With a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Santa Fe Public Library’s Big Read event focused on “Circe” by Madeline Miller. This meant that affiliated programs and displays during this time would follow a Greek Mythology theme. My capstone project was focused on assisting with this collaborative, community-building event in two main ways: to develop and hold a writing contest, and to create an engaging display at the Southside Branch location. Both were a huge success in terms of participation in the contest – the most they have ever had – and by making it a more immersive experience.

For this capstone project, we explored a collection development challenge for Washington State's open data program. Specifically, we investigated data selection practices at leading government open data programs in the United States. “Selection” in this context refers to the range of practices that determine what and how much data is opened and ultimately published on open data portals. Our final report, which summarizes the state of data selection and best practices across the United States, will help Washington State Library connect individuals and communities to data that will help them flourish.

Many students entering the software industry are unprepared for the newest expectations of entry-level roles, where understanding security and efficient operations are the bare-minimum at every phase of the software development lifecycle. The "Open-DevSecOps" project addresses this significant gap in education concerning DevSecOps and CI/CD principles. Our extensively researched online modules aim to offer a free educational service to enhance the understanding and application of these crucial skills. This project strives to provide essential up-to-date training, and shape the security industry's future for the better starting with every new-grad employee.

Because of the rarity of their collections, archives are notoriously inaccessible. For most of their history they were reserved for curators and researchers. But history should be accessible to everyone, regardless of background or geography. Digital technologies are the best way to do this, but their application takes a level of funding that is not always available to archives. The purpose of this project is to add an open source tool that libraries and archives can use in the process of creating digital collections. It turns digital scans into searchable documents, allowing for ease of browsing.

This project investigates the integration of Third Iron's LibKey suite into the University of Washington Libraries, focusing on LibKey Discovery and LibKey Nomad to enhance academic research accessibility. User testing revealed that while LibKey significantly streamlines research by providing quicker access to articles and easier citation management, many users are unaware of its full capabilities and have concerns about data privacy. By addressing these issues with targeted marketing and educational resources, this integration can profoundly improve research efficiency and user satisfaction, making academic resources more accessible and reducing the workload on library services.

The Law Library of Congress is in the process of digitizing its many physical collections to expand public access to its valuable resources. This project focuses on evaluating and improving accessibility and user interface for two of the collections: “Foreign Legal Gazettes in the Law Library of Congress” and “Spanish Legal Documents (15th-19th Centuries).”

This project consists of a review of digital collections on the Library of Congress Law Library website, focusing on increasing findability and accessibility. The specific collections covered by this project are the Statutes at Large and the U.S. Code. Though the two collections carry much of the same information, the accessibility needs are different. I have made a series of recommendations based on user-centered design to update the research guide and other supplemental materials, increase efficacy of metadata, and redesign existing organization of the collections. I have also included suggestions for outreach programs to expand the collections’ use.

A recent renovation at the Museum of Flight, in Seattle, WA, made way for an overhaul of storage capabilities, particularly for oversized archival materials like blueprints, posters, and photographs. In order to utilize the newly acquired flat file drawers, we inventoried and organized all oversized materials, created new artificial collections and scope notes, and strategized a storage plan for better archival navigation and stewardship of aviation history. This new organization plan will be implemented by the Museum of Flight for all future oversized acquisitions and allow for better collocation, navigability, and preservation.

Amidst the challenges posed by disrupted supply chains post-COVID-19, farmers struggled to get their produce to home cooks in Puget Sound. This disconnect has made it difficult for Seattle home cooks to learn and support their local Asian producers. Pacific Roots is a web platform to showcase local farmers and encourage people to explore and incorporate authentic Asian ingredients into their culinary practices. Increasing visibility for local farms allows farmers and consumers easier access to high-quality, culturally rich ingredients and fosters a deeper understanding and appreciation of Asian culinary traditions in the community.

The uncataloged paperback collection at the Puyallup Public Library was long overdue for collection maintenance, updated signage, and a collection index. The capstone sponsor also wanted to reduce the collection to just the shelves attached to the fireplace, so that the freed shelves could be used for passive programming. As part of this project, I weeded the collection from over 800 books to around 380 and selected around 60 acquisitions from patron donations, totaling to around 430 books at project completion. Patrons and library workers benefit from improved signage, books organized by author, and the extensive collection index.