Recollection: Establishing Digital Workflows for a Legal Civil Rights Archive Ashton Wingate, Shelby Wong NAACP Legal Defense Fund, United States of America
Since 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) has been the leading civil rights law firm in the fight for racial justice. This presentation provides an overview of the development of our digital workflows, from processing physical materials to publishing them on our website, Recollection – the first public digital repository of its kind.
DAM’ed if You Do, DAM’ed if You Don’t: Using Generative AI to Support a Digital Asset Manager Migration R.C. Miessler Gettysburg College, United States of America
Gettysburg College's Musselman Library undertook a migration from CONTENTdm to AM Quartex, but the library did not have coding or development support to leverage the CONTENTdm API. Instead, ChatGPT was used to develop Python scripts to automate certain aspects of the migration, generally successfully.
The Care and Feeding of the Carpentries: Cultivating Inclusive Software Development Communities in Libraries Justin Wadland(1), Jennifer Stubbs(2), Jonathan Wheeler(3), Scott Martin(4) 1: Michigan State University; 2: Bradley University; 3: University of New Mexico; 4: University of Michigan
This panel explores the efforts of libraries to organize and host Carpentries workshops that teach foundational coding and data science workshops through pedagogy grounded in inclusive values. Panelists will share tips on getting started with Carpentries, sustaining and growing existing programs, and participating in the larger Carpentries community.
What’s in the Box?: LIS Students Use a Digital Humanities Toolkit to Explore Interdisciplinary Research Potential within Undiscovered Collections Alex Belovich, Meghan Dziengel, Madeline Hass, Bronwen Masemann, Celeste Qin University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States of America
Drawing on student-led work, this presentation introduces and demonstrates an accessible and freely available digital humanities toolkit that can be applied to a common problem within library collection management: a collection of materials that lacks rich metadata and appears to have a narrow range of potential users.
Digitizing the New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins Photograph Collection Sarah Cuk New York City Department of Records and Information Services, United States of America
I will describe digitizing photographic negatives from the Mayor David Dinkins administration (1990-1993) at the NYC Municipal Archives. Unlike typical workflows where records are digitized once processed, I’m simultaneously processing, digitizing, and describing. This maintains consistency so that everything is standardized and ready for members of Dinkins’ Administration to transcribe.
Clearing a Path for a Virtual Reading Room Program Sara Fuchs(1), Katherine Fisher(2), Lindsey Memory(3) 1: Emory University Library, United States of America; 2: Emory University Library, United States of America; 3: Brigham Young University Library, United States of America
This panel explores how Emory and BYU are designing Virtual Reading Rooms (VRRs) to expand access to restricted digital materials. Presenters will discuss differing definitions and use cases for VRRs then share lessons from their own pilot projects—including cross-institutional collaboration, legal and technical challenges, and policy design—offering practical insights for building ethical, sustainable, and mission-driven VRR programs.
Creating Text and Data Mining Collections for Small Institutions Mackenzie Brooks, Paula Kiser Washington and Lee University, United States of America
Though often associated with large digital libraries, rich text and data mining datasets can be created from local archival material at any institution with benefits for researchers and classrooms. This workshop will lead participants through the process of creating datasets as part of their regular digitization procedures with an MPLP approach.
Steeling Time: How Small Language Models Strengthened AI-Assisted Archives Research Julia Corrin, Brad King Carnegie Mellon University
See how we built custom small language models from the Carnegie Mellon University Archives to research and write an 800-year Hazelwood exhibit in three months. Learn practical ways to use AI as a research accelerator while keeping scholarly integrity and community voices in public exhibition development.
Digital Preservation as a dependency Jonathan Manton, David Cirella Yale, United States of America
Yale Library is integrating digital access and preservation through a stewardship model that prioritizes sustainability, usability, and ethical practices. This presentation explores how access systems, workflows, and stakeholder needs are supported through policy, custom development, and infrastructure planning to ensure long-term discoverability and preservation of digital special collections.
Introducing DadoCM: A New Conceptual Model for Describing Digital Archives with IIIF Gregory Wiedeman(1), Meghan Slaff(2) 1: University at Albany, SUNY, United States of America; 2: University at Albany, SUNY, United States of America
DadoCM is a system-agnostic conceptual model for delivering digital archival materials in large aggregations using archival description. Funded by IMLS, it reduces metadata duplication, improves access, and supports IIIF-based delivery. This session introduces the model and explores its integration with ArcLight and its applicability for institutions of all sizes.
Hire Learning: Reducing Accessibility Work Burnout with Newer Methodical Student Employee Hiring Bryan Birchmeier University of Michigan Libraries
An overview of accessibility initiatives at the University of Michigan libraries which employ students with specific, complementary skills to address remediation of content, alleviate workload, and address accessibility gaps present at the libraries.
“We Thought It Was One Tape, One Record”: Metadata Mayhem and Workflow Lessons from a Large-Scale A/V Digitization Project Louise Smith, Katie Ehrbar University of Southern California, United States of America
What do you do when your A/V collection has no metadata, AI transcriptions hallucinate wildly, and a single VHS tape contains nine discrete events? This presentation shares workflow strategies, lessons learned, and future recommendations from a year-long digitization and metadata effort on Jerry Brown’s personal A/V collection.
Planning What’s Next for the DLF Climate Justice Working Group Lisa Spiro(1), Justin Wadland(2) 1: Rice University, United States of America; 2: Michigan State University, United States of America
CLIR recently completed the Climate Resiliency Action Series, an IMLS-funded training program that grew out of a DLF Climate Justice Working Group (CJWG) proposal. At this working session, we will reflect on lessons learned from the workshop series and solicit input about what the CJWG should focus on next.
Agile Documentation Development for Digital Preservation Systems Alisha Baginski, Sarah Glover, Melanie Griffin, Andrew Jewell University of Nebraska-Lincoln, United States of America
How can you efficiently and effectively create all of the documentation needed to support the sustainable implementation and use of your digital preservation systems and tools? Join this panel for a spirited discussion about how a team of digital preservation practitioners implemented a lightweight Agile approach to documentation development.
Stitching Stories: Bringing Material Culture into Digital Humanities Mariam Ismail Virginia Tech, United States of America
The 23/54 Project preserves the legacy of a 1947 education lawsuit in Appalachia, Virginia, through a community quilt. This presentation explores how 3D scanning and an interactive digital exhibit expand the quilt’s reach, integrating material culture into digital humanities while engaging descendant families, communities, and students in the process.
Treasures and Trust: Expanding Access through the HBCU Digital Library Trust Initiative Christine Wiseman(1), Andrea Jackson Gavin(2), Kendall Barksdale(1), Lynn Davies(1) 1: Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library, United States of America; 2: Harvard Library
The HBCU Digital Library Trust unites HBCU archival collections with digitization resources and expertise to broaden access to rich institutional history. Team members from the HBCU Trust and AUC Woodruff Library will highlight the innovative relationship building and technical practices utilized to expand this premiere digital collection of HBCU history.
Allmaps: Open Source Georeferencing for Historical Maps Ann Hanlon(1), Ian Spangler(2) 1: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, United States of America; 2: Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library
Allmaps is an open source IIIF application that makes it easy to georeference digitized historical maps. This presentation will demonstrate how Allmaps works and how it can be used to extend the use of digitized map collections for research, and the implications for digital collections, GIS, and additional development underway.
Here There be Dragons: Seeking Reparative Metadata Practices in Self-deposit Repositories Rachel Woodbrook, Alexandria Rayburn University of Michigan, United States of America
This session presents the results of a semester-long collaboration between an iSchool PhD student and librarians overseeing Deep Blue Documents, an institutional repository with over 170,000 items, seeking best practices in addressing potentially harmful metadata and content in existing deposits, and in the deposition of future content.
Curating Digital Exhibits in Community Archives Krystyna Matusiak, Ruohua Han University of Denver, United States of America
Digital exhibits extend the coverage of collections and offer opportunities to tell the stories of underrepresented groups. This presentation will discuss approaches to curating digital exhibits in community archives by discussing a case study of the Park County Local History Archives and additional findings that explored exhibit-building strategies and methods.
DataWorks: Creating A Data Catalog From The Ground Up Huda Khan, Vijoy Abraham, Tom Cramer, Kim Durante, Hannah Frost, Amy Hodge, Peter Leonard, Rochelle Lundy, Astrid Usong, Vivian Wong, Nick Budak, Aaron Collier, Justin Littman, Maricela Abarca, Kate Barron, Greta de Groat Stanford University, United States of America
Stanford University Libraries is developing the Dataworks data catalog which is a data discovery system for supporting research and teaching activities. This presentation will cover current and planned work for understanding user needs, developing an infrastructure for metadata retrieval, and designing and testing the DataWorks user interface.
Inclusive description? In this political climate? Emma Beck(2), Challen Wright(1) 1: University of Nevada, Reno, United States of America; 2: University of Louisville, United States of America
This presentation explores writing harmful content statements at the University of Nevada, Reno and implementing inclusive description work at University of Louisville. Attendees will learn about the practical and theoretical work from each university and how these presenters are doing this work in the midst of current and-DEI legislation.
From Archives to Access: AI-Powered Transcription for Multimedia Collections Matthew Butler University of Iowa, United States of America
This presentation introduces a validated AI pipeline for generating transcripts and summaries of historic political ads. Developed collaboratively and described in a recent peer-reviewed study co-authored by the presenter, the project demonstrates tools for evaluating and enabling access to video collections, offering librarians, archivists and developers practical methods to enhance discoverability and reuse.
We Are the [Project] Champions: Collaborative Project Management in a Digital Imaging Lab Alex Kinnaman, Julia Westblade Virginia Tech, United States of America
This presentation details the system of committees Virginia Tech University Libraries uses to evaluate digitization projects, consult with stakeholders, and oversee production. Involving a team ensures digital collections at VTUL are diverse, equitable, and accessible. The presentation will highlight workflows and strategies for project management of several large, concurrent projects.
The Data Advocacy for All Toolkit: Critical Data Education for Social Change Cameron Blevins(2), Nickoal Eichmann-Kalwara(1), David Glimp(1), Laurie Gries(1), Nathan Pieplow(1), Aditya Ranganath(1), John Tinnel(2), Lore Whittemore(3) 1: University of Colorado Boulder, United States of America; 2: University of Colorado Denver, United States of America; 3: University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States of America
The Data Advocacy for All Toolkit empowers students and organizations to use data ethically for social change. By bridging technical skills with critical data literacy, this open-access resource fosters responsible data practices, enabling users to craft compelling narratives that address power dynamics and advocate for equity in an era of ubiquitous data.
From Paper Trails to Public Portals: Increasing Collection Visibility Through Digital Stewardship Elysian Koglmeier Artwork Archive, United States of America
Discover how cloud-based collection management systems help bring objects to life—transforming static records into dynamic, discoverable content. Learn how institutions are increasing access to share more stories with more people, and embedding materials into websites to better engage audiences with the richness of cultural heritage collections.
Guided Play Meets Academic Makerspace: Instructional Design for 3D Digital Design and Fabrication Technology Heejoung Shin University of Illinois Chicago, United States of America
This presentation discusses pedagogical strategies for designing in-person technology instruction in academic Makerspaces serving diverse learners. Grounded in the guided play framework, it highlights how thoughtfully designed stage, learning activities, assessment, and selected tools enhance engagement and learning. Outreach strategies and future directions for digital technology instruction will be covered.
Access in an Age of Censorship Amber Dierking Grand Valley State University, United States of America
The Queer Liberation Library (QLL) is doing information access differently. A fully digital, queer, nonprofit, library, QLL is accessible to anyone in the USA – for free. Using existing digital library tools and minimal infrastructure, QLL’s creative approach has had a transformational impact on LGBTQ+ library patrons’ access to information nationwide.
History on the Move: Digital Migration and Mass Digitization of the National Museum of the Pacific War Archives Marcia McIntosh(1), Rachel Barnett(2), Sarah Lynn Fisher(1) 1: University North Texas, United States of America; 2: National Museum of the Pacific War, United States of America
In 2022, the National Museum of the Pacific War partnered with the University of North Texas Libraries to digitize and host collections from their archive on the Portal to Texas History. Representatives from both institutions will discuss materials selection, digitization project management, metadata adaptations, and handling sensitive WWII-related content.
The Automation Paradox: Web Archiving and the Future of Humanistic Research James Kessenides Yale University Library, United States of America
This talk focuses on the “automation paradox” at the core of web archiving, or the tension between the machine-mediated nature of web archiving, with its seeming distance, and on the other hand the care, concentration, and coordination that should be brought to web archives.
From Backlog to Access: Scalable Metadata with Generative AI Wen Nie Ng Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States of America
This presentation explores a low-barrier, scalable strategy for using generative AI to address cataloging backlogs in visual collections. Focusing on the creation of minimum viable metadata, it offers real examples and practical guidance on prompt design, implementation, and ethical oversight to support faster access without compromising long-term descriptive quality.
