Connecting and collecting are the two key means through which the SIG pursues its mission. We concentrate on connecting and collecting GeoHumanities’ expertise and resources.
Connecting and Collecting Expertise
The primary way in which we connect and collect GeoHumanities expertise is through our mailing list (join here). The mailing list is essentially how our growing community congregates and communicates. The mailing list can be used for any GeoHumanities related discussions and content, which could regards promoting events and developments as well as experience sharing or trouble-shooting software and research tools.
Previously efforts have been made to create a list of GeoHumanities experts and specialists, making it easier to identify and contact people with expertise or offering expertise and consultancy to other organisations. We are considering how to further develop this, alongside ideas of offering peer review (panel) services, coordinating a friendly peer review college, specialist training programmes, and setting up and mentor programme.
Connecting and Collecting Resources
The primary way in which we seek to connect and collect our community to GeoHumanities resources is through our Projects and Resources List. We are actively seeking to expand this list, but this relies to a large extent on community members and their networks actively contributing resources to the list, using the submission form provided. We believe the Projects and Resources List could be expanded to include a greater variety of resources. We are developing a more elaborate resource submission form to capture more (flexible) information to increase the (search) functionality, stable links and identifiers, interlinkage, and general usability and discoverability of resources on this list, to become an asset for the GeoHumanities community.
The co-convenors currently foresee no programme where the SIG actively harvests or develops their own methods, workflows, bibliographies, syllabi, courses, trainings, or tutorials. Instead, we intend to develop the Projects and Resources List so that these materials could more easily be posted and found. Any suggestions to further develop in these areas are welcome.
Working Groups
In 2023 the co-convenors decided to concentrate the SIG priorities in two main areas. All SIG initiatives are now organised under connecting and collecting GeoHumanities expertise and resources. This two-prong approach brings together a number of interests the SIG previously identified and explored.
In 2016 SIG membership was surveyed on five activities that the SIG might pursue in aid of its mission.
The results of this survey were used to set up Working Groups which were coordinated by the SIG co-convenors. Four Working Groups were established according to membership priorities: (1) Peer Review Working Group; (2) Expertise List Working Group; (3) Syllabi and Tutorials Working Group; (4) Projects and Resources Working Group. Additional ideas that resulted from the 2016 survey included: creating an online forum, facilitate networking and collaboration, data curation, webinars and training opportunities, website development, and promoting involvement of membership.
Currently no Working Groups are active. However, we continue to welcome input and active participation from the membership. This could entail proposing new activities or revisiting the idea of particular Working Groups. Please contact one of the co-convenors to discuss your ideas on the About page or join and float your suggestions on the geohumsig@lists.digitalhumanities.org (please note that you must subscribe to the list in order to post).