Digitisation and Dissemination: Image, Multimedia and Visualisation for the Humanities and Social Science

Facilitated by: Tim Keefe (Trinity College Dublin) and Eoin Kilfeather (Dublin Institute of Technology)

Agenda

Digitisation is at the core of many activities carried out by digital humanities scholars, and yet few have had to engage in practical ways with the standards, methods and techniques that guide this craft. This workshop will cover a range of topics related the the digitisation and distribution of images and the qualitative, post-processing analysis and presentation of multimedia sources. We would highly recommend this course to anyone dealing with image, audio and multimedia data.

This first section will expose some of the critical factors that should be considered when undertaking digitisation or creating a digitisation strategy. It will explore:

• creating and maintaining an on-line collection of digital images, include scanning and image processing (including derivative file creation and best practice in file format selection);
• metadata and cataloguing standards;
• describing images (including controlled vocabularies such as Library of Congress Subject Headings and Getty Thesaurus for Graphic Materials);
• data management (including issues of digital curation, preservation, and migration);
• database and repository options; and
• color management and copyright issues.

The second section of this workshop will focus on qualitative data and the integration of audio and visual research components with literary or historical source material or interview transcripts and the important role this can play in humanities and social science research. This workshop will explore the ways and means of visualising the text around critical terms and how we can use the linguistic structures to provide a starting point for efficiently reviewing and understanding this data. Likewise, many scholars are now using audio and “lens-based” research methods; using audio recorders or the camera (still and video) to capture the data and “post-production” tools to analyse and present it. While many practitioners are skilled in capturing the data, the necessary post-production skills needed to analyse and present it are sometimes lacking. This is especially true when presenting temporal media and synchronous media on the web. Through case studies and “hands-on” sessions participants will become familiar with the tools and methods to deal with multiple media types and how to publish them on the web.

PowePoint slides of the First Section are available here.

Agenda

Monday

• Welcome, course outline, getting started
• Lecture: Questions you need to ask - Back to the basics
• Exercise: Imaging project scenario and answering the basic questions
• Lecture: Imaging Components- Tools, technologies and workflows
• Lecture: Imaging – Digital Image File specifics
• Exercise: Imaging standards and configurations

Tuesday

• Lecture: Metadata – Standards and Authorities
• Exercise: Metadata standards selection
• Lecture: Repository – Types of common open-source and commercial systems
• Lecture: Repository HR – Human Resource Requirements
• Exercise: Metadata standards selection
• (Time Permitting)
• Project Review and Wrap-Up
• Tour– TCD Imaging Laboratories 

Thursday

• Types of Qualitative Data. Visualisation for Analysis
• Lecture: Qualitative Data Types.
• Exercise: Capturing Digital Media
• Lecture: Digital Media Analysis (Logging and Orthotext Transcription)
• Exercise: Audio and Video Analysis

Friday

• Digital Media Distribution Methods. Visualisation for Presentation.
• Lecture: Digital Media Editing
• Exercise: Editing tools
• Lecture: Distribution Channels for Digital Media
• Exercise: Web delivery of digital media