When we think of research in the Humanities, we probably imagine scholars busy reading and writing in dusty libraries or quiet museums. Increasingly, though, humanists are combining pen and paper with computers and digital tools to explore and understand our past. This area of research is called “Digital Humanities.”

So what can scholars (and students!) do when they study Humanities texts, data and artefacts through digital means? Here are some examples:

• read digital versions of Jane Austen’s fiction manuscripts, and learn how she developed from a teenage amateur into an adult author
• see David Livingstone’s Diary for 1871, written on old newspapers with home-made ink, now legible for the first time with multispectral imaging
• find on an interactive map the ancient places mentioned in classical history (a project led by OU scholars)
• compare different version of William Blake‘s illustrations for his own books, each one hand-printed and hand-coloured
• collaborate with volunteers across the world to transcribe the papers of philosopher Jeremy Bentham

[Note: this post is written for the readers of the OU Arts and Humanities Induction blog. Welcome to Digital Humanities!]