Category: Uncategorized

This week we began talking about ways that we can use our metadata on maps. We talked about what it would look like if we used our images and texts from Omeka and placed them on a map how that would go and what we would do. An important factor that was mentioned was doing it in a timeline so that it is easier to locate information. If our information is in chronological order, it makes it a lot easier to follow because it is more organized. When we are organizing our Omeka to a timeline it is important to be in timeline because it organizes artifacts in a single dimension when you start with the earliest and finish with the latest. We started talking about where the specific items were located for when we put them on a map. When doing this I realized that many of my Omeka items were located at Wayne field. I then realized that Wayne field is no longer a thing at west Chester university so in order to figure out where this was, I am going to have to look at a map of west Chester university from 1950s to figure out where this specific item would be located on a map now-a-day. We also learned how to figure out locations of Omeka items that don’t have a specific location. It is definitely a little challenging to figure out where some things are to be located on the map because west Chester university has changed so much since these times. Another thing that we discussed in class this week was the advantages that digital mapping brings for example associability, rapid iteration, interactivity; scale, selection, and change over time.

In this week’s class, we’re diving into project that’s got me pretty intrigued. We’ve been working together to gather metadata, basically sorting through information about our items. Now, we’re taking all that data and turning it into something bigger—a map. This map will show where the items are from, giving us a visual representation of our collective work. What’s neat about this is how it’s blending with my computer science major. At first, we were just entering data, which felt pretty routine. But now, seeing how that data can be used to create something tangible is really interesting. It’s like watching a puzzle come together, except instead of pieces, we’re using data points. I’m finding myself more engaged in the class because of this hands-on approach as if we’re actual digital humanists. It’s not just about learning theories, it’s about actually applying them. Plus, seeing how our efforts are going to come together to form a map is pretty satisfying. It’s making me appreciate the connection between computer science and digital humanities even more. Overall, I’m looking forward to seeing the end result and learning more about how these two fields intersect.

This week we talked about mapping things and on Friday we started mapping things. Honestly I thought it was going to be a lot hard than it actually was. I just had to do some research on Google Maps and look some things up on google and I found the answers. Overall I actually enjoyed this. There were a few places I couldn’t map because they didn’t have any identifiers of where they were and only a date or in some cases they didn’t even have a date. I think there were one or two that said West Chester State Teacher’s College but did not say where on the campus they were located. I had one store that wasn’t there anymore but when I looked it up it said the current store that is there now. I just put the point there because the original store seemed to be there. This was in the town of West Chester. There was an old stadium in Philadelphia that belonged to Temple but it wasn’t there anymore but when I looked it up on Google Maps it showed where it was and what is there now.

I feel good about my items in Omeka. I finally got them all done and posted on the website. I had a very busy week, so I was worried I was not going to be able to finish my items in time. Last night I made changes to the existing one’s and added the ones I did not post yet. The subjects for my items are not great, that was one of the things I changed but I think they could be better. I am not sure if I completely understand the mapping. I have a token for the Delaware River Bridge Line, and I do not know where to map that, if I should. I did not map it because I could not find a specific Delaware River Bridge. Another one I am unsure about is the Yellowstone Park Company. I have not done much research for this, but I am not sure if it would be mapped at Yellowstone national park. I am not even sure what it exactly is. One that I did have to do research on was an advertisement for Forest Lawn Memorial Park. I was unsure if it was still a park. After looking it up on google, I found that it is a park in California. There seemed to be more than one location, but I mapped it at what seemed to be the main location in Glendale. One that I am sure I cannot map is a ticket for an impounded vehicle. There is no address on the ticket. It does say “Bureau of Police Philadelphia”, but I thought that that was too general, and I needed more information to be able to map it. Another one I am sure I cannot map is a nametag for Joyce Murrow. All that is written on it is her name and where she is from.

This week we worked on mapping our items in Omeka that we observed in special collections from the Joyce Murrow and Beryl Foster scrapbooks. Mapping was a little interesting because not all the items had specific addresses that it would have written down on them. There was some investigating that had to be done to find the locations of these items. Most of mine were very similar as they were musical programs and all could be traced back to Philips Memorial Auditorium. Most of my items had this location and a couple of those items were like extensions of each other. One was a grocery store that no longer exists on Linden St. which was interesting to see how the location has changed since then as there is no longer a grocery store. One of the items was tricky as it was a paper cut out from a birthday party. This one was extremely hard to come up with a location for it. After we were finished mapping our items we were able to pull a map up of all the marked locations of all the items everyone did. Most of the items were marked on West Chester campus but there were some outliers. There was a couple marked in New York City which I thought was interesting. The most interesting location marked was 2 marked in Tennessee. This was interesting as there wasn’t any items marked that far from West Chester, but these ones were clear outliers.

This week of Digital Humanities learning has been a eventful one. Overall learning and applying the process of mapping metadata has been proven a mostly simplistic process for my entrees that contain either a location or address. Going back into my two folders that I catalogue I simply just read off either the location or address present on the item and plug it into a mapping software of my choice (being the maps app on my iPhone) With this extra step of metadata catalogue I can deepen my understanding of a given object’s history either it be located on campus or as faraway as San Francisco, California. Also from this learning experience I found that most of my id inputs for Joyce Morrows have accidently been labeled as Murrows with a u after the M so thanks to this lesson I can update my entries accordingly. Whoops.

In week 5 of DHM, we left the library and special collections and headed back into our classroom in Mitchell Hall. In class this week we discussed how maps connect to the digital humanities and what they can reveal to us when we analyze their data. Since the digital humanities involve the use of digital tools and methods to analyze, interpret, and present humanistic data and context, maps are an extremely powerful medium for visualizing and understanding various aspects of human culture, history, and literature. Maps connect to the digital humanities through the use of spatial analysis. This helps us understand the geographical context of a story, tracking where people have been, and exploring the influence of locations. I find this particularly interesting because it gives us lots of context about historical events based off of locations and time periods.

When the words digital mapping are used, it is easy to instantly think of GPS mapping and Google Earth and what not, but digital mapping has been used for years. People have been trying to discover more space and map it out since the beginning of human history. It is a fundamental part of the human brain and how we are wired to be curios for more. Because of this, digital mapping has been constantly developing and getting better and more advanced. Now, you can go anywhere on the Earth and walk around through a website on your phone. I can relate to digital mapping a lot because over the most recent summer I would door dash on the side to get a little extra money, and the way that it can instantly calculate how much money you should make, what your tip should be, how much you should be spending on gas based on the miles you have driven, and exactly how long it should take shows how far we have come in this specific category of human advancement.

In week five of digital humanities class we started to closely take a look at the items that were posted on omeka and gain a better understanding on the most formal way of submitting an item. We also jumped into finding a better location for a lot of the posts. For a lot of my own posts I put something that was written on the item without even thinking it may not still exist or would be clumped up into a broader location, making it not completely accurate. We were even shown after the google survey how many of the omeka items got clumped into the same spot on campus, when half of them were inaccurate. When you further research the location or the document, you can gain a better understanding where it took place and what it really was. After I looked back at a submission of my own, I figured out it was not even an event taken place in West Chester, it was actually in Norristown at a theater, so I had to go back in and edit my item to fix the location. Each class we are getting a better understanding on digital scrapbooking and how to go about it in a much more clear way.

This week we explored the concept of mapping, and how it helps scholars understand more about the nature/story of the items.

On Monday, when we discussed the concept of mapping and what it does for digital humanities, we explored how the Crustacean Period can explain why certain counties vote in favor of a political party. I remember being shocked by this discovery. It is fascinating that something so simple as a map of political parties per county can be explained by a period millions of years ago. It makes me question what other factors can explain the way counties sway their political views to one party.

On Friday we began mapping our items, and I will admit, it’s been conflicting. Most of the items I mapped were complex with their locations. For example, I would have an item that was labeled with a destination such as “West Chester, PA” which obviously, doesn’t give me much. The “Appointment card for Theresa’s Beauty Salon” is a perfect example of this problem. The card’s location was “West Chester, PA”, so I began searching for locations in West Chester that may be linked to a beauty salon. I found one location that stood out to me the most: “Theresa Paoletti Beauty Salon”. However, the salon has only been running for 36 years, so it wouldn’t fit under that destination. Therefore, I chose to identify the location as “West Chester, PA” since I had very little details on where else to put it. I’d rather be vague and inconclusive than specific and wrong.

Unfortunately, some of my objects were not able to be mapped. These objects mainly consisted of artwork and photography. One item that gave me the most difficulty throughout entering metadata and mapping is the “Decorated paper of a snowman in a winter scene”. The item has no context attached to it whatsoever. It is a flimsy piece of paper, most likely cut out of something and pasted into Joyce’s scrapbook. I have no idea where it came from, and honestly, I have no idea what it is. However, it’s quite pretty, and despite not knowing anything about it, I love how beautiful it is.

An item I also had trouble mapping was the “Program for the musical production ‘Ala Carte’ of 1947 in the form of a menu.” The item has an endless amount of location possibilities. I’m assuming the production took place in a theatre, but the question is what theatre? I can’t assume it was a theatre in West Chester, and I don’t exactly know where to put it. I even looked through the 1947 yearbook for any information. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything location wise, but I did find a picture of Joyce in the 1950 yearbook!

Overall, I’ve learned that mapping can be a bit difficult, especially with items with little context or details. However, with a lot of research and a few historical and modern maps, I believe I could map a few items with harder to find locations.