Sustaining the Digital Humanities: Host Institution Support Beyond the Start Up Phase

This project builds on the Ithaka Case Studies in Sustainability, which helped to surface the significance of the host institution as a key element in the survival of digital humanities projects. To unwrap the layers of assumptions concerning the sort of support a host institution is expected or hoped to be providing, this research will be based on a sector-wide scan to map key points in a project’s lifecycle when the host institution is likely to play a role and "deep dives" at two institutions to develop an in-depth picture of the range of digital humanities projects on these campuses. By examining the institutional support ecosystem and the value system that undergirds it, we will provide both project leaders and university decision-makers the data, examples, and guidance they need, including a toolkit to conduct their own research, to work together to encourage the long-term sustainability of the digital humanities resources that continue to enrich the scholarly landscape