part of ACRL DHIG/DCIG webcast: "Engaging the Digital Humanities: Collaborating throughout the Research Lifecycle," March 2016

1. Fostering Community
through Grassroots DH at
Mississippi State University
Hillary A.H. Richardson, Assistant Professor, Humanities Librarian
Nickoal L. Eichmann, Assistant Professor, History Research Librarian
@hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
http://mrg.bz/T2BVSU

2. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
Talking Points
• About the Starkville Civil Rights Project
• Stages of Building Collaboration and Community
• Skills needed (and how to foster them)
• Lessons learned
http://mrg.bz/SZmXR9

3. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
starkvillecivilrights.msstate.edu

4. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
starkvillecivilrights.msstate.edu
[ oralhistoryonline.org ]

5. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
starkvillecivilrights.msstate.edu

6. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
starkvillecivilrights.msstate.edu
[ timeline.knightlab.com ] [ google.com/mymaps ]

7. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
starkvillecivilrights.msstate.edu

8. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
Our Team
• 2 Research Librarians
• 1 History Professor (on sabbatical)
• 4 Doctoral students (dissertating)
• 3 Masters students (graduated)
• 1 Honors Undergrad (volunteer)
http://mrg.bz/rkKcNl

9. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
A grassroots theme underlies both the project’s
research and in our execution of it.
Grassroots + DH
http://mrg.bz/D1IR2v

10. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
• Public history course / Research Question
•Grant funding / Develop goals and timeline
• Curate content and build the site
• Community Forum
• A “living website”
Stages
http://mrg.bz/A1RMMC

11. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
http://mrg.bz/rkKcNl
1. Public History Course Project (Spring 2014)

12. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
http://mrg.bz/rkKcNl
2. Grant funding / Develop goals and timeline
• Open-ended project to “benefit both
community and the library”
• Gave much-needed structure and
resources to the project:
• Statement of Need
• Detailed Budget
• Timeline

13. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
http://mrg.bz/rkKcNl
3. Curate Content & Build Site
• Worked on various components separately
through sub-teams
•Project management
•Archival research
•Oral history interviews + indexing
•Website design + organization of
content
•Crafting the narrative

14. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
4. Community Forum

15. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
http://mrg.bz/rkKcNl
How is this different?
Amanda Visconti:
literaturegeek.com/2016/02/28/DHjobtalk
Scenario C
(researchers)(librarians) (team)

16. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
http://mrg.bz/NrjhWa
Lessons Learned

17. http://mrg.bz/jkUu6K
@hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
1.Sharing Research Can Be Hard

18. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
http://mrg.bz/ho0mf5
2. Project management is constant

19. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
http://mrg.bz/qNJKOg
3. Scaffolding tools helps
accommodate different skillsets

20. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
http://mrg.bz/dxb4lV
4. Universal + Local Topic = Powerful

21. @hillaryAHR @NickoalEichmann
Thank you!
starkvillecivilrights.msstate.edu
http://mrg.bz/rN2fsc