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For Andrew Gardener and Joey Takeda, working for SFU Library’s (DHIL) is a team effort.  

The pair form the developer team of the DHIL, an initiative that supports researchers with the development and dissemination of digital scholarship. Rooted in principles of accessibility and transparency, (DH) furthers the ability of research and research methods to affect change beyond academia. 

Together, Gardener and Takeda received a 2024 Staff Achievement Award for Team Service, a recognition for staff teams that exemplify the SFU value of respect and reciprocity while working to transform the SFU experience for those who work and learn at the university.

“We were honoured and grateful to be nominated. It’s great to see the impact of the work we do in the lab making an impression. And it feels fitting for this to be a “team” award since so much of the work that we do in the lab relies on collaboration: between us as developers; working with students, staff, and librarians in the Library’s Research Commons; and in embedded collaboration with project teams,” they said.

“We also want to extend our thanks in particular to our colleagues in the Research Commons—especially Rebecca Dowson, Ali Moore, and Nicole White—for nominating us, and to everyone who contributed to our nomination!” 

When describing Gardener and Takeda’s impact, SFU Library colleagues noted the many ways the two support the learning experiences of graduate students, research assistants and project partners through mentorship and the co-creation of learning opportunities.

“The collegial approach to project development and the sensitivity of the developer team has fostered a welcoming and supportive environment in the lab. [It] is a safe space for experimentation, learning and relationship-building,” they noted.

While the developer team noted that many of the projects they support evolve and grow over time, recent highlights include work on an interactive map and information website for the Faculty of Education’s Indigenous Garden as well as a new collaboration with the University of British Columbia’s Digital Scholarship in the Arts initiative to create a community of practice that supports and advances justice-oriented frameworks for creating digital editions.

As software developers, Gardener and Takeda also train faculty and research teams in using new platforms and learning both the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of digital scholarship. While they both work on general software areas such as application development, data modelling and server infrastructure, they each have areas of specialization that allow them to support and sustain a wide range of DH projects including large bibliographic datasets, digital exhibits and archives, open-access critical editions and research tools. 

Takeda first got involved with digital humanities early in his undergraduate English degree at the University of Victoria. Through DH initiatives like and , he was trained in programming languages and project development before joining the SFU Library in 2020. This contributed to his current areas of focus in critical digital editing and literary studies, project sustainability, and digital project development. 

For Gardener, who has a background in developing learning tools for universities, specializations include development operations (DevOps), server infrastructure and orchestration, and interactive visualizations. Together, their varied experiences and interests empower SFU researchers to make their work more open, available and accessible, especially in the humanities where funding and resources are often scarce and vulnerable to shifting political dynamics.  

“This is important not only to the research enterprise of the university, but to the overall academic mission. The DH community is a global one, and we are fortunate that we are able to provide support to SFU researchers and students that have international impact and can connect with local, national, and international initiatives.”