The Yale Digital Humanities Lab offers new opportunities to students and Yale community

Founded in 2015 as an interdisciplinary initiative—to incorporate science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education—the Yale Digital Humanities Laboratory (DHLab) provides students, faculty, and professionals across campus with a range of services and support.

The user-centered hub of the unit is the Franke Family Digital Humanities Laboratory, located in Sterling Memorial Library. There, patrons can receive consultations, training, and other support as they create digital text editions, build virtual exhibitions, perform analyses, visualize data, transform metadata, and accomplish much more.

This fall, the DHLab has further expanded its services by offering three new opportunities: community-wide access to the Special Projects Cube, the DH Certificate Program for graduate students, and two new DH Consultant positions.

“These new opportunities are part of our ongoing initiative to democratize the space and programming of the DHLab,” said Digital Humanities Program Manager Kayla Shipp. “We are excited to remove key barriers to accessing research support and to empower graduate students to actively participate in their own unique routes to professionalization.”

The Special Projects Cube

The Special Projects Cube, at the center of the DHLab library space, is now open to the entire Yale community.  Depending on the needs of their individual research projects, staff members, graduate students, undergraduates, and faculty can reserve time with specialized equipment in three locations: the Digitization Cube, the Machine Learning Cube, and the Text and Data Mining Cube. Before reserving time in the Special Projects Cube, users should schedule a consultation with a member of the DH Lab to determine which equipment will best serve their intended project.

The DH Certificate Program

The DH Certificate Program is now open to graduate students. Program participants choose six experiences within four areas of focus in digital humanities: equity, digital materialities, methodologies, and job functions. Through coursework, training, and project work, students build a strong foundation in digital humanities skills while also developing expertise in areas that align with their professional goals. At the end of the program, students will produce a portfolio and other job market materials to assist them in advancing their careers. Students interested in more information about the DH Certificate should reach out to staff through the DHLab bookings form.

DH Consultants

This fall the DHLab also added two new roles: a DH Generalist Consultant position and DH Specialist Consultant position. In spring 2024, the six consultants in this year’s cohort will provide support to DHLab patrons while also working on their own projects or receiving training in new roles and methodologies. They will also have access to DHLab spaces, equipment, and staff mentorship.

Students interested in a consultant position can apply during the application cycle next spring through the student employment portal. No prior digital humanities experience is necessary, but applicants must complete the DH Foundations workshop series within six months of applying.

—Deborah Cannarella

Photo by Mara Lavitt