Jen M. Jones, MLIS
Librarian, Metadata Specialist, Ph.D. graduate in Digital History at Clemson University
This website is a work in progress, and it is the beginning of my journey as a graduate student. It has information on digital tools for communicating History in new and innovative ways. I am very excited about what the future holds as technology continues to help us visualize, present new ideas, and research.
Digital History Ph.D. (clemson.edu)
There are so many ways to tell a story with technology. Today’s tools continue evolving, and some programs are even learning. AI is one of the most controversial topics. The debate is over the dangers of machine learning—nevertheless, AI is bringing about changes and constant innovations in knowledge. Tools are becoming more straightforward and more adept at what they do. Technology progresses so rapidly that it is vital to keep up.
As a historian, new technology can only enhance my work. There are so many ways to express a scholarly argument now. As computers become an essential part of our lives, they are also part of our past and future. Technology is interwoven into our lives. This is why I have chosen to work towards my Ph.D. in History with an added understanding of the digital world. For a long time, other humanities have used technology to grow and enhance research. It is time for digital knowledge to become part of being a historian. If only so, the modern world makes some sense. Within this website, I will look at new technology and its viability for historians’ work. It is the foundation of what will be my professional endeavors. I am starting out as a first-year PhD student, ready to take on the challenges of change.
This does not mean I do not respect and understand the scholarship of studying History, but I will be equipped to tell my stories with new and creative tools. I am still working on finding my research focus but leaning towards local History, the History of Clemson University, and following my interests in children’s History. I am connected to the mountains of North and South Carolina as my childhood home, and I treasure the many stories there are to tell.
“There is a magic in that little world, home; it is a mystic circle that surrounds comforts and virtues never known beyond its hallowed limits.”
Robert Southey