The Research IT group in the Office of the CIO offers digital humanities consulting at no cost to faculty, students, and staff. Consultants are available to talk with you about any stage or aspect of your project; examples include:
Assessing opportunities for exploring digital tools and methodologies
Digital humanities consultants can talk through your research project with you and help evaluate where the project might benefit from integrating digital tools or methodologies, as well as weighing the trade-offs of adopting those tools. We can work with researchers with all levels of technology experience.
Identifying appropriate tools and platforms
For projects that already have a digital component, consultants can identify specific tools or platforms that might be a good match for the project.
Grant development
Digital humanities consultants can review and provide feedback on grant proposals, including sustainability plans and technology budgets. To ensure sufficient time for revision, we strongly recommend that you contact us at least three weeks before the grant is due to the Sponsored Projects Office.
Project management / planning / communications
Running a digital humanities project is a complex undertaking that generally involves coordinating a team of people with diverse skills. Communication and community-building — starting well before the project is made public — are also important activities to incorporate into your project workflow. Consultants can help you develop project timelines, identify how responsibilities should be divided between team members, and establish a communication plan. If your project needs ongoing, hands-on assistance from a consultant, this falls outside the scope of the free consulting service, but funding for consultants can be written into grant proposals.
Hiring
Consultants can help you identify what technical skills you need to add to your team, based on your project’s scope and direction. We can also provide advice on how to publicize positions among Berkeley students, and how to build a team using the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program. Depending on availability, we may be able to help assess the technical proficiency of applicants (e.g. by reviewing resumes, participating in phone screens, or sitting in on interviews). If your project requires engaging an external contractor (e.g. to accomplish specific programming tasks requiring skills that Berkeley students may not have), consultants may be able to assist with identifying a contractor, preparing the statement of work, and/or reviewing the contractor’s work.
Technical assessment
For projects that have been under development for some time but are looking to expand their scope, functionality, or user base, consultants can examine the technical systems that have been put in place and provide advice about what adjustments need to be made to support the expansion. More extensive, in-depth technical assessment, or hands-on assistance, may be available beyond the free consulting tier, using grant funds.
Data management and sustainability
Consultants can discuss the nature and quantity of your data, and approaches to ensuring it is properly stored, documented, and disseminated (if desired).
Contacting a digital humanities consultant
To set up a meeting with a digital humanities consultant, just send a short email describing your question or project to dh-consult@berkeley.edu, or use the contact form.