University of Florida’s “Developing Librarian” Digital Scholarship Pilot Training Project

Richard Freeman

In the spring of 2014 a group of subject specialists and curators at the University of Florida Libraries formed the Digital Humanities Library Group.  The purpose was to discuss issues in the world of digital scholarship, the internal state of digital scholarship at the UF libraries, and to emulate Columbia University’s successful program: “Developing Librarian,” an intensive re-skilling program aimed to meet increased user demand for digital scholarship services.  In order both to learn these skills and put them to practical use, the group chose to work with the Grimms Fairy Tales sub-collection in the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature Digital Collection, a collection housed within the UF digital collections.  The project will improve online user experience by enhancing aspects such as: text mining, GIS mapping, data visualization, linked data, and an online exhibit.  However, the broader goal of the project is to equip library faculty and staff with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to run a digital scholar’s lab in order to collaborate effectively with faculty and students engaged in digital scholarship.