Hello! I’m Katherine Frisch, and I’m excited to introduce myself as the new Mississippi Digital Humanities Hub Manager at the University of Southern Mississippi. My journey to this role has been shaped by nearly a decade of public librarianship, where I worked for the Lamar County Library System, focusing on representation in collection development and community-centered programming.
During my time as a librarian, I developed a deep appreciation for tools that make information accessible and engaging. Whether it was designing flyers in Canva or curating inclusive collections, my goal was always to serve the public in meaningful ways. My MLIS studies further expanded my perspective, introducing me to digital tools like Omeka and web platforms like Squarespace and Wix.
Now, as the Hub Manager, my objective is to grow both my technical knowledge and contribute to the strategic vision for digital humanities across Mississippi. I see the Hub’s role as an opportunity to act as a connector: linking libraries, archives, classrooms, and communities through collaborative digital projects.
Digital humanities represents the next approach in public engagement with historical and cultural resources. Far too often, these materials are siloed. Viewed as the domain of scholars or stored in isolation behind archival walls. But technology allows us to remove these barriers to access, enabling storytelling and participation from a wider audience. That’s probably what excites me the most, the chance to help make Mississippi’s rich historical and cultural resources more accessible and engaging to everyone.
Through this course, I hope to gain the practical skills and knowledge that will help me expand the Hub’s outreach, foster interdisciplinary partnerships, and ultimately grow the impact of digital humanities throughout our state. I look forward to learning alongside all of you!
Katherine, you bring a lot of skills and transferable knowledge to the Hub. I love your idea of storytelling and look forward to new projects!
Katherine, thank you for sharing your background and what led you to becoming the manager of the Center for Digital Humanities! I enjoyed learning more about your interests and your vision for the center’s growth, especially from your experience in public librarianship. At my previous institution, our DH lab was in the library, and that was really the first time I was exposed to the depth of knowledge and skills that comprise librarianship. Librarians are amazing! I also completely agree that we have a unique opportunity here to link libraries, archives, classrooms, and more with the CDH and Hub– I look forward to working with you on shaping these networks!