The Public Digital Humanities: An Institute for Academic/Community Collaborations

FAIN: HT-281161-21

University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc. (Lawrence, KS 66045-3101)
Brian Rosenblum (Project Director: March 2021 to present)
David W. Tell (Co Project Director: June 2021 to present)

An institute supporting 12 teams (24 people total) from collaborative public digital humanities projects hosted at the University of Kansas for one year of in-person and virtual training.

The Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities (IDRH) at the University of Kansas (KU) seeks funding from the Institutes for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities Program to offer training in the public digital humanities. In order to focus on the under-resourced nexus of the digital humanities and public humanities, and in order to provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity for academics and their community partners to receive training together, we are inviting participants to attend in teams of two. We can host up to 12 teams and 24 participants. Each team represents a collaborative digital humanities project between the community and the academy. We will provide foundational knowledge, skills, and resources to successfully advance their public humanities projects, increasing the projects’ longevity, visibility, and impact.

Associated Products

Public Digital Humanities Institute (Conference/Institute/Seminar)
Title: Public Digital Humanities Institute
Abstract: This week-long summer Institute will provide foundational knowledge, skills and resources to successfully advance 12 public humanities projects, increasing their longevity, visibility and impact. This will be followed by a year of further online training & support.
Date Range: September 2021 - June 2023
Location: University of Kansas
Primary URL: https://publicdh.org
Primary URL Description: Public website for the Institute featuring program, session descriptions, project descriptions, instructor biographies, and application details.

Towards a Public Digital Humanities: Public Projects at an R1 DH Center (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: Towards a Public Digital Humanities: Public Projects at an R1 DH Center
Author: Brian Rosenblum
Author: Dave Tell
Author: Kaylen Dwyer
Author: Sylvia Fernandez
Abstract: “To do public digital humanities, the ‘public’ needs to come first. Always.” So writes Sheila Brennan in her essay “Public, First” in Debates in the Digital Humanities 2016, reminding us that successful public DH work requires community user involvement from the very beginning of the planning process. Driven by a similar vision, a DH center at an R1 university has shifted over time to a more public-oriented approach to DH that involves sustained public engagement. This panel will reflect on the Center's ongoing public DH efforts, with case studies addressing issues of infrastructure, training, and collaboration across academic and public sectors.
Date: 05/17/2022
Conference Name: DH Unbound: Association for Computing in the Humanties

The Public Digital Humanities Institute: An institute to support academic & community collaborations in the digital humanities (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: The Public Digital Humanities Institute: An institute to support academic & community collaborations in the digital humanities
Author: Brian Rosenblum
Author: Kaylen Dwyer
Author: Miguel Juarez
Author: Maria Trillo
Author: Sylvia Mendoza
Author: Jae Allen
Author: Charlotte Keniston
Abstract: The Public Digital Humanities Institute (PDHI), an NEH-funded institute held June 6-11 at the University of Kansas, brought together teams of academics and community partners from 12 community-based digital humanities projects for an intensive week of DH training and discussion. The PDHI offered a unique opportunity for community representatives and humanities scholars to receive training alongside each other in a bi-directional, collaborative setting. While the curriculum included training in some digital tools and methods, it went beyond technical training and emphasized topics such as relationship-building, project management, and effective and ethical models of academic-community collaboration, giving participants the resources and strategies to strengthen the long-term viability of their projects. The program also included case studies of five model public digital humanities projects presented by each project’s director. The Institute sessions were led by more than 20 experienced academics and community partners, providing participants rich opportunities for engagement. nspired by the public humanities vision of Sheila Brennan, Steven Lubar, and other scholars, and initiatives such as the National Humanities Allliance’s Humanities for All, two PDHI organizers will discuss the vision motivating the institute, and situate the PDHI within the broader conversation about public humanities. Representatives from three participating public digital humanities projects will present their own projects and takeaways from the Institute.
Date: 06/30/2023
Conference Name: Association for Computing in the Humanities 2023

The Public Digital Humanities Institute - White Paper (Report)
Title: The Public Digital Humanities Institute - White Paper
Author: Brian Rosenblum
Author: Dave Tell
Author: Sarah Bishop
Author: Kaylen Dwyer
Abstract: Final White Paper report for the Public Digital Humanities Institute
Date: 6/6/2022
Primary URL: https://hdl.handle.net/1808/34893
Access Model: open access

PDHI Handbook (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: PDHI Handbook
Author: Rosenblum, et al.
Abstract: The PDHI Handbook provides access to slides, handouts and other resources provided by instructors and staff throughout the Institute.
Year: 2024
Primary URL: https://hdl.handle.net/1808/34893
Audience: General Public

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