Redefining Primary Sources as Data: Introducing Information Studies Practice In a Graduate History Course

The digital humanities field can provide non-STEM students with an opportunity to build technical skills like data creation in an environment they perceive as less intimidating than a traditional coding class. When faculty from the Libraries and Department of History collaborated to teach a graduate-level Introduction to Digital Humanities course, one unanticipated barrier was convincing Masters-level history students see historical objects as “data.” This presentation will cover how we addressed students’ initial reticence to think about primary sources as data by introducing them to research through the lens of library and information studies. Some topics covered included metadata creation, digital preservation basics, and introductory coding and data practices. By incorporating these lessons alongside historiography and studying existing digital history projects, we encouraged students to find value in both traditional “micro” humanities and social science research methods and “macro” digital research methods. In reframing how students think of primary sources, our goal is to encourage different ways of interpreting the past to expand research possibilities and emphasize the importance of historic inquiry in the present day.