I was drawn to the Fellowship program because of my interest in finding new ways to approach and present information. The subject of my research — The Campus Theatre — has been one of my favorite places to spend free time in Lewisburg since arriving at Bucknell in August of 2015. Founded in 1941, at the height of World War II, this theatre has proven to be more than just a movie palace. I believe that the theatre at 413 Market Street deserves a comprehensive retelling of it’s very rich and complex history. With this being the case, I saw no better way to do this than with the tools afforded to me through the Digital Scholarship Student Research Fellowship.
In using the resources available through digital scholarship I hope to present a unabridged visual and textual history of the Campus Theatre and thereby providing a more whole context to it’s place in Lewisburg’s history. Though it has only recently been acquired by Bucknell, it has always held the same location on Market Street. In using the technologies available through my research this summer, I imagine that I will be surprised at what I uncover about the Campus Theatre’s past. Data visualization programs are of great interest to me as a way for me to present this data in a unique and user-friendly way. I will not limit myself to data visualization, however and will be looking at the array of tools that will optimize both my research and the presentation of my findings.
Apart from learning about new ways to use technology to learn about and presenting of new information, I was drawn to the idea of working in a small team with other students. Though we will be working on different research, it drives me to know that these individuals will be working towards a similar goal: the sharing of ideas. After a week together, we a re a pretty tight knit group and I am hopeful that this will continue for the remainder of the program even as we go off to conduct research on our own terms.
In digitizing a comprehensive history of the Campus Theatre I hope to include essential components such as a history of screenings, a history of ownership, a history of renovations, along with a myriad of other things. Though this information is useful in it’s own right I will conclude my research by using this data to look at larger trends associated with screenings in small movie theatres in small, rural towns and the implications associated with it. Like most of in the group, this is my first time doing any time of extensive academic research but like them I am hopeful that the things I will discover will be telling.