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Connecting Collections as Data

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Connecting Collections as Data: Transforming Communities, Sharing Knowledge, and Building Networks with International GLAM Labs POSTPONED.

Update: Unfortunately, the Library of Congress, with our global community, are experiencing a number of closings and restrictions due to COVID-19. Due to these disruptions, continued uncertainty, and the potential impact on normal operations of the Library of Congress, the Connecting Collections as Data events will be postponed and rescheduled. We are very disappointed to not be able to host this event but our community’s health and wellness are the priority. Below you will find more information about the themes that were planned to be covered at this event.

Connecting Collections as Data: Transforming Communities, Sharing Knowledge, and Building Networks with International GLAM Labs builds on conversations the British Library and the Royal Library of Denmark hosted around the hopes, dreams, and practicalities of fostering digital innovation in traditional heritage organizations with limited resources. The discussion and output from these meetings, which included state and university libraries across European, Oceanic, and Gulf regions resulted in a BookSprint project and the open access publication, Open a GLAM Lab. The buzz from these events created a community of “labbers” and the lab-interested which has grown to 250 participants from 20 countries.

The Library of Congress Labs team will host this emerging community in the United States for the first time to connect with the active and robust digital library, digital scholarship, digital humanities, and collections as data communities active across North America to share knowledge and expand the network. The meeting will be an opportunity for participants to advance an international community of practice, and to exchange strategies and methods for advancing the development of innovative services for cultural heritage audiences.

Brief proposals are sought from individuals and groups who are interested in contributing to the program. Submission will be accepted for: 1) 10 minute lighting talks (that may be grouped into themes), or 2) panel proposals that address a single theme with 3 to 4 speakers and a facilitator, or 3) full or half day workshops, datathons, or other hands-on working sessions.

This is a conference in the Collections as Data event series hosted by the Library of Congress Labs. There is no official affiliation with the Collections as Data grant program, though we are friends and admirers! Other events in the Library of Congress series include:

EYEO Code + Libraries Summit: June 3, 2019

EYEO Code + Libraries Summit was a day-long open summit co-hosted with the EYEO Design Festival to explore ways that libraries and the creative coding community can work together to create new forms of collaboration, to empower learners and to strengthen communities in a un-conference format.

Inside Baseball Labs Showcase: July 13, 2018

Inside Baseball capped off a week-long user-centered flash build facilitated by JSTOR Labs and in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture that produced prototype tools, presentations about the process, and a discussion about the history of baseball in the American cultural memory. Check out the tools External built.

Collections as Data Impact: July 25, 2017

More relevant, more accessible, more visual, and more useful--these are some benefits of making digital collections available as data and ready for computational analysis. The Library of Congress hosted a day-long event that featured case-studies and impact stories of applying digital methods to analyzing and sharing collections. Presenters shared how using collections as data reactivates the holdings of libraries and other centers of history and art to make deeper connections to the communities they serve.

Collections as Data: Stewardship and Use Models to Enhance Access, September 27, 2016

The rise of accessible digital collections coupled with the development of tools for processing and analyzing data has enabled researchers to create new models of scholarship and inquiry. The National Digital Initiatives team invited leaders and experts from organizations that are collecting, preserving and providing researcher access to digital collections as data to share best practices and lessons learned. This event will also highlight new collaborative initiatives at the Library of Congress that seek to enhance researcher engagement and the use of digital collections as data.

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