The following piece was originally created for the DH@MSU Newsletter and was featured in the January 23, 2023 issue. Subscribe to the Newsletter here.
What Digital Humanities Means to Me: Amanda Tickner
I am the GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Librarian at MSU and I have a PhD in Anthropology from UNC-CH. As a GIS Librarian, I help people with all things related to GIS, including consulting about using GIS in research and classes, supporting learning with GIS workshops, and helping people find GIS data. What attracts me to helping people as a GIS librarian and what drew me to Anthropology is the broad range of subjects they can encompass and connect to. Digital Humanities has a similar appeal, it uses cross disciplinary methods and is inclusive of man
Collaboration is another DH value that I appreciate, having participated in quite a bit of collaborative research I think it can be effective and useful. Digital Humanities as a discipline often expands collaborative activity into humanities disciplines that traditionally have been focused on solo work, and I think this is valuable. And I value my collaboration and participation with DH at MSU, they have provided a great opportunity for connection to faculty and graduate students who are interested in GIS and digital scholarship services at the library.
I enjoy teaching applications to the DH community, in addition to GIS I have taught class workshops on Twine, 3D modelling and other applications that can be used in DH. Giving people confidence to enter technical subject areas and accomplish things with new methods that they may not have felt comfortable with previously and opening them to possibilities of technology are things I value. Digital Humanities as a discipline shares those values.