What We Did Then and What We Do Now: A Crisis of Digital Scholarship Champions at Binghamton University

Abstract

The digital scholarship department in Binghamton University’s libraries was created in 2018 as part of a larger effort to bring digital humanities (DH) efforts to Binghamton. The initiative was largely spearheaded by one person who became one of the biggest digital scholarship (DS) champions on campus. They, along with the new DS librarian, founded a Digital Humanities Research Institute igniting the creation of smaller working groups and initiatives across campus. Our article discusses the role of DS champions on Binghamton’s campus, including the types of advantages they were able to leverage, their interests and goals for a DS community, and what happens when they leave. Champions are a well-researched phenomenon in business and health sciences spaces, but there is sparse research on DS champions, despite the fact they often share characteristics with champions’ roles in those areas. Understanding more about who champions are and what drives them would help DS communities plan for building sustainable and robust communities should their champions leave or no longer be able to participate in the communities they built.