This spring, we are hoping to conclude this massive project that we have been working on for over a year. This semester, we have many returning people returning from last semester along with some new additions, and we hope to have this project completed by this summer!
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) writes summaries for all current bills added to Congress.gov, and has been doing so since 1935. Our goal with this project is to add these bill summaries to all bills in order to give the most options for accessibility and searching. Historical bill summaries are in older PDFs, so this project is capturing the metadata and the summaries to connect them to the bills and make them easily machine digestible.
Continuing in their role from last semester, our three team leads from the fall have returned to reprise their roles:
Katie Colson currently lives in Illinois and is in the last semester of a M.S.L.I.S. degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Katie received a B.A. in English literature from the University of Idaho. When not working in a library, she enjoys reading, soaking in as much sun as is possible in Illinois, and crocheting; her latest project is her first sweater. Katie has worked in libraries for nine years altogether, and plans to spend her career building connections between people and resources working in cataloging and metadata through projects like this one.
Alyssa Key (she/her) is a life-long California resident who graduated from San José State University’s M.L.I.S. program in May 2021, with an emphasis on public and academic librarianship. Alyssa also holds a B.A. in sociology from California State University, Northridge. This is her sixth remote internship with the Law Library, after serving as a remote intern in the spring and summer of 2021, a team lead with the American State Papers project last spring, a mentor last summer, and the West Coast Team Lead on the Congressional Research Service Bill Summaries project this past fall. In addition to her work with the Law Library, Alyssa is also currently contributing to the American Library Association Subject Analysis Committee’s Working Group on External Review of LC Vocabularies.
Danielle Pytko is a graduate of the library and information science program at Simmons University. This is her fourth semester with the Law Library of Congress and her second as a team lead. She has worked in public and academic libraries and has a B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College.
Meet the team members:
Israt Abedin is currently pursuing a M.L.I.S from Long Island University and an M.A. in food studies from New York University. She holds a B.A. in history and political science from Stony Brook University. Born to Bangladeshi parents and raised in Queens, Israt is interested in documenting and preserving immigrant food stories. In her free time, she enjoys writing poetry, going to museums, and foraging.
Regan Avery recently completed her M.L.I.S. from Southern Connecticut State University and works at a public library. Her professional interests include digital humanities, technology, and information access. She holds a B.A. in communications from Boston College and she has worked in the fields of photography, television, film, and fine art. In her free time, Regan enjoys contemporary art, growing native plants, and practicing aerial hammock.
Robyn Balay was born, raised, and currently resides in Durham, North Carolina. She holds an M.L.I.S from UNC-Greensboro, a B.A. from UNC-Asheville, and is currently working toward a graduate certificate in archival studies. She has two cats and enjoys reading, writing, and crafting in her free time. Currently Robyn works in the retail industry, but she loves the research process and hopes to work in an academic library as a research librarian or as an archivist one day.
Tamah Bartlett currently lives in Arizona and completed her M.L.I.S at the University of Arizona (U.A.) in Fall 2022. She holds a B.F.A. in digital arts from the Santa Fe University of Art and Design and a graduate certificate in archival studies from U.A. Tamah’s goal is to enter the archival field within this year. When not working, she enjoys creating art, researching her family history, reading, and pet-sitting.
Christopher Biggins currently resides in central Texas where he is working towards a Master of Library Science degree at Texas Woman’s University. The spring 2023 semester will be his last, and he expects to graduate in May. Christopher has two associate degrees from Austin Community College in creative writing and graphic arts technology, and he received his bachelor’s degree from Texas State University.
Julia Bourbois is a long-time resident of Southern California. She holds a B.A. in art history from UCLA, advanced degrees in art history and history, and recently completed Pasadena City College’s library technician program, an ALA-accredited program. Julia is passionate about metadata, cataloging, and clean data. In her free time she collects vintage cookbooks and enjoys coffee dates with her husband, reading, and bird-watching.
Matt Burke is a New York native who holds an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree from Suffolk Community College, a B.A. degree in history from Stony Brook University, and is currently in pursuit of an M.L.I.S. degree at the University at Buffalo. Matt has always had a passion for learning history, as well as for politics, and hopes to pursue a career handling collections and archives at the Library of Congress or National Archives. His interests include reading, watching sports, and spending time with family.
Joanna Coelho is pursuing her M.M.L.I.S. degree through the Marshall School of Business at the University of South California, with a research focus on artificial intelligence and its impact on information science professionals. She is currently interning with the Japanese American intergenerational narratives oral histories project at the University of California, Berkeley. Before pivoting to the world of libraries, she received her B.A. in English at UCLA and worked in book publishing and film production. Joanna is an avid reader, competitive puzzler, and enthusiastic dog stalker in her spare time.
Laura Cooky is an Illinois native who works as a grants and contracts specialist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she received a B.A. in English and is currently pursuing an M.L.I.S degree. Her academic interests include cataloging, metadata, and digital access and preservation. In her free time, Laura enjoys running, hiking with her husband and two dogs, reading, cross-stitching, and watching reality TV.
Danielle Dantema is a California native residing in sunny Orange County. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in English from University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA], and her M.L.I.S. degree from San José State University. She is passionate about working with cultural institutions and heritage materials, particularly video games. She currently consults with local historical societies to conduct organizational analyses and develop strategic plans while she pursues her dream to become a video game archivist and librarian. When she is not busy guiding people on how to preserve their history, archiving important materials, and organizing information from around the world, she enjoys letting her creativity flourish in planning themed parties, pottery, and watercolor painting.
Cassandra Dillon has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and is pursuing her M.L.I.S and graduate certificate in archival studies from Louisiana State University. She is interested in art, archives, obsolete media, digitization, digital libraries, and digital curation. She enjoys painting, baking, reading, knitting and crocheting, and watching basketball.
Rachel Fu currently resides in San Francisco, California, after having relocated from Singapore to Southern California. She holds a B.S. in environmental biology and a minor in data science from the University of California, Berkeley. Currently, she is enjoying her second semester at the San José State University M.L.I.S. program, with a focus on digital services. She currently serves as a graduate assistant working on an edition of the Library Trends Journal on Indigenous Librarianship. Otherwise, Rachel likes to split her time between her cat, yarnwork, Duolingo, and exploring the city. Ultimately, Rachel hopes to become a reliable source on digital knowledge management.
Jenifer Gundry is an academic librarian and historian, interested in metadata, library technologies, and collaborative digital projects. She holds a B.A., master’s degrees in English, theology, and library and information science, and a Ph.D. in history, focusing on the history of the book. Jenifer enjoys hiking the mountains throughout beautiful New England, visiting old general stores, reading absurdist poetry, and exploring linguistic forensics.
Sam Hidde* Tripp is privileged to be on the traditional homelands of the Yokuts and Mono peoples with their husband and cats. A Wisconsin transplant to the West Coast, they are pursuing a second master’s degree in creative writing. They received both an M.L.I.S and bachelor’s degree in Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latin Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. *pronounced HID-ee
Taylor Pence Hiltz holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Denver and a B.S. in criminal justice from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is passionate about digital literacy and accessibility, digital asset management, and metadata. In her spare time, she loves reading, coding, attending local hockey games, and exploring the outdoors with her family.
Originally from Southern California, Breanna Jones currently resides in the Pacific Northwest region. She received her B.A. in English and film and media studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and recently completed the M.M.L.I.S. program at the University of Southern California. With a professional background in the legal field, Breanna strives to merge her interest in advocacy and research in support of others, especially in promoting equitable access to valuable resources and information. In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, playing video games, visiting museums, and trying new restaurants.
Eun Hye Jun double majored and earned two bachelor’s degrees in education and sociology from Korea University in Seoul, Korea. She taught social studies in high school for about ten years. She earned a master’s degree in library and information science from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in May of 2022. Eun Hye is currently participating in the research group of the library and information science department at Pennsylvania Western University and working with several professors. Her professional interests include information literacy in childhood, digital youth, and the information seeking behavior of teens.
Mary Lopez is completing her final semester in the M.L.I.S. program at the University of Maryland, where she has also earned a graduate certificate in multimedia journalism in 2020. She holds an M.A. in mass communication, as well as B.A. degrees in both political science and communications from the University of New Orleans. She is a passionate storyteller whose favorite projects are those that allow her to combine her journalism and library science skills. Her interest in genealogy prompted her to return to school, and she is eager to help individuals locate, organize and preserve their personal archival material. Born and raised in New Orleans, she moved to Maryland in 2006 with her husband and two sons. She is a program manager for the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, and she credits her interest in government and public policy to her high school civics teacher, who inspired her to be an active and informed citizen.
Judith Maas is a New Jersey native and graduate of Rutgers University and Boston College, where she studied American history and literature. In her graduate studies, her areas of concentration were historiography, 19th-century women’s history, and American autobiography. She has recently moved to the Washington, D.C. area after living many years in Boston. Her work experience has been in the publishing (writing and editing) and library fields. Her writing projects have included book reviews, feature articles, and teaching materials; her editorial experience was primarily in the area of business, at journals and magazines. In the library field, her second career, she has been a generalist, mostly in small college libraries, handling reference, interlibrary loan, acquisitions, serials, and cataloging responsibilities. After working in special libraries, she developed a strong interest in archival work and has pursued coursework and volunteer opportunities ever since. She has also tutored adult students, in English composition, business writing, and English as a second language. Her interests include travel, piano, tennis, and studying languages.
Research Manager Jen Malone uses her M.L.I.S. from the University of Washington, B.A. in journalism, fiction writing certification from UCLA, and experience with the Denver Publishing Institute to help people connect to the working archive at the Historical Society of Long Beach (California). She loves giant things, including her husband, son, dog, and her book and music collections. Working with metadata is one of her passions she hopes to pursue in a professional capacity.
Taylor Mathis was born and raised in Texas. She has earned a B.S. degree in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University. She also holds a minor in psychology, a combination that has allowed Taylor to have a unique perspective on the formation of human behaviors, criminal or otherwise. If Taylor is not reading a tale of an epic adventure, then she is off creating her own with her dog, Oakley, by her side.
Cashel McGloin is long past her intern days, but volunteers for the Library of Congress out of her love for the institution. She uses her degrees in archaeology as a volunteer archaeologist for a number of organizations around the greater D.C. area, and her experience from growing up in Colorado to rebuild trails in national parks. When not being paid by museums to handle their collections, she explores, dances, draws, does beadwork, restores antiques, and conducts historic site research.
Noah Mullens is a third year Ph.D. student in English at the University of Florida. His specialization is in archival research. He is the recipient of the Hannah Beiter Graduate Student Research Grant and was a fellow at the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany. Currently he serves as the program manager at the Center of the Humanities and the Public Sphere. He received his B.A. in English and philosophy from the University of Florida in Fall 2019. He will be receiving his M.A. this spring.
Ella Omi is currently obtaining her M.L.I.S. from Dominican University and holds a B.A in political science and global studies from North Central College. She is passionate about advocacy and justice work in the library and information field. Outside of work and school she likes to crochet, hike, and puzzle.
Angelina Santana is a current graduate student at Dominican University finishing a master’s degree in library and information science with a concentration in library and information center administration. She earned a B.A in political science and history from Marquette University. In her personal life, Angelina enjoys reading, gardening, hiking, and visiting museums. She hopes to continue working and gaining experience in metadata, to help improve access to information worldwide.
Nancy Sprouse is a recent M.L.I.S. graduate from Texas Woman’s University and current resident of San Antonio, Texas. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas A&M University, and a master’s degree in biology from the University of the Incarnate Word. She has actively worked in information technology for the past seven years and joins this season’s remote internship to diversify her current skills with metadata experience. When not working, she enjoys spending time with her dogs, cats, and chinchilla, as well as gardening. She currently hopes to obtain a future position that will allow her to utilize her diverse skill sets and plans on continuing her education in the near future to include a Ph.D. in library and information science.
Gregory K. Tharp has over 20 years of experience as a librarian. Tharp holds a paralegal certificate from Boston University, a master’s certificate in acquisitions and contract management from American Graduate University, an advanced certificate in archives management from Simmons University, a master’s degree in library science from Southern Connecticut State University, and a Bachelor of Science from Sacred Heart University. Tharp also holds a certificate of professional librarianship from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Jamie Thompson (she/they) was raised in New York City and moved to Oswego, NY to pursue her undergraduate degree. Jamie holds an M.L.I.S. from Simmons University and a B.A. in Creative Writing from SUNY Oswego. She remains in Oswego with her partners, two cats, and axolotl. Jamie enjoys reading, buying books they will never read, writing poetry, learning new things, and exploring everything the field of information science has to offer.
Tehya Thompson, a San Diego native, is currently a sophomore at Howard University. She is in pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in strategic, legal, and management communication with a concentration in legal communication and minor in philosophy. After obtaining her B.A., Tehya plans on attending law school to obtain a Juris Doctorate in either corporate or media/entertainment law. She is an aspiring attorney in the beauty, fashion, and music industry that focuses on increasing Black representation. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, trying new restaurants, going to museums, binge watching tv shows/movies, listening to music, and traveling.
Danielle Walker (she/her) is a graduate student in the M.L.I.S. program at San José State University and holds a B.S. in business administration from California State University, East Bay. Danielle has worked extensively in public libraries, with a background in children’s and YA services, and has a deep passion for digital literacy, equitable access, and inclusion; she is particularly interested in the intersection of metadata and accessibility in digital spaces. In addition to her graduate studies and work with the Law Library, she moonlights as a freelance metadata specialist in the film industry. A lifelong California resident, Danielle spends her free time visiting food trucks, reading, knitting, and road-tripping to national parks with her family.
Keri Wilkins is an Arkansas native, but is currently living in San Diego, CA. She graduated with her M.L.I.S. from San José State University in December 2022. She also holds a paralegal certificate from the University of San Diego and a B.S. in psychology from Arkansas State University. Keri has two fur babies and a huge love for animals. She currently enjoys working in the cataloging world of librarianship. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, volunteering at animal rescues, and swimming.
Emily Young is a born and raised Oregonian. She earned her B.S. in anthropology from the University of Oregon (U.O.) and is currently in her final semester of the M.L.I.S. program at San José State University. Emily worked as a student processing archivist in the U.O. Special Collections and University Archives during her M.L.I.S. studies, before taking a full-time position at the U.O. libraries. Emily enjoys spending time outdoors with her spouse and their two dogs, baking and cooking from scratch, and reading.
Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.
Comments
I’m very interested in this project.