The Digital Atlas of Native American Intellectual Traditions (DANAIT) is an IMLS-funded project to create a space for conversation and collaboration, with the goal of developing a framework for sharing, exploring, and visualizing Native-authored library and archival collections. The project will bring together Native Studies scholars; Native librarians; tribal historians; representatives from libraries with large Native-authored collections; metadata, digital humanities, and user interface specialists; and technologists to expand and improve culturally appropriate access to Native digital collections and to create collaborative digital humanities scholarship that accurately represents Native American intellectual networks. More information is available in the project abstract and narrative.
Project Partners include Amherst College; The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM); Mukurtu; and the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA). For more information, contact Mike Kelly or Kelcy Shepherd.
A note about our title: One of the first topics of discussion at the June 2016 Planning Meeting was the working title for the project. Participants raised concerns about each of the words in the title and it quickly became clear that new language was required. Rather than let the first obstacle hold us back, we set aside the problematic nature of our working title and forged ahead. As we continue to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, we expect a new name for this project will emerge; for the time being, we will refer to the project as “DANAIT” or simply “the digital atlas.” Title suggestions are most welcome!
