Working the Midwest and Digital Humanities at Pittsburg State University
That plan drew upon the rich labor history of Southeast Kansas and consisted of two main parts. First, Pittsburg State University's Professional Writing students, along with collaborators from Axe Library and from my Spring 2015 English 557/757: Topics in English – Digital Humanities course, digitized the records of The Hearl Maxwell Collection (Axe Library Finding Aid and Digitized Archive for Hearl Maxwell Collection). Under the direction of Axe Library personnel, students scanned, formatted, and used Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software on the Collection. In addition to teaching the methods of DH through interaction with Scalar, Voyant, and other DH tools, this archive project allowed students in the Professional Writing Emphasis and other scholars across the nation to more easily complete historically-based studies of professional writing, such as examinations of document design and professional rhetoric. Through this experience, students will better appreciate the historical context of local working environments, where many of them find jobs after graduation. By creating Scalar books based on the newly created archive, students will be better prepared to tackle public humanities projects. In terms of broader scholarly concerns, this project offers an instance of how a DH class assignment can provide a catalyst to kick start a DH initiative at a regional comprehensive university, which will provide DH experiences to student demographics (first-generation and non-traditional students) that do not typically have access to them.
Students created the Scalar books available on the following page based upon the newly digitized Hearl Maxwell Archive. My hope is that both student and faculty scholars can expand these first steps at examining work in the midwest. The future looks bright here at PSU, where we are currently developing an interdisciplinary Public Humanities minor to begin in the fall of 2017.
I owe a debt of gratitude to several people, without whom this project would not have been possible. First, my DHSI seminar leaders Janet Simons and Angel David Nieves of Hamilton College's Digital Humanities Initiative provided feedback and encouragement for me, a newbie to DH. My DHSI classmates, especially Megan McNames and Nicole Emmelhainz-Carney, gave support in the form of brainstorming and lots of laughter. Next, Dr. Pawan Kahol, PSU's Dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies, awarded this project an Independent Research Grant, which I used to create a DH Digitization Station at PSU's Axe Library. In addition to this funding, the Eichborn Fund from PSU's Department of English and Modern Languages allowed me to attend DHSI. Also, PSU's Dean of Library Services Randy Roberts, Curator of Special Collections Steve Cox, and Library Systems Manager David Nance offered both resources and knowledge for the project. I must say a special thank you to Deborah White, Axe Library's Digital Resources and Initiatives Manager; without her, this project would not have happened, and I look forward to working on more DH projects in the future with her. Finally, thank you to my students, who kept in mind that the keyword for this semester was flexibility! You continue to amaze me with your creativity and scholarship.
If you have any questions or concerns about the project, please contact me via email at jmcdaniel@pittstate.edu.
Jamie L. McDaniel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of English
Director, Professional Writing
Co-Director, Interdisciplinary Minor in Film and Media Studies
Editor, The CEA Forum
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, KS
*The opening page of Working the Midwest uses a postcard sent by Hearl Maxwell to his wife Lizzie Maxwell. The postcard depicts leaders of the United Mine Workers: William Green, John White, and Frank Hayes.
