Are Digital Humanities platforms facilitating sufficient diversity in research? A study of the Transkribus Scholarship Programme

Abstract To what extent do Digital Humanities (DH) platforms support access to diverse user cohorts? We take, as a case study, the Automated Text Recognition (ATR) platform Transkribus and its Transkribus Scholarship Programme (TSP), which provides free processing credits to eligible users. Using a mixed methods approach we address the following questions: What are the demographics of those using the TSP scheme? What work is enabled by such a scheme? How can this inform more equitable access to DH platforms? The findings demonstrate how ATR tools are currently used and made accessible. TSP applicants are overwhelmingly students (n = 111/156, 71.15 per cent) drawn from universities and research institutes, mostly in Europe, but are globally distributed; representing institutions that do not hold shares in Transkribus, and indicating a diverse user pipeline. Further work is required to increase potential benefits of the scholarship and to ensure sustainability. Increased dialogue between the Recognition and Enrichment of Archival Document-COOP and applicants would assist in the calculation of processing costs. We show financial—or in-kind—support is necessary to increase access to paid-for platforms, ensuring a diversity of DH research. We also provide recommendations for platform providers and funding bodies regarding access and the impact this can have, including locating a sustainable balance between absorbing the costs of maintaining DH or digital scholarship tools and providing sufficient support and training to further enable diverse research.