Background • Dorothy Howard
Dorothy Howard is a researcher, archivist, and open technology advocate.
She has published peer-reviewed research and case studies about digital governance and open source maintainer labor, funded by the Ford Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the University of California, the Processing Foundation, and the Wikimedia Foundation. She is currently attending Pratt Institute, School of Information (archives specialization), while completing her dissertation for her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of California, San Diego, where she was part of the Design Lab. Dorothy has gravitated towards science and technology studies (STS) and the histories of computing--studying the dynamics of well-being and knowledge production in sociotechnical communities, the political economy of open technology, and the affective terrains of software development. Dorothy is trained in multiple methods including: ethnography (grounded theory, participant observation, interviews), content analysis, and historical and archival research. Her current research includes a project, "Wikimedian Neurotribes: Examining Discourse About Neurodivergence Among Wikimedians", funded by the Wikimedia Foundation. Dorothy's interest in Wikipedia started when she wrote a paper on the history of the Western encyclopedia during her B.A. in History from Reed College in 2013 and she has been a Wikipedian and researcher since.
Dorothy started a business Howard Archives specializing in archival solutions for cross-media, cultural heritage projects, historical memory, public digital infrastructure, and open collaboration. From 2013 to 2016, Dorothy worked as a Wikipedian in Residence at the Metropolitan New York Library Council and archival appraisal assistant at the Jean-Noël Herlin Archive Project.
Dorothy has also worked as a grant writer, web designer, and teacher's assistant, as well as a farm worker and supervisor, fish and cheese monger (separately), gas station clerk, barista, server, movie theater attendant, and tutor. Dorothy is also a cross-genre writer with publications that include experimental essays, poetry, short stories, and texts accompanying art exhibitions and music releases. Contact if you are interested in commissioning a text. Dorothy is the author of the chapbook Troll (Inpatient Press, 2015) and has published works in: Vol. 1 Brooklyn, Canadian Art, Rhizome, DIS, and The New Inquiry, among others. Dorothy formerly edited the Arachne Webzine, an experimental publishing project.