iSchool Capstone

2018

Project Logo

Streamlining the browsing experience at Gay City LGBT Library

Gay City's LGBT Library provides LGBT materials to Seattle's queer communities. However, with an outdated database and no Reader's Advisory in place, volunteers often had a difficult time finding what patrons needed. Liz and Rachel helped update the browsing process by transferring Gay City to a new database, taking inventory of the entire library, and creating Reader's Advisory lists on a variety of topics based on patron feedback. Available both online and in print, the lists include Gay Fiction, Lesbian Fiction, Transgender & Genderqueer Fiction, Transgender & Genderqueer Nonfiction, Young Adult Fiction, and Science Fiction.
Project Logo

Student Records Retention and Digitization Project

Since 1988, DigiPen Institute of Technology has relied heavily on paper-based student records with minimal disposition and digitization taking place. The institution has a solitary filing room shared by numerous administrative departments, which has reached maximum capacity. To address this issue, I compiled 1) a detailed file retention audit based on current practices, legal requirements, and industry best-practices and 2) a proposal, including quotes from off-site storage, mobile high-density shelving, and document digitization vendors. It is my hope this information will lead to more efficient use of space and eventually improve employee workflows by making files more accessible.
Project Logo

Synapse Solutions

Synapse Solutions is an online platform that provides researchers with a tool to work with and analyze electroencephalogram (EEG) data.
Project Logo

Tabletop Game Nights: Co-Curricular Engagement in Academic Libraries

With this project, I have conducted a literature review of academic library outreach and how it needs to adapt to entice Millennials and the popularity of nonacademic outreach. I also looked at how libraries have readily adopted tabletop game nights and use this to actively engage with their community of users. Overall, tabletop game night nights in academic libraries is an interdisciplinary topic that draws on scholarship from a variety of fields. I brought these threads together to make the case that academic libraries should consider tabletop game nights as a positive and successful outreach opportunity.
Project Logo

Teen S.T.E.M on a Budget

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.) programming is becoming increasingly popular in public libraries. However, facilitating these programs can be expensive and smaller libraries, including Gretna Public Library's teen department, often struggle to fund them. By interviewing other teen librarians in similar situations and researching community resources, I was able to create a S.T.E.M. focused programming guide for the Gretna Public Library teen department. This guide specifies the budget, materials, time, and space needed for each program, as well as other resources they can share with their teens.
Project Logo

The 1918 Influenza Epidemic in Seattle

The University of Washington Libraries Special Collections Department is marking the 100th anniversary of the 1918 Influenza Epidemic with a new online exhibit. This retrospective will highlight the effects of the epidemic on the city of Seattle and its residents. We have created an online resource in order to fill a vital gap in our understanding of this historical event. We used a number of digital and physical resources to gather genealogical and historical information about the influenza epidemic, focusing on Seattle and highlighting a small number of local victims and institutions.
Project Logo

The Costume Shop: Re-Cataloging the Costume Collection

The Costume Shop at Millikin University holds thousands of costuming items. Unfortunately, there is no inventory, no organizational system, nor a database of the items in the collection. This is a major problem for everyone in the shop, which includes students, staff, and any guest designers they may have for a show. I built a database for them in FileMaker Pro, which could be used by both experienced designers and less experienced student workers. Over the next two years, they will continue to add items to the database to make the transition to their new building a smooth one.
Project Logo

The Evergreen State College Digitization Project

The Malcom Stilson Special Collections, located in the Library Underground area of the Evergreen State College campus, houses the history of the institution, and consists of manuscripts and media in different formats. The purpose of this capstone was to assist with media digitization. I have also provided documentation on a new digitizing process, and metadata retention. It is believed that this will be of value to future students and staff, and help maintain consistency across multimedia collections. Additional deliverables include an analysis of DACS and EAD, and the pros and cons of incorporating EAD into a collection.
Project Logo

The Naturalist's Scrapbook

The Naturalist’s Scrapbook is a digital crowdsourcing project that activates the relevance of archival materials while growing community investment in the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History collections. Featuring digitized excerpts of the scrapbook made by the Museum’s founding collector, naturalist and lighthouse keeper Laura Hecox, the project asks volunteers to transcribe details and identify keywords for each scrapbook clipping. This information is operationalized by museum staff to engage nontraditional volunteers, enhance mission-relevant outreach content, increase awareness of the Museum’s history, and develop new directions for further research into the local history of Santa Cruz natural history.
Project Logo

The Soviet Broadcast Collection - Digitizing and Assessing Soviet Era Recordings

The Soviet Broadcast Collection contains over a thousand hours of news, documentaries, and cultural programming aired in the Soviet Union from 1986 to 1992. The collection is currently stored on video cassette in the Suzzallo Library and is at risk of complete deterioration. Working with John Vallier in the Media Archiving and Digitization Lab, I was able to continue the work of digitally preserving this material. I have provided recommendations for the full preservation and sharing of the content, including creation of finding aids, adding media to the Media Arcade’s Jukebox, and making material available for language and culture studies.