The Open Lab:  Digital Scholarship and the Question of Community

1. Abstract

Taking the conference themes of "openness" and public humanities, this forum will focus on the role of the digital scholarship lab within the larger university and broader community. Whereas we may assume such centers are hubs of activity and intellectual exchange, such spaces can also often be alienating to those not directly affiliated with the lab's range of operations. As leadership at five different labs within different departments and institutional contexts, we address strategies to foster and encourage openness, both within the university and toward the broader public. Despite our different universities and structures, we share a commitment to fostering healthy, sustainable, and welcoming labs, and we hope to engage the audience to think about and theorize openness as a central ethos in DH infrastructure.