based organizations play especially important roles in meeting the needs of hard to reach residents and ensuring opportunity for all. Libraries are recognized community anchors with the capacity to convene public officials, businesses, schools, hospitals, public safety and cultural institutions so that they can work together to fully and effectively realize the value of a digitally inclusive community.

"We are looking forward to hearing directly from community members and local officials about the challenges they face in creating digitally inclusive communities" said Susan Hildreth, IMLS Director. "Every voice helps to strengthen this work which we hope will result in a resource that is truly effective and useful."

Bangor was selected in part to assure participation by diverse audiences from a mix of rural and urban environments.

The forums will help accomplish three important goals: 

1. Finalizing the framework with meaningful feedback from the general public and relevant stakeholders.
2. Building support for digital inclusion and fostering relationships with communities and partners who can facilitate future piloting of the digital inclusion framework.
3. Developing implementation and communication plans with meaningful feedback from community leaders.

IMLS is working with the University of Washington Information School and the International City/County Management Association to finalize the framework incorporating insights gathered from the forums. The framework will serve as the foundation for development of tools and resources to help communities across the United States in realizing the benefits of digital inclusion.

For more news and information about IMLS’s digital inclusion and broadband initiatives, please visit http://www.imls.gov/about/broadband.aspx. 

NEH Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is accepting applications to their Digital Humanities Start-Up Grants program.

This program is designed to encourage innovations in the digital humanities. By awarding relatively small grants to support the planning stages, NEH aims to encourage the development of innovative projects that promise to benefit the humanities.

Due date is September 27, 2011.

Comcast Internet Essentials

Comcast's Internet Essentials will soon provide affordable access to quality home Internet service, a discount-priced computer and training to eligible families.

Internet Essentials will be available during the 2011 "Back to School" season.

For $9.95 per month, participating families receive:
• XFINITY Internet Economy Service (currently up to 1.5 Mbps download)
• Option to purchase a computer for under $150
• Access to online, in print and classroom digital literacy training
• No modem rental charges, no deposit or activation fees. Prices are subject to applicable tax
• As XFINITY Internet customers, participants gain other benefits at no extra charge, including NortonTM Security Suite, a $160 value

A household is eligible to participate in Internet Essentials if it:
• Is located where Comcast offers Internet service
• Has at least one child receiving free school lunches through the National School Lunch Program
• Has not subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days, and
• Does not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) seeks proposals that use cost-effective methods to digitize nationally significant historical record collections and make the digital versions freely available online.

A grant normally is for 1 to 3 years and up to $150,000; the NHPRC expects to award 5 grants in this category.

Here is a link right to the grant announcement, or you can keep reading:

Projects must make use of existing holdings of historical repositories and consist of entire collections or series. The materials should already be available to the public at the archives and described so that projects can re-use existing information to serve as metadata for the digitized collection.

To make these projects as widely useful as possible for archives, historical repositories, and researchers, the applications must demonstrate:

1. The national significance of the collections or records series to be digitized;
2. An effective work flow that repurposes existing descriptive material, rather than creating new metadata about the records;
3. Reasonable costs and standards for the project as well as sustainable preservation plans for the resulting digital records;
4. Well-designed plans that evaluate the use of the digitized materials and the effectiveness of the methods employed in digitizing and displaying the materials.

Projects may not use grant funds to:

* create descriptive metadata
* create edited transcriptions of the digitized materials
* develop websites where people will have to pay a fee to view the images.