A Brief History of Times Fighting Bots Jonathon Page North Carolina State University Libraries, United States of America
Over the past year, we’ve tackled persistent bot traffic threatening our digital collections sites. This talk offers practical tools and lessons learned, with a candid view of why no solution works perfectly every time.
Presentation 2
A Short Introduction to the National Indian Boarding School Digital Archive Tsinnijinnie Russell National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, United States of America
The National Indian Boarding School Digital Archive (NIBSDA) is an Indigenous-led digital platform and digital repository of boarding school archival collections found throughout the United States. By building community and institutional connections, NIBSDA works to capture the impact of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative and promote reconciliation and education.
Presentation 3
Doing Less with Less: Rebuilding an ASpace to Islandora Metadata Pipeline Michelle Paquette Smith College, United States of America
Post-Islandora 2 migration, Smith's ASpace-to-Islandora metadata pipeline broke and the people who built it were no longer at Smith. Michelle Paquette, Metadata Archivist, will explain how she rebuilt it, embracing her own more limited skillset.
Presentation 4
Marriott Reparative Metadata Assessment Tool (MaRMAT) - Beyond Beta Rachel Wittmann University of Utah, United States of America
This lightning talk will review grant-funded upgrades made to the Marriott Reparative Metadata Assessment Tool (MaRMAT) since its debut at the 2024 DLF Forum (virtual). MaRMAT upgrades include GUI usability on both MacOS and Windows PC operating systems, enhanced design and built-in features, faster performance, and updated lexicons.
Presentation 5
Metavus for Museums: Reimagining Digital Library Software for Arts & Cultural Heritage Collections Kendra Bouda University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States of America
This talk introduces a proposed adaptation of Metavus—an open source digital collections platform—for museums and archives. Attendees will learn about the project and be invited to help guide development decisions that support cultural organizations.
Presentation 6
Reasoning with Small Language Models (SLM) to Create Trustworthy GenAI jason a. clark Montana State University, United States of America
Trustworthy GenAI interfaces are possible. Current systems produce instant outputs without explaining their process—offering authoritative voices with zero transparency. I'll demonstrate how a prototype using small language models and reasoning/inference techniques can "show their work," creating explainable GenAI systems that users can verify and trust.
Presentation 7
Start Here: Born-Digital Archiving in 5 Minutes (Spoiler: It's a Journey, Not a Sprint) Lauren Turner University of Denver, United States of America
Feeling lost in the born-digital archiving wilderness? This lightning talk offers a rapid-fire guide for newcomers, prioritizing key tools, techniques, and decision-making processes. Get ready to demystify tech-heavy tasks, acknowledge our evolving roles, and contribute to building an inclusive entry point for anyone venturing into digital archives.
Presentation 8
The Data Den: Creating Space for Data, Discovery, and Community Alexa Hight Texas State University, United States of America
After two successful datathons, we recognized the need for a dedicated, inclusive space for data work. The Data Den was born: transforming a traditional library instruction lab into a collaborative hub for students from all disciplines.
Presentation 9
The Hidden Curriculum: Digital Organization as a Literacy Skill Sarah Berry, Darcy Pumphrey Utah State University, United States of America
This talk highlights a collaborative effort to teach digital organizational skills through an online module. The module promotes lifelong digital literacy through practical strategies for file management, data security, and preservation. We address gaps in students’ organizational practices and the importance of building good habits for managing their academic lives.
Presentation 10
Upholding truth (and sanity) through Wiki: securing BHL's Acknowledgment of Harmful Content Bianca Crowley Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, Biodiversity Heritage Library, United States of America
The semantic web offers a safe-harbor for language subject to new U.S. government imposed scrutiny. By harnessing the linked data environment, organizations like the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) can secure anti-racist statements in democratized knowledge spaces that enable contextualization, multilingual translation, and uphold truth (and sanity) for historical accuracy.
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.
Slowing Down to Move Forward: Reimagining Digital Services in Academic Libraries Mikala Narlock(1), Theresa Berger(2), Wanda Marsolek(2), Joanna Thielen(3), Summer Mengarelli(4) 1: Indiana University, United States of America; 2: University of Minnesota, United States of America; 3: University of Michigan, United States of America; 4: University of Notre Dame, United States of America
This panel introduces Slow principles and offers strategies for sustainable digital services while acknowledging the privilege of the Slow approach. Drawing from case studies in digitization and research data management, panelists will demonstrate how adopting Slow principles can lead to more sustainable workflows, improved service quality, and enhanced staff satisfaction.
Metadata Augmentation Using AI: an IMLS Grant Project Jennifer Young, Jamie Carlstone Northwestern University Libraries, United States of America
Northwestern University Libraries is developing a generative AI/ML tool to create and/or augment item-level descriptions for digitized collection materials at scale thus allowing metadata librarians to provide deeper analysis and context. We will discuss testing and assessment of the tool as well as the ethical implications of the work.
Digital Heritage, Collective Impact: Navigating Digital Partnerships with Community Collaborators Kevin Hebert, Grayson Murphy, Kelly Schiff University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States of America
This presentation will outline strategy related to the management of community-focused digitization projects. We will discuss the challenges, the rewards, and everything in between as we dive into two of our ongoing projects in collaboration with the Birmingham Music Archive and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.
Values-driven AI in libraries and archives: Introducing the Viewfinder toolkit Sara Mannheimer(1), Jason A. Clark(1), Scott W. H. Young(1), Yasmeen Shorish(4), Hannah Scates Kettler(3), Sheehey Bonnie(1), Rossmann Doralyn(1), Bond Natalie(2) 1: Montana State University, United States of America; 2: University of Montana; 3: Iowa State University; 4: James Madison University
AI hype is everywhere! Libraries and archives want to use AI to improve our resources and services, while protecting our communities from harm. We developed the Viewfinder toolkit to help practitioners implement AI in alignment with professional values. This hands-on session introduces the toolkit and guides participants through its use.
Associate Professor - Data Librarian, Montana State University
As Data Librarian at Montana State University, I help shape practices and theories for curation, publication, and preservation of data. My research examines the social, ethical, and technical issues that arise in a data-driven world.
Metadata in Practice: Building the ATE Impacts Photo Archive Michelle Lake, Kendra Bouda Internet Scout Research Group - UW Madison
This session explores the creation of an image collection for the ATE Impacts book, which showcases the achievements of NSF ATE projects. Presenters will share metadata strategies, collaborative workflows, and lessons learned. Flexible governance, student involvement, and long-term access, discoverability, and reuse in technical education collections will be emphasized.
Fostering Civic Engagement Through Digital Archives – The Revolutionary City Project Bayard Miller American Philosophical Society, United States of America
This presentation will discuss a major digital initiative that relied on collaborative co-creation–uniting developers, library professionals, digital humanists, and educators–to build a project that increases access to and engagement with archival holdings in an effort to foster a deeper understanding of history and inspire informed civic dialogue.
Measuring and Critiquing genAI tools for Geographic Metadata Creation Erik Radio, Phil White, Nickoal Eichmann-Kalwara University of Colorado Boulder, United States of America
At the University of Colorado Boulder, we tested generative artificial intelligence tools’ abilities to accurately identify geographic features depicted in images from the library’s digital collections. This presentation reviews the results and presents them in the context of a critical analysis of similar tools.
Challenges and Opportunities in Migrating to a Modern Digital Collection Platform Natalie Baur(1), Debbie Cornell(2), Paula Kiser(3), Akanksha Singh(4) 1: University of Iowa; 2: William & Mary; 3: Washington and Lee University; 4: Discovery Garden
Learn how three institutions—William & Mary, Washington and Lee University, and the University of Iowa—navigated digital asset management migrations to Islandora. Panelists will share insights on metadata remediation, image quality, staffing, content weeding, and more, offering practical strategies and lessons learned from projects of varying size and scope.
Digital Chronicles: Mastering the Digital Collections Workflow of a Student Newspaper Project Sudha Anand Indiana University, United States of America
Student-run campus newspapers capture vital historical details, offering insights into significant events. IU’s Bicentennial Student Newspapers Project showcases a cross-campus digital collection, involving complex & comprehensive metadata modeling, and associated workflows. Attendees will learn best practices for metadata and collection modeling, managing and preserving student newspaper collections across seven campuses.
Cross-Institutional Approaches to Teaching Digital Libraries with Real Collections in a Simulated Real-World Practice Environment Wen Nie Ng Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States of America
This presentation explores a cross-institutional initiative between the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Virginia Tech that brought real digital collections into a graduate-level digital libraries course. It examines how a simulated real-world practice environment impacted student learning, critical thinking, and professional preparedness, and offers insights into effective academic-library collaborations.
Cultural Assessment Working Group (CAWG) Working Session: Inclusive Metadata Work in the Current Political Climate Jackson Huang(1), Sarah Lynn Fisher(2), Alexandra Provo(3), Morgan McKeehan(4) 1: Educopia, United States of America; 2: University of North Texas; 3: New York University; 4: Oregon State University
Following up on last year’s publication for the Inclusive Metadata Toolkit, the Cultural Assessment Working Group (CAWG) will be facilitating a working session for participants to share and discuss strategies to successfully advocate for and carry out inclusive metadata work, especially with increasingly restrictive state and federal policies.
Modernizing Access: Project Management Insights from the UCSF Industry Documents Library Website Redesign Melissa Ignacio University of California San Francisco
This session explores project management strategies behind the UCSF Industry Documents Library website redesign. It highlights how a remote, cross-functional team collaborated to select methods and tools that ensured a successful and user-centered redesign that meets evolving research needs, implements accessibility, and incorporates updated UCSF branding standards.
Nuclear Planning and Preparedness: Curating Documentary Production Collections on the Atomic West for the CU Digital Library Ashlyn Velte, Jamie Wagner University of Colorado Boulder, United States of America
CU Boulder Libraries’ archivists share their experiences selecting and preparing digital collections from original documentary production material about nuclear activity in the American west. They will present challenges in balancing the needs of activist stakeholders, approaches to legal and ethical considerations, and strategies for complex archival media production collections.
How Do I find This?: Design Justice and User Testing of a Library Website Without a Search Box. Anders Tobiason Boise State University, United States of America
What happens when students encounter a library website with no obvious search box? This presentation discusses the initial results of UX Cafe style user testing of a library website without a search box and reflects on how this data can help build a website grounded in Design Justice principles.
Lost in the Web: Safeguarding the Visibility and Integrity of Digital Collections Akanksha Singh Discoverygarden Inc, Canada
This session explores strategies to design discoverable content and avoid content loss, whether through failed migrations, broken URLs, missing metadata, or outdated systems. Topics covered include metadata resiliency, the use of persistent identifiers, optimizing content for search engines, and digital sustainability.
Using AI to Unlock Access to Digitized Newspapers Jessica Chapel(1), Catherine Brobston(2) 1: Boston Public Library; 2: Harvard Institutional Data Initiative, United States of America
Newspapers are notoriously complex digital objects. They are also incredibly valuable for historians, genealogists and, increasingly, AI model makers seeking to embed historical knowledge into their models. This talk summarizes a pilot from Boston Public Library and Harvard’s Institutional Data Initiative to leverage AI to enhance traditional access and facilitate responsible AI training.
Borderlands Storytelling: Archival Collections, Digital Approaches, and Library Engagement in Innovative Humanities Scholarship Alana Varner(1), Verónica Reyes-Escudero(1), Megan Senseney(1), Chelsea Wells(2) 1: University of Arizona Libraries, United States of America; 2: Amherst College
This presentation explores strategies for facilitating community-engaged digital scholarship. We will discuss findings from a funded, three-year project at a research intensive, Hispanic Serving, Land Grant Institution that utilized library-based seed grants to engage researchers in digital and data storytelling efforts on and about the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
Why keep data science local? Case Studies from Two Universities Building Scholarly Indices with Open Data to Improve Institutional Data Literacy Katharine Teykl(1), Jordan Hemingway(1), Jason Clark(2), Chad Hutchens(1) 1: University of Wyoming Libraries, United States of America; 2: Montana State University Library, United States of America
Two mid-sized libraries created indices of institutional scholarship using open code and the OpenAlex dataset. This panel explores the implementation of these applications, examines the open data sources used, and offers a candid discussion on what is gained and lost when choosing to outsource data science research and development.
The Metadata Lifecycle: From Creation to Preservation Kelli O'Toole, Patricia Glowinski, Caleb Simone New York City Department of Records and Information Services, United States of America
This panel explores the lifecycle of metadata in digital collections, focusing on how the utility of metadata evolves from creation to preservation. We examine metadata's transformations through the perspectives of collections management, digital access, and digital preservation. We use examples from completed, in-progress, and planned collections, addressing successes and challenges.
Experiences and Advice from the Institutional Perspective of a Consortium-Based Digital Collection Management System Migration Evan Miller Butler University, United States of America
System migrations take time and energy; however, this is not always the reality for institutions, especially with consortium-supported systems. Sharing takeaways and practical examples from a digital collection management system migration, the presenter will discuss how an archives can assess its collections and remediate metadata efficiently and effectively under a prescribed timeline.
Automate the Annoying Parts: A Case Study for Why Metadata Librarians Should Learn Programming Amelia Mowry Wayne State University, United States of America
The ingestion of legacy collections to digital collections systems often involves many steps including metadata extraction, transformation, and enhancement as well as the processing of files. This case study will demonstrate how python can be used to create interactive programs that automate some of the steps in this process.
Circa: A Customizable, Web-based Request System for Special Collections Jonathon Page North Carolina State University Libraries, United States of America
Circa is a web-based system for managing requests for items in special collections, developed by NC State Libraries. It integrates with ArchivesSpace, supports various request types, and utilizes IIIF. A new customizable, open-source version is in development. This talk explores Circa’s capabilities and invites feedback on its community-driven evolution.
Between Archives and Advocacy: Navigating Collaborative Digital Projects in the Library Ishmael Ross Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, UCLA, United States of America
This presentation explores the technical and ethical complexities of collaborative digital projects involving carceral records. Grounded in ongoing archival work with LAPD files, it offers practical strategies for sustainable access, redaction, and metadata design—while reflecting on how interdisciplinary collaboration can foster transformative learning and long-term planning in community-centered digital initiatives. Originally developed under the Mellon Foundation-funded initiative Archiving the Age of Mass Incarceration, this work continues with support from an Archival Grant awarded by the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation (2025).
Presentation 1 Mixed-Methods Approaches for Reformatting Projects at Scale: a Case-Study Lauren Gottlieb-Miller, Marian Smith University of Houston Libraries, United States of America
This presentation explores the digitization of The Daily Cougar, UH’s student newspaper in publication since 1928. Using a mixed-methods approach involving microfilm digitization, in-house digitization, and born-digital preservation, we’ll discuss project management, stakeholder collaboration, and lessons for large-scale complex digitization initiatives.
WITHDRAWN This presentation has been withdrawn by the presenter Crowdsourcing Community: Binghamton's Digital Humanities Project Incubator Ruth Carpenter Binghamton University, United States of America
Binghamton's Project Incubator was created for three purposes: create DH champions who can articulate the particular values and challenges of working on a DH project, begin a repository of active and ongoing digital projects, and to increase DH's visibility on campus as a viable scholarly activity at Binghamton University.
Renaming Failure as “readme.files”: Lessons Learned from Early and Mid-career Archives Perspectives Lauren Turner, Katherine Crowe University of Denver, United States of America
Born-digital archiving is rarely seamless, yet unexpected challenges often feel like failures. This session "renames" these experiences as valuable learning experiences, emphasizing documentation and reflection over judgment. An early and mid-career archivist share insights on turning challenges into valuable knowledge for future archivists, and opportunities for personal discovery.
