Read Collections as Data Report Summary

Our Collections as Data event in September 2016 on exploring the computational use of library collections was a success on several levels, including helping steer our team at National Digital Initiatives in our path of action.

We are pleased to release the following summary report which includes an executive summary of the event, the outline of our work in this area over the past five months, and the work of our colleagues Oliver Baez Bendorf, Dan Chudnov, Michelle Gallinger, and Thomas Padilla. If you are interested in what we mean when we talk about collections as data or the infrastructure necessary to support this work, this is for you.

The format of this summary report is itself an experiment. We contracted authors and artists to comment on this important topic from their diverse perspectives in order to create a holistic resource reflective of what made the symposium so great. You will read a reflection on the event from keynote speaker Thomas Padilla, a recommendation on how to implement a computational environment for scholars by Dan Chudnov and Michelle Gallinger, as well as a series of collages by the artist Oliver Baez Bendorf representing key themes from the day.

Mark your calendars for the next #AsData event on July 24th-25th at the Library of Congress. By featuring stories from humanities researchers, journalists, students, social scientists, artists, and story tellers who have used library collections computationally, we hope to communicate the possibilities of this approach to a broad general audience.