Digital Scholarship Summer Research Fellows
Call for Participation
Library & IT invites rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors to apply for a competitive fellowship to develop an independent digital scholarship project. This program is open to students from all divisions and colleges at the University. Broadly defined, digital scholarship entails research that is made possible by digital technologies, or that takes advantage of technology to ask and answer questions in new ways. As a fellow, you will learn to use digital tools and methodologies, and apply them to a digital research project of your design. Librarians will mentor you through the process of identifying a research question, understanding research methodologies, and discovering resources, such as locally housed library and archival collections, that will support your project. You will be creating a dynamic digital resource rather than a static website. We are particularly interested in projects that engage with the Bucknell or local community. You will work independently and collectively with a small cohort of your peers to understand and participate in a community of practice.
Digital Tools
These are examples of several techniques and tools that undergraduates have used for digital projects. You are not limited to these, nor is experience in using these tools expected before beginning the fellowship.
- Text analysis and annotation: Voyant Tools, TEI-XML
- Online exhibits: Omeka, Scalar
- Mapping and timelines: StoryMapJS, TimelineJS, Neatline
- Data Visualization: Tableau
Expectations of Summer Fellows
Fellows will:
- Conduct independent research to create an academic, public-facing digital scholarship project
- Participate in a structured, programmed, 8-week curriculum designed to provide you with skills and information relevant to digital scholarship; this may include assigned readings, training sessions, and workshops. The fellowship runs for 8 weeks (May 29 – July 29, 2019).
- Agree to provide Bucknell University a non-exclusive license to adapt, publish, reproduce, or distribute each project; fellows maintain copyright of their project
- Partner with Library & IT to ensure the continuation and preservation of your projects after your fellowship ends
- Create documentation of any processes, procedures, tools, and code used in the creation of their digital projects
- Reflect upon your fellowship experience and engage with the wider digital scholarship community
- Write one weekly blog post that engages a question or issue in digital scholarship
- Present your projects in a public presentation after completion of the fellowship
- Fellows will engage with topics related to diversity and inclusion in the practice of digital scholarship, and commit to maintaining a culture of diversity and inclusion during the fellowship.
Statement of Interest
Please address the following questions in a single statement of 500 to 750 words:
- Why are you interested in the Digital Scholarship Student Research Fellowship, and what do you hope to learn and accomplish during the fellowship?
- Please outline at least one potential project you may want pursue. How do you think technology and/or digital tools can enhance your research project?
- Briefly tell us about technology you have previously used or are interested in learning that may be used to create a digital scholarship project.
Please provide the name and email address of a faculty member who will serve as a reference. We advise you to choose a faculty member who can potentially support any research consultations that may come up during your fellowship. We also encourage you to share this application with them prior to submission so they are aware of your interest.
We strongly encourage you to contact either Carrie Pirmann (carrie.pirmann@bucknell.edu) or Courtney Paddick (courtney.paddick@bucknell.edu) prior to submitting your application to discuss potential research questions and digital tools. Information sessions will be held January 29, 2019 at 4:30 PM and February 6, 2019 at 12 PM in the Library Lab on Lower Level 1.
Applications due: February 20, 2019
Interviews: Potential Student Research Fellows will be selected from the first round of the application process to participate in a 30-minute interview with members of Library & IT. Interviews will be conducted in late February and early March.
Notification of acceptance: March 18, 2019
Payment and Time Commitment
This fellowship is a full-time (32-40 hours per week) commitment. It is expected that you will attend all scheduled class and/or workshop sessions, cohort meetings, and other occasional events. All events that fall outside of normally scheduled time will be announced in advance, with as much notice as possible.
Fellows will receive up to $3000, plus on-campus housing for the duration of the fellowship. Priority will be given to students who have not previously participated in other Bucknell summer research programs.
Please contact Carrie Pirmann (carrie.pirmann@bucknell.edu) or Courtney Paddick (courtney.paddick@bucknell.edu) with any questions.