Clifford B. Anderson

Clifford B. Anderson

Director of the Divinity Library

Yale University

Professional Summary

Clifford B. Anderson is the Director of the Divinity Library and founder of the Computational Theology Lab at Yale University. Among other publications, he is co-author of Artificial Intelligence for Academic Libraries (Routledge, 2025), XQuery for Humanists (Texas A&M University Press, 2020) and editor of Digital Humanities and Libraries and Archives in Religious Studies (De Gruyter, 2022). He is also a co-instructor of Programming for a Networked World on Coursera.

Education

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M.S. in Library and Information Science

2012

Pratt Institute

Ph.D. in Systematic Theology

2005

Princeton Theological Seminary

Th.M. in Theology

1996

Princeton Theological Seminary

M.Div.

1995

Harvard University Divinity School

A.B. in Philosophy

1992

Kenyon College

TEDx Talk on Deepfakes

Experience

Director of the Divinity Library

Yale University

Director of Digital Research

Center of Theological Inquiry

Chief Digital Strategist

Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University

Professor of Religious Studies (Secondary Appointment)

College of Arts and Science, Vanderbilt University

Associate University Librarian for Research and Digital Strategy

Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University

Adjunct Professor of Computer Science

School of Engineering, Vanderbilt University

Associate University Librarian for Research and Learning

Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University

Director, Scholarly Communications

Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University

Curator, Special Collections

Princeton Theological Seminary

Curator of Reformed Research Collections

Princeton Theological Seminary

Certificates & Training
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Amazon Web Services ∙ September 2021
From Media Computation to Data Science
openSAP ∙ October 2020
Certified ScrumMaster
ScrumAlliance ∙ October 2009
Certificate in Intellectual Property Law
New York University ∙ August 2009
Fundamentals of IP Management, Trademark, Copyright, International IP, Patent Law, and Advanced Patent Law
Leadership Institute for Academic Librarians
Harvard Graduate School of Education ∙ August 2007
Recent News

ATLA and Vanderbilt University Divinity Library Contribute Funds for New Open Access Publication in Forthcoming De Gruyter Series

Continuing a long-standing cooperative relationship, ATLA and Vanderbilt University’s Divinity Library have contributed funding to support the open access publication of an edited volume in De Gruyter’s series on Introductions to Digital Humanities: Religion. The volumes in the series address ‘specific areas of study at the intersections of digital humanities & religion, offering an overview of current methodologies, techniques, tools, and projects as well as defining challenges and opportunities for further research.’

Projects
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Computational Theology Lab

The Computational Theology Lab at Yale Divinity School explores the intersection of computational methods and theological inquiry. As founder, Clifford Anderson leads research …

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Learn Wikidata

The goal of the project is to develop and implement interactive learning pathways for information professionals to learn the fundamentals of WikiCite.

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Computational Thinking and Learning featured image

Computational Thinking and Learning

The Computational Thinking and Learning Initiative at Vanderbilt University fosters computational thinking across the curriculum. Among its pilot activities, the CTLI sponsors a …

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Programming for a Networked World featured image

Programming for a Networked World

An online course on Coursera introducing programming concepts for working with networked data and web technologies, designed for learners in the humanities, library science, and …

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Recent & Upcoming Talks
Recent Publications

AI as Superscholar: Authorship at the Threshold of the Unsayable

Through a perspectival inversion, the authors explore what artificial intelligence—reconceived as a ‘superscholar’ operating as a scholarly collective unconscious—reveals about limitations in human authorship. AI exposes three interconnected crises: of credit, of verification, of comprehensive knowledge—each compounded by the responsibility gap endemic to learning automata. The article addresses implications for collection development, cataloging, and information literacy, proposing the goal of ’epistemic reparation,’ with AI surfacing marginalized contributions occluded by citational regimes.

Bits and Bias: The Case of Women in Religion

This chapter examines how gender bias becomes encoded in digital knowledge infrastructures, taking the representation of women in religion as a case study.

Kuyper and Princeton

This chapter examines Abraham Kuyper’s relationship with Princeton, from his Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1898 to Princeton’s later emergence as a center for Kuyper scholarship, tracing the reception of neo-Calvinism in American theological circles.

Artificial Intelligence for Academic Libraries

A comprehensive guide to artificial intelligence for academic library professionals, covering theory, practice, and ethical considerations for integrating AI tools and services into library operations and scholarly support.

The Ethics of Deepfakes for Cultural Heritage: A Hybrid Exhibition of Reanimated Jonathan Edwards as a Test Case

‘Deepfakes,’ synthetic media generated by deep neural networks, have become increasingly common in many sectors, from social media, edtech, and business marketing to museum exhibitions. This trend raises ethical concerns about voice and image manipulation. Unlike living subjects, historical figures cannot contest replications of their image and voice, making ethical considerations crucial. This poster explores ethical issues through our use of an 18th-century historical figure as a test case, documenting strategic and technical challenges. Reflecting on our ethical decisions, we offer recommendations on less-discussed issues such as accent cloning and reanimating figures from diverse historical communities.

Contact

Visit Me

Yale Divinity Library

409 Prospect Street

New Haven, CT 06511

United States

Office Hours

Monday 09:00 to 11:00

Wednesday 09:00 to 11:00