Fondren Library has a collection of music recitals from the Shepherd School of Music that span from 1973 to the present. The early recordings are in reel-to-reel and cassette tape formats, which puts them at risk for degrading and also makes it difficult for patrons to access them. Fondren Library is digitizing the at-risk recordings and making them available through the IR to preserve them and increase access. As my part, I created a sample set of local name authority records for the performers on the recitals and then created a set of procedures based on my findings.

Language. Race. Culture. Socioeconomic status. These factors often result in children from low-income families entering school unprepared to thrive. Early learning research demonstrates that storytime positively impacts readiness to read and succeed in school. To bring storytime to an underserved community, our team delivered early literacy programming at Lake City Court, a Seattle Housing Authority low-income apartment complex. Our goals: aid the children’s healthy development; foster a love of reading; and demonstrate to the community the value of families learning together to build literacy skills.

Eckstein Middle School, in NE Seattle, had a variety of underutilized library and technology materials, extra space, and student interest in undertaking creative projects. This capstone identified the predominant problems facing student downtime and addressed them through the creation of a makerspace within the library. The project was completed in three phases: inventory of current available materials and wishlist, programming and procedures binder, and hosting a Maker Fest extravaganza. Eckstein’s makerspace is a place to inspire and engage students to pursue STEAM fields by providing an unstructured learning environment for student exploration.

Founded in 1894, the Mazamas is a Portland-based nonprofit organization, focused on mountaineering education. Mazamas members Edward Curtis, known for his Native American portrait photography, and Asahel Curtis photographed many expeditions. Previously, lack of resources kept those photographs stored away. Our group created an online, searchable exhibit of both the photographs and equipment typical of the era. Through research, assessment, digitization and metadata application, we curated an online exhibit which highlights early Mazamas history. Digitization and increasing public access will generate greater awareness of the Mazamas and promote their mission both locally and on a larger geographical scale.

Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada (CCSN) is a nonprofit social services provider that serves individuals and families in need in the Las Vegas area, including over 3,000 refugees each year. Although information for refugees is freely available online, this information is not beneficial to individuals with limited English language proficiency or digital literacy. In partnership with CCSN, we created a physical informational resource guide for refugees located in Southern Nevada, which can be updated and translated by resettlement organizations across the country.

Open Access (OA) publications allow for anyone to access research information free of charge. It is difficult for researchers to discover which OA publications exist, and the price to publish. We designed and implemented a data-driven web app and API enabling researchers to discover relevant and reputable OA publications to maximize publishing impact. We aggregated price information and journal impact data. Our goal is to provide the OA community with the tools they need to separate legitimate OA publications from unethical publishers. We believe transparency in the market will produce downward price pressure, further lowering economic barriers to publishing.

Arriving at the University of Washington can be an overwhelming experience for most first year and transfer students. The amount of information about resources available is simultaneously overwhelming and difficult to navigate. This website collects many of the available free resources at the University of Washington Libraries, Seattle Public Library, and King County Library to allow students to easily find all of the incredible products and services their libraries provide. Making these resources more visible and user friendly to first year and transfer students enables them to excel in life, specifically as students, and more generally as human beings.

Librarians surveyed in multiple districts in the Greater Seattle Area use a myriad of standards, lessons, and resources to ensure student readiness. Alignment, resource organization, and lesson sharing is important for equity across districts and ideally across the nation. Benchmark standards for library and information skills help ensure students’ lifelong success. We have created a tool within the LMS, Schoology, called Grounded In Standards Based Teaching. GIST houses an alignment guide of ISTE, AASL, and CCSS and grade band lessons. This tool addresses inequity in library programs while fostering cross-curricular collaboration across the state, focusing on Seattle Public Schools.

Many academic libraries face similar marketing challenges related to institutional repositories (IRs): how to motivate faculty and students to participate in a service they did not know they needed and with which they are unfamiliar? To incentivize undergraduate Capstone submissions to the IR, Pacific University Libraries developed a faculty-nominated Senior Project Award program. After years of low faculty participation in the Award, I helped address this marketing challenge by investigating why the program was not successful, researching common practices at other universities, and developing a detailed plan to revise and promote an enhanced incentive program at Pacific University.