1) Consults: As a UVA Library unit, we follow the model of reference librarian consultations and welcome everyone in the UVA community to meet with us for a brief consultation session around experimental methods. During your consult, we can help you:
- get started practicing experimental methods via the digital humanities, spatial technologies, and/or cultural heritage scholarship scholarly communities, e.g. connecting you to resources for self-teaching and our scholarly networks at UVA and internationally
- conceptualize and scope a project
- create or find, manage, and use data
- use our GIS software, virtual/augmented reality equipment, or our Makerspace
- review your ongoing work, such as critiquing your design and code
2) Collaboration: As scholars from a variety of disciplines, we also have (limited) availability for more in-depth research or pedagogical collaborations with other UVA folks. Our decisions about longer-term research collaboration are based on the resources, skills, and interests/mission of all parties.
- We teach, make suggestions, and build things with people (e.g. as peer scholars, co-PIs on grant proposals).
- We do not provide general design, web development, or technical services. We do our best to help folks stuck on technical questions during our regular Open Office Hours, and are happy to refer to expertise and facilities around UVA (e.g. DH@UVA, Research Data Services, Teaching & Learning team, Data Sciences Institute, IATH).
- Our staff offer years of scholarly experience, including advanced scholarly and professional degrees. With at least one term’s notice we may collaborate on syllabus design or module teaching, and after longer relationships formally co-teach courses.
- Faculty who seek support for digital assignments in their courses or short-term tech instruction should begin with their subject librarian, well in advance. They can connect you with the Library’s experts in copyright, data organization (metadata), digital project preservation, research data, and teaching and learning. We recommend consultation with the A&S Learning Design and Technology staff. The UVA Library’s Course Enrichment Grants and Faculty Research Sprints are another route to collaborating with Library staff (including Scholars’ Lab staff).