Arnold Library is a biomedical library part of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center recently migrated to a CONTENTdm system and aims to make the Archive dataset fully searchable for all Fred Hutch employees. To support the library in better facilitating information discovery for users, this project examined available CONTENTdm features and further improved the metadata standards. As a result, the project produced guideline documentation on how to employ finding aids to improve the search functionality of the collection. Additionally, this built the foundation for future work to further improve user information access and discovery within the CONTENTdm system.

The Japanese American experience has long been defined by incarceration; however, that has led many to overlook other important wartime experiences. This digital humanities project aims to highlight the role that Minnesotan colleges and other educational institutions played in defining the nisei experience during World War II. Using archival material, the project demonstrates that there was no single institutional response; rather, each institution charted its own path with varying results for nisei. By focusing on the institutional responses, this project promotes a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the ways in which institutions can either help or hinder those facing injustices.

Classification schemes typically used in libraries are strictly hierarchical, which can be useful for organization of resources, but does not reflect the more general structure of the universe of knowledge. Epistemologically, knowledge has other types of relationships between resources (e.g. ontologies reflect this well). Graph theory in the computer science field provides compelling transformations from existing classification schemes to novel representations. Tries, the structure that decimal schemes use, when transformed to more general structures, solve a number of issues, both epistemological and logistical (logistical issues being shelving, discoverability, and other physical library considerations).

Academic research materials are a key resource for students and educators. Authorized actions - for example, making digital or print copies, scholarly sharing with colleagues, or disseminating works to other libraries (interlibrary loan) - are described in their legal licenses. For this project, we reviewed, amended, and categorized 698 licenses and legal materials in order to assist students, faculty, and staff in utilizing content in their academic research. With the conclusion of this project, the updated Alma database will better inform individuals on matters of Fair Use, Data Privacy, and Accessibility.

Open educational resources are teaching and learning resources that are free of cost and access barriers. Libraries play a significant role in strengthening networks for the creation, use, and distribution of OER. I worked alongside members of the Digital Library of the Caribbean to develop and distribute a survey to Caribbean Studies instructors across a variety of fields and institutions, both in the U.S. and internationally. We sought to learn about their current practices using, creating, or sharing OER, as well as their needs and priorities. The results of this survey will inform the design of OER initiatives at dLOC.

PNW Native Collection continues the Native Voices 2021 Capstone project. Our project expanded upon the map and website designed by Adylenne Ascencio and Rachel Kresl by adding more resources. The goal was to collect both books and films written and created by Indigenous creators of the Pacific Northwest into a database that can be shared with both Native and non-Native communities. We added 46 new items, updated the name of the project, and thought of organizations we could share this resource with. This resource will help others easily find resources that celebrate Indigenous creators, and it also promotes land acknowledgment.

The QHS Library Literacy Toolbox helped increase students’ use and access to the QHS Library while improving students’ literacy development. Teachers and students worked together with the school library to create and sustain three interconnected tiers of support, including reintroducing independent reading schoolwide; reestablishing a book club, Jack of Clubs, focused on diverse and #OwnVoices books with social justice/action themes; and creating the first secondary writing center in Washington State, QHS Writing Center, where peer tutors worked with their peers to support them in becoming reflective writers, learners, and thinkers. This library programming can inspire other high school libraries nationwide.

As a part of Read-a-Rama’s efforts to grow, our team created new materials and refined existing resources to lower barriers for staff development and expansion–which has been an obstacle for the organization. We created a facilitator guide, a curriculum template, and instructional videos for camp songs. Our materials enable new facilitators to be more independent of Read-a-Rama’s co-founder, Dr. Michelle Martin, expanding Read-a-Rama’s project capacity. Read-a-Rama encourages a lifelong love for reading through books, stories, songs and movement. As new facilitators are trained to carry out Read-a-Rama programming, more camps and programs can reach new campers worldwide.

As part of their degree requirements, Music Performance majors perform solo recitals. Voice majors have often relied on repertoire recommendations from their voice professors, or have drawn from a narrow range of well-known composers. This project seeks to connect singers to more unique song repertoire via techniques inspired by the “read alike” and Nancy Pearl’s “four doorways.” The “read alike” concept was adapted and placed within a repertoire selection framework as a set of search strategies. The framework allows students to find music that speaks to them, is varied and diverse, and promotes a more research-minded approach to performing.

Team designed and set up a knowledge base and database of past legal advice into MicroSoft SharePoint, with appropriate indexing, organization and taxonomy. This way, Department of Licensing staff can more readily find, understand and follow legal advice, so the agency can become more protective of privacy and spend less time searching for records.