Capstone Projects | Information School | University of Washington

Improving Metadata with NLP Tools

I researched improving metadata with natural language processing for libraries. I finished my research with a Python script for extracting named entities from text and another for analyzing the sentiment of a text. This project helps spur interest in using natural language processing for library metadata. It also shows how easy and scalable it can be as a baked-in feature of integrated library systems.

Improving the Accessibility and Usability of the 10,000ft Platform on Smartsheet

A 2019 CDC report states that 35% of Americans living with a disability suffer from a condition that directly affects their ability to navigate webpages and platforms. And there aren’t nearly enough websites that address that accessibility problem. Smartsheet was invested in changing that and wanted to kickstart research on improving the accessibility and usability experience of its resource management platform - 10,000ft. As part of our solution, we studied impacted user groups, the issues they encountered, and created a framework to address accessibility problems in the future.

Indigenous Representation in Subject Headings

Internationally used systems such as LC Subject Headings, LC Classification, and Dewey Decimal Classification use misrepresentative or offensive language, marginalize Indigenous topics, and categorize them as things of the past. Through research, interviews, and consultations, our project focused on developing alternative subject headings. The ultimate goal is to reflect the identity of Native students, faculty, and staff at UM and increase their ability to access resources. The project team developed an annotated bibliography and provided the library with recommendations for immediate changes and strategies for continuing the project as part of the library’s commitment to an inclusive library experience.

INFO 101 Research Essentials: Re-imagined & Re-designed

INFO 101: Research Essentials is a 2-credit course taught by librarians at Pierce College that introduces students to research skills, ranging from building a topic to locating and evaluating information. For this project, the librarians were interested in assessing and updating the current course shell or set of foundational modules to see how they could build a more inclusive, anti-racist course. Through a survey of librarians, research of anti-racist teaching tools, assessment, and revision of the course, we were able to pinpoint ways to better support students and highlight their unique perspectives.

Inked Sports

Inked Sports is a start-up helping collegiate athletes achieve name, image, and likeness (NIL) success through branding opportunities in anticipation of forthcoming NCAA legislation. This new legislation will allow college athletes to profit off their NIL. Our team created a dashboard for our sponsor to provide insights to potential brand partners looking to work with college athletes. The dashboard includes information such as audience location, reach, and impressions for both athletes and custom campaigns. The resulting dashboard contributes to the start-up’s larger effort to help collegiate athletes generate well-deserved income.

Inside Civil Commitment

After receiving copious mail in recent years documenting abuses experienced by those incarcerated at Illinois civil commitment facilities, Black and Pink Chicago sought to create an archive to shed light on this little-known issue. This project involved digitizing nearly 100 documents from incarcerated individuals, establishing appropriate metadata standards, populating an engaging Omeka site, and creating guidelines for project continuance. The archive is now a tool Black and Pink Chicago can use to share stories from inside with researchers, activists and the general public to facilitate rehumanization of the incarcerated, advocate for measurable changes and ultimately abolish the carceral system.

Internationary

It is very difficult for the numerous international students at UW, coming from countries with a very different cultures, academics, and people, to adjust here. It becomes even harder without having easy access to correct information about important things such as finances, housing etc. We made a one stop website which students can use to easily get information about important things and adapt well to this new place and system and in turn succeed in their lives!

Iowa Rock 'n Roll Preservation Project

The Iowa Rock 'n Roll Preservation Project aims to provide the sponsor organization with the necessary tools to manage and maintain their museum's collection. Through this, the organization will better understand the information and history available through their collection.

Is that 'loopy' or 'floppy'? Join Strawberry the Harbor Seal to learn about the impacts of marine debris and contribute to marine science research

Learning science is hard: active learning in science class is rare. Few parents are confident teaching their kids at home, and there are minimal opportunities for kids to engage in the science community. Marine Rescue provides a fun way for kids to learn about marine animals and debris through interactive stories and minigames. Players learn research vocabulary and practice contributing to citizen science by classifying real marine debris photos from Washington beaches. Our content was developed following child-centered design and in collaboration with COASST researchers. Marine Rescue has been well-received and is an effective platform for kids to learn science at home.

KidsTeam Rural Libraries

KidsTeam Rural took up the challenge of developing a Participatory Design (PD) infrastructure in a COVID-era, remote-only environment for two rural libraries. Working with a team of LIS students and librarians, KidsTeam Rural supported Colfax Library (Whitman County,WA) in transitioning an in-person Lego Mindstorms PD project to Zoom. For Chewelah Library (Stevens County, WA), we designed an asynchronous, analog-only design infrastructure to get kids’ co-designing their library space. The two projects enable youth in these communities to connect with librarians and contribute to their libraries in meaningful ways.

iSchool Capstone

2021