In collaboration with Self Help Graphics and Art (SHG), this project processed, condition reported, created metadata, and rehoused 315 archival artworks by the organization’s co-founders, Sister Karen Boccalero, Antonio Ibañez, and Carlos Bueno. The research culminated in two finding aids for each sub-collection. These collections evidence the origins and early artwork of the co-founders, who collectively lit the fire for an organization with 50 years of history and significance to Chicanx and Latinx artists in Los Angeles still burning bright today. The project aims to make these previously unprocessed collections accessible to SHG’s local community of neighbors, artists, and researchers.

The digital format used to make handwritten letters articles available on the archive may not be the best way for everyone to read the file’s content. To make the archive’s materials more accessible to a larger audience, I used optical character recognition software and hand-typed all 90 files in the archive and edited the transcriptions to create as faithful a representation of the handwritten content in a digital text format as possible. These transcriptions, in combination with the scanned archive materials, will help share the experiences of those impacted and incarcerated in a Civil Commitment Facility in Illinois.

My capstone documents the process of returning a non-Native family’s collection of Native American belongings back to the Tribes. The collection of 70 objects and 461 photo negatives was amassed by my step-grandfather during his employment with the Indian Field Service in 1938–42. In a 6,000-word written narrative, I describe the methodology that I followed toward returning the collection, and I discuss the practical and ethical entanglements raised in the undertaking of this project. This case study of repatriation documents one small step toward dismantling historical systems of oppression and exploitation, and investing in a future of Indigenous self-determination.

To counteract rising censorship of queer art and literature, we partnered with the Washington State Poet Laureate to launch an anthology of LGBTQIA+ poetry submitted by authors of all experience levels from across the state. Using web development, indexing, and design skills acquired through the MLIS program, our team built an online repository that blends the nuance of a special collections archive with the user-friendliness of a digital publication. This year, the Poet Laureate will tour the state and share the anthology as a teaching tool in support of ArtsWA’s mission to make diverse art accessible in Washington communities.

Partnering with KEXP's digital asset manager, my project addresses limitations in the station’s music genre cataloging scheme. Through data analysis, reparative metadata work, and end-user consultation, it assesses KEXP’s "world music" metadata completeness and diversity. It also examines DJs' information needs for music retrieval. Drawing from knowledge organization and digital preservation, I propose recommendations for improving music title stewardship in KEXP's digital asset management system, Dalet Galaxy.

Understanding how to use an integrated library system, Koha to automate the library services of a targeted tribal library to better organize their collection and provide an easy and accessible services to their patrons. In addition to informing the stakeholder what Koha can do for them, learning their needs and expectations to ensure that the system is suitable to their needs is also the aim of the project.

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the importance of making museum materials accessible to the public via the internet. While photographs are useful for this purpose, 3D models create unique opportunities to view objects from all angles. The goal for this project was to create an online toolkit that includes all the information a small cultural heritage institution needs to create 3D models of their objects and make them available online. In this way, cultural heritage institutions will be able to create more dynamic online exhibits, invite guests to see objects in new ways, preserve more fragile artifacts, and more.

The initial concept of this project was to create the proposition for a web-based timeline of the Book Arts movement. In doing data collection, I realized that I had taken for granted Sandra as a storyteller, and it would benefit all students, particularly MLIS students, to have access to this indefinitely. Therefore, I have an additional timeline format to propose for the future; a living book, which would outlast all those involved in creating it. Based on my hometown’s “Hear, Here” system, it would preserve not only the content of Sandra’s knowledge but her way of sharing it through storytelling.

One of the most challenging topics in healthcare today is thinking about the impact of AI. This project centered on developing accessible teaching material using an anti-bias and equity lens. The crux of the challenge was creating content that spoke to Faculty, C-Suite decision makers and clinicians. Unfortunately, expertise is often siloed across these groups leading to negative outsized impacts. The key take-way was demonstrating the importance of expertise and demographic diversity across the data provenance pipeline in order to achieve more equitable healthcare outcomes. This collaborative work will continue towards making healthcare AI models more accessible and transparent.