A content analysis of job advertisements for digital humanities-related positions in academic libraries

Abstract

Digital Humanities (DH) is a relatively new and dynamic field that involves a wide range of disciplines. There is a need to identify a set of competencies for professionals in this growing field. The purpose of this study is to assess the current state of required and desirable qualifications and knowledge described in the job advertisements regarding DH-related positions. 72 unique job advertisements between November 2006 and April 2018 were collected from American Library Association JobLIST. Position title; institution types and location; educational background; experience; knowledge and skills; and duties were examined and analyzed. SCI2, VOSviewer and Pajek were used to analyze the word/phrase frequency of the job title and job functions, the clusters of job duties and job requirement. The results of the study offer insights on and have practical applications in DH-related education and training to meet the needs of this field.