CALL FOR PAPERS

2020-04-29

The relationship between Digital Humanities (DH) and libraries has become an important topic for reflection in recent years that has generated an extensive bibliography, although the dynamics of penetration and consolidation are not the same. The plurality is clear: in Catalonia we are still far from realities such as those presented by the RLUK or LIBER reports, although we have DH on our horizon. As Lluís Anglada — Director of the CSUC's Open Science Area— pointed out a few months ago in the Blok de BiD, we are in a key moment, in which the future is under construction and where "there is no other "recipe" than to reel yourself in and do it". This first issue of the magazine HD / DH Humanitats Digitals/Digital Humanities aims to promote reflection on the relationship between Digital Humanities and libraries at this particular moment of "construction", and also be enriched with foreign contributions that provide us with interesting approaches to other synergies and realities.

 

This HD / DH Humanitats Digitals/Digital Humanities monograph aims to:


• Analyze the current situation of Digital Humanities in our country and reflect on the role that libraries can play in this new context.

• Reflect on the new roles and skills that librarians should have and how they will deal with the new demands which are
required from them: advice on intellectual property issues, research methods (text mining and data visualization, etc.), in
metadata or linked open data, in open access, etc.

• Explore the challenges set out by this new paradigm at different levels: collection management, reuse of heritage,
collaboration with teachers, accessibility, technical treatment, equipment and software, funding, management of licenses
and rights, staff training, etc.

• Value the digitalization standards for Digital Humanities currently used, as well as the emerging trends that seek to re-use digitized materials.

• Identify and share projects and initiatives related to Digital Humanities that are being carried out in universities and
research libraries.


We open this call to communications with the aim of offering a platform for reflection and dissemination of diverse contributions on this moment of change and uncertainty. What role should libraries play in this new context? Are we identifying in which specific areas we can offer added value? Are we dealing with changing user needs and setting up services that respond to this new reality? Are librarians being established themselves as collaborators, partners or service providers for the projects that are underway, or are they keeping up? Is it possible that thanks to Digital Humanities the heritage and research libraries are facing the opportunity to make the sector prestigious? The answers to these and many other questions remain open, and this first issue of HD / DH Humanitats Digitals/Digital Humanities offers the opportunity for professionals to ponder on key issues.