ACRL DSS Digital Humanities Discussion Group

In 2026, Digitorium is focused on the theme of Preserve. As Digital Humanists, we engage in so many levels of preservation, and we want to make space to explore and document that work. Digital Humanities is a field committed to uncovering and preserving culture and society that is hidden. Sometimes hidden means time, as in ancient artifacts being unearthed and digitally preserved. Sometimes hidden means marginalized, as in documenting experiences and events outside of the mainstream archive.  Preservation is a foundational value that facilitates access to artifacts and stories that are otherwise in danger of extinction. 

Preserve has a deeper meaning today. The office of Digital Humanities at the National Endowment for the Humanities and Digital Humanities Quarterly both celebrate 20-year anniversaries in the coming year. Our field is much older than 20, but we are still grappling with what can sometimes feel an insurmountable obstacle: how do we preserve a digital humanities project?  

Join us at Digitorium September 10-12, 2026, where we will be exploring these ideas and working together to formulate some answers. We invite you to share your experiences around the idea of Preserve. What have you been working to preserve, and what methodologies and strategies have you employed along the way?  And what are your thoughts on creating sustainable digital projects that will last the test of time, so that generations of users will be able to learn from the work you are completing? We are excited to spend this time with you all, working towards this common goal. 

 

All breakout sessions will be 1-hour blocks that include 10 minutes for Q&A.   

• Papers: 15-minute presentations (max 2000 words). Papers are an opportunity for solo presenters to submit a presentation on their project or idea and can describe theoretical or conceptual ideas or can focus on in progress or completed projects.  Sessions for papers will be scheduled in groups of three.
• Panels: a presentation for collaborators or scholars who are working on related or similar projects. Panels are 45 minutes long and have a minimum of 2 co-presenters. This presentation format can be a collaborative presentation or a discussion-based presentation with a moderator.  
• Roundtables: facilitated conversation about a DH tool or concept. Presenters will pose a short discussion prompt and a short list of questions that participants can engage with.   
• Lightening Talks (students only):  solo presentation of a small project or an aspect of a project (<10 minutes, max 1000 words). Lightening talks are bite size presentations of materials and are not intended to go into great depth.  
• Poster Sessions (students only): a poster session is a visual representation of a research project. Posters will include title, research questions, methodology, data, findings, and a bibliography. Posters are a way to visually engage participants and are a great place to showcase data visualization and graphics. Posters will be uploaded into a conference gallery, and presenters will show their posters at a designated time during the conference.

Cheers,

 

Sara