Category Archives: Announcement

We’re Hiring: General Information

I am excited to see the applications coming in for the Digital Scholarship Group positions. I have put the following information together to help applicants, and those thinking about applying. Having been there many times myself, I know the laborious and nerve-racking nature of job seeking. Please know we are working on our end to consider your application with care and that we are doing our best to move swiftly. Thank you for your patience!

The Team We’re Building

Who are We?

  • We are a group of digital scholarship and data-minded professionals who pride ourselves on being librarians and facilitating DS/data-oriented research and curriculum.
  • We aim to be both responsive and proactive in developing DS and Data services.
  • We focus on the greater good of the BC community and the community beyond.

We are looking for librarians who are…

  • Able to hit the ground running by immediately applying their technical skills and methodological knowledge.
  • Have a balance of hard technical skills and soft skills that enable them to be highly collaborative and communicative.
  • Creative, flexible, and interested in learning new skills.
  • Kind and compassionate.

Over the next few years, we seek to…

  • Refine and refresh our current DS and data services by incorporating the ideas and skills of the new team.
  • Better institutionalize DS and data services and solidify the Libraries’ reputation as being the hub of DS on BC’s campus.
  • Work more closely with academic departments to develop programmatic undergraduate DS and data learning opportunities.
  • Support the DH Program Librarian’s endeavor to further institutionalize the DH Graduate Certificate program and initiate new DH programs.
  • Develop closer working relationships with the Center for Digital Innovation and Learning Research Services (among other research units on campus).

FAQ

  • Are these positions brand new? No, but they have been reshaped a bit based on what we have learned over the past few years. 
  • What is BC’s work-at-home policy? Currently, we get one day a week to work from home.
  • When does the position start? The start date is flexible.
  • Is there financial support for professional development and conferences? Yes.

We’re Hiring: Digital Scholarship Librarian (Revised)

Boston College Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Group (DSG) seeks a Digital Scholarship Librarian to be part of our new and growing team. Having recently hired two stellar candidates for our Data Visualization and one of our DS positions, we are now seeking someone who brings complementary skills–namely, web development and programming–and an equal ability to hit the ground running as the DSG strives to facilitate and support faculty and student digital research projects and digital scholarship (and digital humanities) in undergraduate and graduate curricula.

The Digital Scholarship Librarian is responsible for facilitating and supporting faculty and student digital research projects, ranging from short and long-term consultations (e.g., helping to identify appropriate methods, tools, and training resources) to more intensive, hands-on assistance with technology, project design, and project management. For faculty, they offer a range of teaching support, from providing one-shot instruction sessions to teaching multiple sessions and collaborating on curriculum design. Additionally, our DS Librarians are responsible for managing the Digital Studio in collaboration with the department head and will heavily influence how the space functions and the direction a potential redesign will take.

As a member of the DSG, the DS Librarians collaborate on providing current DS services, designing and implementing new ones, and are a valued voice in DSG strategic planning and goal setting as the group strives to expand its role in BC Libraries and beyond. The collaborative nature of this position extends to working with staff across the Libraries (subject liaison librarians, in particular) and campus with units such as Research Services and the Center for Digital Innovation in Learning to meet faculty research and teaching needs.

Apply on BC’s employment site. Please email melanie.hubbard@bc.edu if you have any questions.

Requirements

  • A Master’s degree in Library Science or Information Science, or an equivalent combination of a relevant advanced degree and library or digital scholarship experience;
  • Minimum 2 years of relevant experience, minimum 5 years for a senior position;
  • Demonstrated experience in a range of digital scholarship methods (e.g., text analysis, GIS/mapping, network analysis, digital exhibits, 3D/immersive technologies, etc.), tools, and skills;
  • The ability to engage with research across a variety of disciplines and work with and support faculty and students within those disciplines;
  • The ability to collaborate with faculty, librarians, and staff on research projects and teaching;
  • The ability and willingness to learn new technologies and methodologies;
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills

Preferred

  • Experience working in academic libraries;
  • Experience providing DS skills training and classroom instruction;
  • Has knowledge of digital accessibility best practices;
  • Demonstrated knowledge of front-end web development using PHP, HTML, CSS, and/or JavaScript, and familiarity with content management systems such as Omeka and WordPressds

We’re Hiring: Data Services Librarian (Revised)

Boston College Libraries are seeking a Data Services Librarian to join our Digital Scholarship Group (DSG). The ideal candidate for this position will have advanced data skills that can be applied across disciplines and, equally so, will be an effective communicator who can work with a range of collaborators inside and outside of the Libraries.

The Data Services Librarian is primarily responsible for collaborations and services related to data gathering, manipulation, management, curation, documentation, and data skills training. Such activities include consulting on faculty and student data-driven projects; providing data skills training on data manipulation and management methods, best practices, and tools to faculty and staff; providing data skills instruction for undergraduate and graduate courses, and driving library-based curricula development (i.e., library instruction and modules) and resource creation/collection for data-centric and data science programs.

As a member of the DSG, the Data Services Librarian collaborates on designing and driving new initiatives and services and is a valued voice in DSG strategic planning as the group strives to expand its role in BC Libraries and the broader BC community. The collaborative nature of this position extends to working with staff across the Libraries, in particular, the Economics Librarian, the Business Librarian, and other subject liaison librarians, and outside campus units, including Research Services and the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society. They will also work with the University’s emerging cross-disciplinary Data Science minor.

Apply on BC’s employment site. Please email melanie.hubbard@bc.edu if you have any questions.

Required

  • A Master’s degree in Library Science or Information Science or a closely related, data-intensive research field, plus 2-3 years of relevant experience
  • Demonstrated experience in
    • Providing data curation, management, cleaning, and mining services;
    • Using data and related technologies to support teaching or research;
    • Working with numeric data in an academic, scientific, or corporate environments;
    • The ability to engage with research across a variety of disciplines and a range of audiences, from undergraduate and graduate students to faculty, instructors, and staff;
    • Excellent written and oral communication skills

Preferred

  • Experience working in academic libraries;
  • Knowledge of data preservation strategies;
  • Demonstrated experience in
    • Working with data repository platforms (e.g., Dataverse);
    • Proving data skills training and classroom instruction (oral, written, and video tutorials, etc.);
    • Data/text mining and analysis using coding languages such as Python or R;
    • Data visualization;
    • Using statistical tools (e.g., SPSS, SAS, Stata)

New Digital Studio Equipment

This semester the Digital Studio (O’Neill Library, room 205) has been upgrading the equipment in the Podcasting Room and Sound Room, some of which is ready for use and some of which will be ready soon.

In the Podcasting Room, we now have:

Besides being higher quality than the Blue Yeti microphone (still available in the space), the Rode Procasters provide a more professional recording experience. Instructions on how to use the mics are available in our Multimedia Production Guide

We are also in the process of setting up a Padcaster Studio for use in the Podcasting Room. This easy to use video production system will allow the BC community to record things like interviews and presentations.  

In the Sound Room, we are currently installing new acoustic panels, which will improve recording quality. We are also going to be making a Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam available that will allow for higher quality video capture. We see this as being of particular value to faculty who want to record presentation videos for online or hybrid courses.

Please email us if you have any questions, including about equipment availability.

BCDS Faculty Summer Incubator

This summer BC Libraries’ Digital Scholarship Group is holding a week-long incubator that will guide twelve BC faculty members through an exploration of digital scholarship methods and tools from a conceptual and technical standpoint. Participants will receive a $200 stipend following fall project presentations.

  • When: June 6th-June 10th
  • Where: O’Neill Library (in-person unless COVID requires it to move online)
  • Application: Due February 25th (Go to the Application)

Description

The incubator will cover a wide cross-section of digital scholarship methods (e.g., data visualization, mapping, digital exhibits) and tools (e.g., ArcGIS and Tableau). Broader topics will also be incorporated such as project evaluation, usability, and intellectual property. The incubator will culminate in the creation of faculty projects that will be presented early in the fall semester during which faculty will receive feedback from colleagues and librarians to help them further develop their work. A project may be a well-articulated plan for a researched-based DS project and a prototype that demonstrates aspects of how the project will work, or, it may be for a pedagogy-based endeavor that includes a lesson plan and a prototype that demonstrates the digital component(s) of the lesson. More information on projects will be provided at the beginning of the incubator. Throughout the summer, the DS Group will provide workshops that dive deeper into DS tools, consultations, and other types of support that will enable participants to complete their projects.  

Learning Outcomes

Through their participation, faculty will gain:  

  • Familiarity with the current DS landscape 
  • An understanding of how to identify DS methods and tools for specific research and/or pedagogical pursuits 
  • Foundational skills in common DS tools
  • Greater comfort with and confidence in incorporating DS methods and tools into their research and/or teaching 
  • The ability to conceptualize and evaluate DS projects

Questions? Contact Melanie Hubbard, DS librarian, at melanie.hubbard@bc.edu

New: On-Demand Workshops

In the past, the Digital Scholarship Group hosted a series of preprogrammed workshops every fall and spring semester. We have changed this approach to on-demand workshops offered per the request of BC faculty, students, and staff. To make the process easier, we have created the Digital Scholarship & Scholarly Communications Workshops and Information Sessions Menu, which lists out-of-the-box learning opportunities that can be requested on shorter notice. It may also help with brainstorming ideas for more customized workshops. The menu, currently in its first phase, will be further developed over time.

We welcome comments and questions about this new workshop initiative.

Digital Scholarship Online Workshops: Fall 2021

The workshop schedule for the 2021 Fall semester has been published. Go to the Digital Scholarship events page to find out more details and register today. Topics range from exploring some foundational tools in Excel and diving deeper into programs like Tableau, a data visualization tool, or Omeka, an open-source digital exhibit publishing platform.

Below are some examples from programs like Tableau and Omeka, as well as some examples of GIS projects that students have worked on in the past.

Tableau

Figuring out the best ways to showcase different statistics and research can be difficult via traditional print-based media. Tableau exists to help scholars tell the full story of their data; by using interactive graphs, charts, and infographics, data can be contextualized in ways that are more intuitive, and users can showcase or highlight certain trends and patterns.

Below are a few examples of Tableau projects that have been developed from previous workshops.

Omeka

Omeka is a a web-publishing platform that can be used to develop and present digital projects. It is a relatively basic program at its core, with extensions and flexibility that can help create the right project and user experience. The “Introducing Digital Projects” workshop on October 14 will cover the essentials of getting started with Omeka.

GIS

Geographical Information Systems can capture, analyze, and present geospatial data. GIS workshops will help to familiarize with concepts and tools used for mapping projects.

Each year the Digital Scholarship team awards a contest for a GIS project created at Boston College. Information on the contest and to see previous project, check out our GIS Day website and this project from last year’s winner below.

This poster highlights different aspects of the Black Lives Matter protests that occurred in the United States between May 2020 and January 2021.

Scholarship Opportunity: Bookbuilders of Boston 2021

Bookbuilders of Boston, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1937 to promote excellence and innovation in book publishing and manufacturing, makes annual grants to area universities and colleges, providing student scholarships for engagement in projects that build awareness and practical knowledge of various aspects of the publishing industry.

The Boston College Libraries are seeking a BC undergraduate or graduate student interested in exploring the Open Access landscape in academic publishing. The student will have the opportunity to work with the Digital Scholarship Group on projects that support Boston College open access journals

Projects will demonstrate how open publishing can help remove financial barriers by providing free access to scholarship from all over the world. At the BC Libraries, we add to this effort by indexing our scholarly journals, compiling statistics on the use of the Open Access Publishing Fund, gathering information regarding readership of the academic journals hosted here at Boston College, and creating promotional materials to encourage new publications.

Skills learned and developed will be applicable in careers in online publishing, digital marketing, editorial work, academics, and digital scholarship. The successful candidate will demonstrate an interest in open access and an affinity for marketing and promotion. Basic graphic design and web competency skills are a plus. Please see this 2020 Ejournals newsletter for an example of the type of project you may be working on.

The stipend for this work is $3,500 to be distributed over the course of the project, and it is expected that the candidate will invest up to 200 hours of time into the project overall. The project timeframe is flexible depending on the candidate’s availability, but will need to be completed no later than January 2022.

To apply, please send a one to two page statement outlining your interest and relevant background, skills and learning goals by February 28, 2021, to Sarah Melton (sarah.melton@bc.edu). Please include your full name, class year, and contact information on a separate cover sheet.

Digital Scholarship – Year in Review

There have been many changes since January 2020, but students, faculty, and staff have done a tremendous amount in terms of Digital Scholarship projects and publication! The Digital Scholarship Group is proud to share some of our accomplishments.

Check out the graphic below, put together by Data and Visualization Librarian Allison Xu, to see a snapshot of all of the projects we have worked on this year.

Graduate Certificate in Digital Humanities

The Digital Scholarship team is partnering with the English and History departments to offer graduate students a Certificate in the Digital Humanities. Courses will be available to Masters and Doctoral students who are interested in learning more about how new technology is shaping the way we gather, share, and present information.

Graduate students already enrolled a program at Boston College will have the opportunity to pursue coursework in any of the following disciplines:

  • Classical Studies
  • English
  • Economics
  • History
  • Political Science
  • Philosophy
  • Psychology
  • Romance Languages and Literatures
  • Slavic and Eastern Languages and Literatures
  • Sociology
  • Theology

Requirements for the certificate will come via three classes – an introductory course, a departmental course, and a capstone. The first step for interested graduate students is to contact your graduate advisor to receive approval for enrolling in the mandatory introductory course.  

On the whole, this certificate reflects the changing landscape in the humanities. As research in the humanities is utilized and consumed with the guidance of different technologies, it has become increasingly important for scholars to understand how to present research in the most accurate and evocative ways.  

As more and more technologies and systems become available and open for use, strategies around the most effective ways to conduct research are continually evolving – this certificate will provide context around the current ideas in digital scholarship, and pair that with hands-on experiences from around specific departments.

For more information, see the DH Certificate page hosted by the BC Department of History.