Building Ethical Communities of Practice in Archival Data Curation
Start Date
3-6-2025 2:00 PM
Presentation Summary
The presentation will focus on the outcomes of an NEH-funded project and resulting white paper. The purpose of this project is to establish a community of practice dedicated to ethics-driven, care-based data curation of historical materials, guided by librarians, archivists, and historians. Using the Dana A. Dorsey Collection, the project explores broad community networks involved in real estate and community building, and creates open datasets illuminating historical patterns of structural racism. By developing transparent, inclusive methodologies, we provide a replicable framework for ethical data handling, enhancing research access and accountability toward marginalized communities represented in archival materials. This work contributes to the field of Digital Humanities by applying critical, interdisciplinary methods to transform historical documents into open, analyzable data for scholarly and public engagement.
Presenters Bio
Jamie Rogers serves as Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives at Florida International University (FIU), where she leads efforts to align library services, digital infrastructure, and research support with institutional priorities. Her portfolio includes strategic planning, data-informed assessment, and cross-functional collaboration to advance service innovation and operational effectiveness. With more than 18 years of experience in the library profession, she has led regional digital initiatives with cultural heritage organizations across South Florida and the Caribbean, developing sustainable models for the creation, preservation, and use of digitized content. She has secured and managed numerous grants and collaborative projects, with a scholarly focus on equitable community engagement and amplifying underrepresented voices in the historical record.
Rhia Rae serves as the Digital Assets Project Manager at Florida International University (FIU) Libraries. In this role, she leads digital initiatives that enhance access and discoverability of the diverse collections housed in Special Collections and University Archives. Her work supports teaching and research by ensuring long-term digital stewardship and improved accessibility of archival materials. Rhia is also an active member of the Florida archival community, volunteering with both the Society of Florida Archivists and the South Florida Archives Collective. She holds an MA in Museum Studies from Syracuse University and a BA in Art History from the University of South Florida.
Building Ethical Communities of Practice in Archival Data Curation
The presentation will focus on the outcomes of an NEH-funded project and resulting white paper. The purpose of this project is to establish a community of practice dedicated to ethics-driven, care-based data curation of historical materials, guided by librarians, archivists, and historians. Using the Dana A. Dorsey Collection, the project explores broad community networks involved in real estate and community building, and creates open datasets illuminating historical patterns of structural racism. By developing transparent, inclusive methodologies, we provide a replicable framework for ethical data handling, enhancing research access and accountability toward marginalized communities represented in archival materials. This work contributes to the field of Digital Humanities by applying critical, interdisciplinary methods to transform historical documents into open, analyzable data for scholarly and public engagement.