Open-Access Book Based on 2018 “Viral Networks” Workshop Now Available

March 11, 2019

A much anticipated open-access book entitled Viral Networks: Connecting Digital Humanities and Medical History, comprising a collection of research papers, is now available from VT Publishing and NLM Digital Collections.

The book is the product of the Viral Networks: An Advanced Workshop in Digital Humanities and Medical History, January 2018, hosted by the National Institutes of Health’s National Library of Medicine (NLM), History of Medicine Division, supported by the Office of Digital Humanities of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and organized by Virginia Tech, and was a collaborative outcome of NLM’s ongoing collaboration with the NEH.

“This book represents a wonderful partnership supporting research and exciting new ways of exploring and writing the history of medicine in our digital age,” stated Jeffrey S. Reznick, PhD, Chief of the NLM History of Medicine Division.

This volume of original essays explores the power of network thinking and analysis for humanities research. Contributing authors are all scholars whose research focuses on a medical history topic—from the Black Death in fourteenth-century Provence to psychiatric hospitals in twentieth-century Alabama. The chapters take readers through a variety of situations in which scholars must determine if network analysis is right for their research; and, if the answer is yes, what the possibilities are for implementation. Readers will find practical tips on identifying an appropriate network to analyze, finding the best way to apply network analysis, and choosing the right tools for data visualization. The result is a highly original and practical volume for scholars in all fields of historical study who might be considering network analysis for their own research.

To help mark the publication of the book all are welcome to attend the free public program Viral Networks, Reconnected: A Digital Humanities/History of Medicine Research Forum, on Thursday, April 4 in the NLM’s Lister Hill Auditorium on the NIH campus. For visitor information go to: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/about/visitor.html. The program will be videocast via global livestream and archived for later viewing. Complete details are available from the NLM History of Medicine Division.

 

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is a leader in research in biomedical informatics and data science and the world’s largest biomedical library. NLM conducts and supports research in methods for recording, storing, retrieving, preserving, and communicating health information. NLM creates resources and tools that are used billions of times each year by millions of people to access and analyze molecular biology, biotechnology, toxicology, environmental health, and health services information. Additional information is available at https://www.nlm.nih.gov.