Archive for August 2020 (5 posts)

LC Labs Letter: August 2020

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August 2020

LC LABS LETTER

A Monthly Roundup of News and Thoughts from the Library of Congress Labs Team

Job Announcements

WE’RE HIRING!

The Computing Cultural Heritage in the Cloud project, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is seeking an Innovation Specialist (GS-12) to work with our curators and reference librarians supporting reference questions that require data transformations or computational approaches. They will also coordinate outreach about the project and work with the broader LC Labs team to advance support for digital scholarship within the Library.

The person in this position can work 100% remotely for the length of the appointment.

We believe the success of this project depends on its staff. Please help us by sharing this opportunity broadly.

Applications are due by September 10, 2020. Find the most up-to-date details for the role here: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/575866300

Upcoming Events

Virtual Audio Visual Summit taking place September 15, 2020

On September 15th, 2020, the Library of Congress will convene a virtual summit for users and stewards of audiovisual materials in libraries, archives, and museums. This day-long event will feature presentations from LC staff on how they’re increasing access to AV material and sessions on Accessibility for All, A/V Makerspace, and Notes from the Field.

If you’re interested in joining, keep an eye on the LC Labs events page for the link to join online.

 

Join us: the Citizen DJ Showcase at the Library of Congress National Book Festival!

At this year’s National Book Festival (entirely virtual for the first time ever!), experience the work of students who collaborated with the American Folklife Center and LC Labs to create new music using Citizen DJ as their music sampling and remixing tool. They’ve been mentored through the process by educators and music professionals at CLASS ACT Detroit, Solidarity Studios, and PATH. These three non-profit organizations engage students in their local communities through hip hop. Their pieces will be debuted in a musical performance by the renowned DJ Kid Koala.

Tune in the weekend of September 25-27 for this year’s National Book Festival! Keep an eye out on loc.gov/bookfest for specifics about the Citizen DJ showcase time and date.

Projects 

Updates on Born Digital Access Now! Staff Innovator project

In a series of blog posts, Senior Archivist Kathleen O’Neill shares an update on the 2020 Staff Innovator project Born Digital Access Now! O’Neill discusses challenges to born digital collection access through the lens of three different metaphors: “Media Format, or, Have Fun Storming the Castle!”; “Legacy File Formats and Operating Systems or Lost in Translation” and “Emulation or Strange Magic.”

 

Check out innovative projects from our summer interns

The Junior Fellows program brings recent graduates to the Library of Congress to accomplish a project over the summer. This year’s program took place online for the very first time. Videos of the remote interns, including several who worked with LC Labs, presenting the outcomes of their project are now available at: //www.loc.gov/internships-and-fellowships/overview/junior-fellows-program/ .

And, in case you missed it, you can also view LOC 2020 Fellows introducing themselves .

Curio

  • ICYMI: Check out a recording of a Citizen DJ “Teach In” Workshop with Solidarity Studios.
  • The Learning & Innovation Office continues to hold Online Office Hours featuring topical presentations followed by a Q&A session with Library experts.
  • Constitution and Citizenship Day: The Law Library of Congress and the Library of Congress Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement are excited to present “The Bulwark of Freedom: African-American Members of Congress and the Constitution During Reconstruction.”  The speaker will be Dr. Michael J. Murphy, a historical publication specialist in the Office of the Historian for the U.S. House of Representatives. The event will take place on September 17, beginning at 3:00pm. To register for the lecture, please visit the Eventbrite page.
  • Check out LOC 3D to explore Abraham Lincoln’s hand in three dimensions.

 

Metaphors for Understanding Born Digital Collection Access: Part III

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Kathleen O’Neill is currently serving as one of two Staff Innovators at the Library of Congress. Their 2020 project, Born Digital Access Now!, explores existing pathways for accessing born digital materials in the Manuscript Division. In this series of blog posts, Kathleen describes the complexities of gaining access to born digital materials through the lens of three different metaphors. Up first was “Media Format, or, Have Fun Storming the Castle!” The second blog post discussed “Legacy File Formats and Operating Systems or Lost in Translation.” This is the third and final post in the series and Kathleen carefully explains the process of emulation and makes it feel less like “strange magic.”

Metaphors for Understanding Born Digital Collection Access: Part II

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Kathleen O’Neill is currently serving as one of two Staff Innovators at the Library of Congress. Their 2020 project, Born Digital Access Now!, explores existing pathways for accessing born digital materials in the Manuscript Division. In this series of blog posts, Kathleen describes the complexities of gaining access to born digital materials even before they reach researchers. This is the second post in the series and focuses on legacy file formats through the metaphor of being “lost in translation.”

Web Archiving Virtually In Residence: An Interview with Meghan Lyon

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Meghan Lyon recently joined the Web Archiving Team in the Digital Content Management section as a Librarian in Residence. In support of developing the next generation of librarians and information professionals, the Librarians-in-Residence program (LIR) gives early-career librarians the opportunity to gain meaningful work experience at the Library of Congress. In light of the COVID-19 […]

Metaphors for Understanding Born Digital Collection Access: Part I

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The following is a guest post by Senior Archivist Kathleen O’Neill. Kathleen and her colleague Chad Conrady are currently working on a project called Born Digital Access Now! as the 2020 Staff Innovators in LC Labs. Their first blog post introduces the project, which aims to provide greater access to born digital materials held in the Manuscript Division, in greater detail. Today’s post is the first in a series of three blog posts in which Kathleen will discuss different challenges or barriers to born digital collection access through the lens of three different metaphors. Up first is: “Media Format, or, Have Fun Storming the Castle!”