What contributes to a qualified digital humanities librarian and ideal digital humanities pedagogy? An exploratory qualitative study

Abstract

Various digital humanities (DH) methods are increasingly being incorporated into the curricula of higher education institutions and the research undertaken in these institutions. Through semi-structured interviews conducted with eight librarians from four universities, along with observation of their actual work and investigation of the library websites, this study explored these librarians' perceptions of DH pedagogy and their understandings about the role of “DH librarian.” The findings show that the role of a DH librarian can be seen as a liaison among different stakeholders, a group of specialists, or a collective title. The importance of humanities versus technical backgrounds and the practical skills a DH librarian needs to support DH pedagogy are discussed. The findings also indicate that an ideal practice of DH pedagogy requires balanced collaboration, a clear framework, a closer partnership, ample investment in human and technical resources, and high valuation of non-book scholarship.