Building a DH Community of Practice in the Liberal Arts College Library

Ashley Sanders, Ph.D. (History)Digital Scholarship LibrarianClaremont Colleges Library

Roadmap1. Define “community of practice”

2. Essential features of a successful faculty community of practice

3. Building a scholarly communications community of practice

4. Claremont Colleges Library – one year into the development of a digital humanities community of practice

1. “Community of Practice”: •According to Lave & Wenger

▫A group of learners united in their shared interest in a particular topic

▫“Newcomers” and “old-timers” who learn together and from each other in a social context

2. Essential features of a successful faculty community of practice

1. Trust2. Shared commitment3. University & department support4. Voluntary5. Openness to change6. Participant-defined desired outcomes

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University of Ohio leading the way!• Met every 2-3

weeks• University &

department support

• Public presentations

• Deliverable: Website

3. Building a ScholComm Community of Practice

4. Case Study: Claremont Colleges Library

•5 Claremont undergraduate colleges:▫Pomona College▫Scripps College▫Claremont McKenna College▫Harvey Mudd College▫Pitzer College

•Mellon DH grant: “Digital Humanities at the Claremont Colleges: Developing Capacity and Community”

DH @ the CCL:• “Intro to DH” Short

Course

• DH Workshop Series at the Library

• DH Project Design Consulting

• GIS Workshops and Consulting

• Audio/Video Consulting

Library DH Supportbit.ly/DHatCCL

Library DH Supportbit.ly/DHatCCL

DH@CC Community of PracticeInsights from the CCL

1. Build on common ground▫ Address barriers

2. Ask for a commitment & build it into rewards structure

3. Explore institutional support structures▫ Incorporate these into grant proposals

4. “Open” & “accessible” applies to CoPs too!5. Create transformational environment6. Support participants on their self-determined path

Building Trust: Identifying & Addressing Barriers to LearningBarriers Potential Solutions

1. Technology anxiety2. Library anxiety3. Fear of looking

incompetent and/or unknowledgeable

4. Work and childcare schedules

5. Investment in their own prior knowledge

1. Empathy, patience, and courses that teach digital skills

2. Personal invitations, openness, welcoming environment

3. Scaffold learning to build confidence

4. Flexible scheduling5. Assess prior knowledge &

ask them to reflect on how their new learning compares to their previous conceptions

DH@CC Community of PracticeInsights from the CCL

1. Build on common ground▫ Address barriers

2. Ask for a commitment & build it into rewards structure

3. Explore institutional support structures▫ Incorporate these into grant proposals

4. “Open” & “accessible” applies to CoPs too!5. Create transformational environment6. Support participants on their self-determined path

Discussion QuestionsHow do faculty, students, and librarians engage with digital humanities/scholarship on your campus? Do you have a formal DH/DS curriculum? What is your library’s role in your DH/DS program? How do you approach training for faculty in DH/DS?