The use of digital humanities capabilities is transforming the study of humanities at colleges and universities worldwide—and academic libraries are playing a central role in guiding the use of these technologies. In fact, the library is the main driver and supporter of digital humanities use on most college campuses, proving the library’s value in strengthening its institution’s mission.
Despite the inroads institutions are making, there is a significant gap in the use of digital humanities between large research universities and smaller colleges. This suggests a key opportunity for academic libraries at institutions with fewer students to assume a leadership position in bringing these capabilities to their campuses.
These conclusions come from a study involving nearly 200 academic librarians from around the world, conducted in June and July 2019 by Library Journal in conjunction with Gale, a Cengage Company.
The findings in this report provide new insights into the role of Gale Digital Scholar Lab as a tool to support librarians in advancing digital humanities at their institution.