In 2009, The Townsend Center developed the Townsend Humanities Lab as an exploration into the ways in which Web 2.0 resources and digital tools could enhance research in the humanities and interpretive social sciences. Originally conceived of as a two-year project, this endeavor was up and running for four years and was successful in creating a consciousness about digital tools among scholars at Berkeley and in the broader community. The project was also successful in launching many types of collaborations across disciplines—from courses and research groups to Designated Emphases (minors) and on-line museum exhibitions—all taking place on the site and supported by the Townsend Center.

We remain committed to digital humanities research and interdisciplinary collaboration and we will continue to foster the digital humanities community in many ways—by migrating the THL blog and the biblio-file to the main Townsend Center Site, and by continuing to offer and support public programming about digital humanities research.