Blog #2


 

Chapter 2 focuses heavily on the topics involved with data and digitization. Drucker's analyses regarding the processes show insight into how one can source or create materials in an ethical fashion. She discusses how to "clean" data, such as assessing and processing the data for inconsistencies. These topics are essential when attempting to gather data for a humanistic project. For my DH analysis this semester, I chose the project "What's on the Menu" by the New York Public Library, as I found the menus to be designed in an interesting way. 

In terms of longevity, it seems that "What's on the Menu" has fallen victim to the endless black hole of the internet. As of January 2025, the site linked on Canvas shows that the original website that was once home to this project has been shut down, which is a prevalent theme in chapter 3 of the Coursebook. This being said, the website linked on Canvas still shows ways to interpret the data present in "What's on the Menu". Digitization, as a whole, has been great for showcasing works that were once only viewable in person. This being said, digitization has it's drawbacks-- as seen above-- and many projects have been lost to the constant reshaping of the digital world. The coding heavily involved in these projects becomes outdated or the code starts to erode. 

Comments

  1. VickySeptember 11, 2025 at 11:01 AM

    Great post! I completely agreed with your thoughts on the ethical requirements to “clean” data for humanistic projects. Even as far as we have come in education, training, and awareness, I still see people post things on social media sites without considering the impact of sharing that information about themselves, and others. But when digital projects are worked and them publicized, curators and other team members must be diligent in their methods and intent to protect data. Your post certainly makes me want to learn more about the project that you are analyzing, so I’m looking forward to learning more! My analysis project is on the Van Gogh exhibit in Boston, but I didn’t really come across any concerns over ethical use of data. This may have been because the artist and his muse’s died over 50 years ago. So my focus of my project was centered on his art and mental health, and how that story was used in the digital exhibit in Boston.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

blog post 1: what is digital humanities?

Image
  MFA Boston "Real Photo Postcards: Pictures from a Changing Nation" (2022)      Hearing the term “Digital Humanities” in this class's title gave me the immediate impression that this class would teach about the online aspect of works in the English realm, such as news sites or other web-based published works. Since reading the beginning of the textbook and taking time to explore what Digital Humanities actually is, I have learned that it is far more steeped in research and quantification than I originally thought. As the textbook suggests, Digital Humanities is an incredibly broad field, and the term can be applied to a variety of projects and organized works. Specifically, the integration of technology to the materials being studied is something that is fluid, and can be changed according to the needs and the nature of the project.       With this loose definition in mind, the first type of works that come to mind are exhibits that I have seen a...
Read more

What is DH?

  The Digital Humanities book provided a digestible explanation of what Digital Humanities incorporates with the digital world and different humanities principles. As I read the preface, I appreciated the terms “introduction,” “intended,” and “guided by principles,” because it supported my current understanding of digital Humanities by implying that there is not one single definition of digital humanities. It makes sense to me that digital humanities requires continued research and analysis, as it evolves within our society. I think that digital humanities is basically where the digital world supports and allows a platform to expand on, and analyze, humanities disciplines. I don’t think that digital humanities is intended to allow technology to change what is already there, but instead, to create and/or use the digital world to make those disciplines more accessible. The readings have helped me to have a better understanding of the value of studying and using digital humanities to...
Read more

RM ☆ Blog Post 1

Image
One word that I have seen a lot while looking into digital humanities and what it means is “intersection” (usually between the digital world and, of course, the humanities). I think this word is re ally helpful when thinking about the definition of DH, as it highlights how two almost opposite things are combined... or... intersected. After the readings , my idea of DH is: a piece of work created digitally that focuses on the humanities , or the observance of human existence and experience . T he readings taught me that “ a project can be digital without being online,” which is something new to me that I had never thought of before. Early on in the textbook, I also learned the difference between “digital” (information in binary form), and “computational” (processes performed by algorithms). A quote that stood out to me that really helped me better my understanding of what DH is was: “These components ( materials, processing, & presentation ) and the activities on whic...
Read more