Mississippi Digital Humanities Hub to Host 2026 Summer Residency Program at Southern Miss
Fri, 02/27/2026 - 09:54am | By: Jamie O’Quinn and David Tisdale
The Mississippi Digital Humanities Hub (“The Hub”) at The University of Southern Mississippi will conduct a six-week Summer Residency Program on the Hattiesburg campus from June 15 to July 24. The session is geared toward undergraduate students majoring in humanities-related fields (English, history, philosophy and similar subjects) at a two- or four-year college or university in Mississippi who are returning to school in the fall.
Participants will explore a wide range of tools, including mapping, data visualization, text analysis, digital exhibits and digital storytelling, that can be used in research, interpreting cultural materials and raising new questions about the past and present. Through this session, students from across the state will master highly desirable and versatile digital humanities tools and practices.
In addition to working closely with experts affiliated with the Center for Digital Humanities, the Mississippi Digital Library and guest presenters, learners will utilize items from Southern Miss Archives and Special Collections as the focus of their projects.
Claire Gray, assistant director of Waveland’s Ground Zero Hurricane Museum and a summer 2025 Digital Humanities program participant, reflected on her residency experience.
“The Digital Humanities Hub residency program introduced me to digitization techniques, best practices and archival/special collections management,” she said. “Prior to this, I had no experience with archival work, and this program inspired me to take the skills I learned from digital humanities experts into the museum to create and manage a formal archive of our collection items and other museum documents.”
Along with the summer workshops, the Hub — funded through a congressional allocation managed by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission — is also providing funds for local digitization projects throughout the state.
“We are excited about the 12 new digitization projects underway across the state that the Hub is funding through mini-grants totaling $290,000,” said Dr. Andrew Haley, director and principal investigator for The Hub. “Awarded through a competitive process, these selected entities — comprised of libraries, museums, historical societies and institutions of higher learning — will digitize and showcase community-based cultural and historical materials that are not always digitally accessible, such as oral histories, documents and artifacts.”
Examples of Digital Humanities Hub projects include:
- Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, which is digitizing Ranger Rocket newspapers, yearbooks, photography, audiovisual media, bulletins and sports programs. The project focuses on how the school marks 100 years of its history and its broader role in Mississippi’s education and cultural life.
- The Noxubee County Historical Society in Macon, which is archiving paper records and stored museum holdings ranging from early treaties and courthouse records to local artifacts of national interest.
- The Jimmie Rodgers Foundation in Meridian, which is digitizing historically significant materials related to Jimmie Rodgers (known as the Father of Country Music), songwriter Elsie McWilliams, his spouse Carrie Rodgers and the Jimmie Rodgers Festival.
- Jackson State University (JSU), which is embarking on “Preserving the Diaspora: The JSU African Art Digitization Initiative,” making JSU’s African and Diasporic Collection publicly accessible for the first time.
- The Center for the Study of the National Guard, an archival and research center located at Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, is working on integrating National Guard archival collections from 54 states and territories.
- The Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs, which is working to document, interpret and share approximately 1,100 objects from its permanent collection.
Funding for the Mississippi Digital Humanities Hub, and subsequently the mini-grants, is made possible by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, part of the National Archives and Records Administration.
Haley said it is exciting for The Hub to serve Mississippi as a resource for those looking to digitize, preserve and make accessible the state’s history and culture. Without it, he fears the deeper understanding of communities that these materials provide could disappear.
“To continue growing relationships with other entities and seeing them flourish and become local resources in their own areas of the state is rewarding,” Haley said. “Coming together as a collective Digital Humanities community and sharing knowledge of tools, best practices and resources while fostering ideas and friendships is what we are about.”
Applications for the competitive slots in the 2026 Summer Residency Program are currently
being accepted online until March 31. Those selected for the program will receive housing, most meals,
travel reimbursement and small stipends.
Visit the Mississippi Digital Humanities Hub for more information.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi is home to 13 schools, two ROTC units, and more than 100 academic programs. Guided by the University’s mission, we educate students, lead the state and nation in research and the creative arts, and advance knowledge across the humanities, social sciences, and STEM. Through innovative research and nationally recognized student success, we provide pathways to understanding the past, solving today's challenges, and imagining the possibilities of tomorrow.