Dr. Patricia Saunders and Dr. Barbara Whitlock receive 2008 Digital Library Fellowships

From University Communications

Coral Gables, Florida -- The University of Miami Libraries announced today the award of 2008 Digital Library Fellowships to faculty members Dr. Patricia Saunders and Dr. Barbara Whitlock. Over the course of twelve months, the fellows will work with a team of library colleagues to enhance the UM digital library by creating electronic collections that support the research, teaching, and learning mission of the university. The Libraries has also announced a third grant to Dr. Eugene F. Provenzo, Jr., to advance the creation of an online portal on education and community well-being.

Dr. Patricia Saunders, Assistant Professor in the Department of English is a Caribbean Studies scholar. Her project seeks to further develop the department’s Caribbean Literary Studies Digital Archive by digitizing photographs and conducting video interviews with Caribbean artists. During the interviews, the artists will be encouraged to discuss their craft and particular mediums, as well as give their perspectives on the direction of Caribbean art in the global context. According to Saunders, “A crucial element of this fellowship will involve building a community of students and researchers who visit the Caribbean Literary Studies site in order to learn and to engage in dialogues about Caribbean visual art and culture.” An important aspect of this new electronic resource will include open forums for students, artists and other interested persons to comment and create open discussion. Anthony D. Smith, the University Libraries Director of Digital Initiatives and Services states “The Saunders project is especially intriguing because it seeks to adapt the current social-networking phenomenon as a component of the learning tool that Dr. Saunders seeks to develop.” The project will further add to a growing online collection, which already includes the on-line journal Anthurium and the Caribbean Literary Studies Video Archive. Dr. Saunders added that,” The Libraries and the Caribbean Literary Studies Program have a wonderful array of research, scholarly and educational projects currently underway!”

Dr. Barbara Whitlock, an Assistant Professor in Biology, will lead a project to digitize a historical collection of plant anatomical microscope slides that were made early in the 20th century by W. T. Swingle. Swingle had close connections with the University of Miami and was considered a foremost authority on citrus plants. According to Whitlock, “This collection is an invaluable resource that has been largely forgotten by plant scientists. The Digital Library Fellowship would greatly increase awareness of this resource among the scientific and academic communities as well as facilitate access to it.” One aspect of the project will involve the creation of 3-dimensional representations of the physical specimens using digital technology. In addition to this rare collection of microscope slides, the Libraries’ Special Collections houses the W. T. Swingle Manuscript Collection. There are approximately ninety boxes containing research papers, notebooks, correspondence and other documents related to this important scholars professional career.

Dr. Eugene Provenzo is a Professor from the School of Education with an interest in the transformation of scholarship as a result of computers and network technology. As part of a larger initiative to establish a center for educational and community well-being, the School of Education has announced the development of a comprehensive research portal. This portal will link to related library resources, podcasts of key scholars, a community blog, a bibliography as well as a host of other key features. “We believe that the model we are proposing will have significant application and use across the University. The customized research portal will provide a template for other programs and departments” according to Provenzo.

The Digital Library Fellowship Program supports library/faculty partnerships in developing new digital resources that advance research, teaching, and learning. Two or three fellowships are awarded each cycle with a stipend of up to $15,000. Fellowships are open to all full-time, tenure-track Coral Gables faculty. Previous fellows include Dr. Lillian Manzor, for the Cuban/Latino Theater Archive; Dr. Robin Bachin, Travel, Tourism and Urban Growth in Greater Miami; Dr. Joseph Fitzgerald; and Dr. Michael Carlebach’s project on The Origins of Photojournalism in America. These projects and others can be found at http://merrick.library.miami.edu/digitalprojects/collaboration.html.

As a dynamic and integral part of the academic scholarly enterprise, the University of Miami Libraries are central to the University's mission to educate and nurture students, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. The Libraries seek to provide high quality information services, instruction, and resources to our primary clientele: the students, faculty, researchers, and staff of the University of Miami.

April 21, 2008