“From Collections to Data” analyzes UWSC holdings that can be used to develop, describe, make accessible, and support reuse of data derived from collection materials. UWSC has collections that are candidates for computational research, but the organization does not have the means, personnel, or infrastructure to make the data accessible. The developed report suggests how UWSC can provide access to datasets in the following sections: (1) background on the Collections as Data (CaD) movement through a case study analysis of cultural heritage institutions, (2) recommendations for developing a CaD initiative, and (3) suggested next steps for implementing a CaD project.

The Grand Challenges Program is a global initiative to solve health and development problems for those most in need. It has been responsible for over 2800 grants in over 100 countries. One of the program’s largest funders, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has been dispersing grants and collecting data throughout the years, but this data currently exists across many disparate sources, in various formats residing on different platforms. This data warehouse was created to synthesize all the data into a single stream that can be easily queried and analyzed to identify true success metrics.

My aim for my Capstone was to make some of the previously unavailable historical visual materials housed in UW's Special Collections accessible for researchers by providing organized, digitized, and searchable collections. To do this, I identified photograph subject matter, researched historical context and significance, inventoried collections, determined appropriate organizational schemes, created indexes, digitizing prints and negatives, preserved materials by moving them to appropriate archival housing, created finding aids using the XMetaL Author program, and linked XML entries to corresponding digital scans. By the project's end I had completed two collections, and determined organizational systems and background information for two more.

Developed in Spring of 2019, this proposal provides the foundational intellectual groundwork for the establishment of a library collection for the Synapse Circus Center in the city of Auburn, Washington. Synapse Circus Center teaches students (from 2 to 75 years old) a wide range of circus performance arts. This proposal is intended to not only guide but also justify the necessary investment of money and time into the creation and management (via a custom-built basic circulation database) of a small library collection. Drawing on research and analysis, we are confident our findings represent valuable educational and inspirational resources.

UW Alum, Joe Karpen, donated the photographs documenting his years at the Seattle campus university between 1968 and 1972. His collection includes seven boxes of negative film, copy sheets, prints, and enlarged mounted photographs. Student events, concerts, construction, protests, rallies, and speakers were captured by his camera. These moments caught on film deserve to be protected, preserved, and processed. Current student, Kelly Omodt, is processing his work to ensure its viable use in the future. Besides following UW standards for processing a collection, Kelly researches places, people, and events to create context for the collection.

Between the years of 1890 and 1895, the town of Bethel, Maine had no local newspaper. Newspapers are a critical source of local information for researchers. The Bethel Historical Society’s collection of papers from the Herrick & Park law firm is large and important record of life in Bethel during that time period. Documents from 1890-1895 were digitized, cataloged, and re-housed. A finding aid was created with an index of correspondents. Finally, an online exhibit highlighting interesting examples of letterhead from the collection was created to generate interest.

Warren G. Magnuson served as United States Congressman for Washington state from 1937-1981. An alum of the University of Washington, Magnuson gifted his collection of audio/visual materials in 1981 to Special Collections. This project required inventorying, assessing, and creating access to the original audio/visual collection, which consists of 171 films and 324 audio items. Initial preservation actions in the 1980s created hard copy finding aids, masters and user copies totaling in 1,274 physical items. Our work created access to all through a digital finding aid and detailed research to assist in grant drafting for future digitization efforts.

SAM’s Historic Media Collection is home to a rich body of archival material documenting key moments in the history of the museum, Seattle, King County, and the Pacific Northwest. The preservation of this collection is urgent as a majority of the content exists solely in unstable media formats. This capstone was a case study for a potential large-scale preservation initiative for this collection. 60 items about the Seattle Asian Art Museum, held in a variety of formats, were digitized to current preservation and access standards. Collection policies pertaining to rights management, collection scope, and workflow were also developed.

The Seattle Art Museum Research Libraries are non-circulating and hidden from the public. Promoting and providing access to their newly defined artists’ books collection is a challenge. This project provides access to a select number of artists’ books using a digital exhibit built with quality photographs, rich descriptive metadata, and context on the medium’s history. Artists’ books, as artworks that convey ideas and inspire, expand the notion of what museum libraries collect, broadens the audience it serves, and aids community building among (book) artists. The exhibited works highlight unique structures, regional artists, promote social justice, and/or collaborative projects.

Seattle Opera Through the Decades is a digital exhibit created for the Seattle Opera Archives by University of Washington MLIS students Sara Reubelt & Rebecca Shaw. This exhibit highlights the significance that opera has played in the community. Our aim is to encourage public engagement with the Archives while placing the history of the Seattle Opera into the cultural and social contexts that shaped it. With the recent opening of the Opera Center, we saw an opportunity to promote materials which were previously inaccessible. We hope that visitors to this exhibit will find it both informative and fun.