KU to host THATCamp 2026, a day of hands-on digital humanities collaboration

LAWRENCE — The Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities (IDRH) at the University of Kansas will host THATCamp 2026 on Aug. 28 at the Hall Center for the Humanities. The free event, open to all KU faculty, staff, students and community members, encourages exploration at the intersection of technology and humanities. 

Unlike a traditional conference, THATCamp — short for “The Humanities and Technology Camp” — has no set agenda until the day itself. Attendees propose session topics — anything from generative artificial intelligence and digital mapping to data management, digital copyright and tech-based teaching in the humanities — and the group votes to build the schedule together. Participants can attend sessions that interest them or volunteer to lead one of their own. The day closes with a discussion of what attendees learned and what they’d like to keep exploring as part of KU’s digital humanities community throughout the academic year. 

Last year, 30 attendees representing faculty, staff, librarians and students across the university attended three sessions covering a wide variety of topics like AI, digital mapping, databases and data management, digital copyright, humanity in a digital era, data sovereignty and web development, among others.  

“It was so exciting getting to bring THATCamp back to KU last year,” said Katie Knowles, event planning committee chair and Hall Center postdoctoral researcher. “We hope to build on that momentum by bringing the DH community together again to kick off this academic year. The ‘unconference’ format is such a fun, low-stakes way to foster collaboration and share ideas. I really appreciate the IDRH’s investment in building these networks and promoting interdisciplinary conversation.” 

The event also featured a digital humanities show-and-tell and a digital humanities fellows info session. 

“THATCamp helped me visualize the kinds of digital humanities projects that would sync with my work using 19th century newspapers and advertisements,” said Katie Wade, a doctoral student in the Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies. “During last year’s show-and-tell session, participants showed both finished projects and works in progress, and it was great for seeing work from the user side and public-facing side.”

“The hands-on data practice and connections with the IDRH team have been super helpful in getting the basic foundations. As a result, I felt confident in taking a DH class through museum studies and applying for the institute’s fellowship.”  

THATCamp began as a program of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, with support from the Mellon Foundation. While the original THATCamp organization has since become inactive, the ‘unconference’ format continues to thrive in digital humanities communities across the country, and KU has kept the tradition going through IDRH. 

Founded in 2010, the Institute for Digital Research in the Humanities is a partnership among KU Libraries, the Hall Center and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. IDRH serves as an intellectual hub for digital humanities inquiry and practice at KU, supporting scholars and students through workshops, fellowships, seed grants and community events like THATCamp. 

Registration is free but required. Attendees should register by Aug. 10 at noon to guarantee lunch; registration closes at noon Aug. 20. Visit the THATCamp 2026 webpage for more information or contact IDRH at idrh@ku.edu. 

THATCamp 2026 Schedule

8:45 a.m.: Check-in and coffee 
9 a.m.: Welcome and overview 
9:20 a.m.: Brainstorming 
9:50 a.m.: Session 1 
11:15 a.m.: Session 2 
12:30 p.m.: Lunch and interactive discussion 
2:10 p.m.: Sharing and discussion.