Sharing the story of our work in digital collections
Abstract
Discussing work in the digital collections field can be challenging: processes can be highly technical, and institutional capacity and approaches vary widely. This paper outlines effective practices for such conversations, drawing on a case study from the University of Maryland Libraries, a review of relevant literature, and insights gathered from recent conference sessions. At the University of Maryland Libraries, the Digital Collections Unit comprises four full-time staff and around five student workers, undertaking onsite, vendor and grant-funded digitisation. To strengthen the programme and foster broader collaboration, the team began developing a more intentional approach to internal outreach. This work was then expanded through a panel at the Spring 2025 Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference and further explored in a session at the 2025 Best Practices Exchange. The resulting best practices fall under three themes: outreach, education and communication. In all aspects, the emphasis is on recognising and using opportunities to explain digitisation work within the institution. Productive approaches include attending other departments’ staff meetings to highlight intersections with their activities; creating events such as open houses to demonstrate workflows and equipment; participating in institutionwide outreach initiatives; and offering tours and hands-on demonstrations to demystify processes. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at http://hstalks.com/business.
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Author's Biography
Ethan Lewis is a student at the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation, located at the George Eastman Museum. Prior to this, he was the External Digitization Services Coordinator at University of Maryland Libraries, where he performed project management for digitisation work involving external vendors in USA. He holds an MLIS from the University of Maryland and a certificate in digital asset management from Rutgers University.
Pamela A. McClanahan is the Head of the Digital Collections Unit at the University of Maryland Libraries in USA. Prior to her career in information management, she worked in non-profit communications and project management. As a 2017 National Digital Stewardship Resident, she completed a fellowship on digital libraries at Smithsonian Libraries. She holds an MLS from the University of Maryland College of Information, specialising in archives, records and information management, and a BA in history from Hood College.
Alexandra Trim is the Head of Digital Initiatives at the Georgetown Law Library, where she is responsible for managing large-scale digital initiatives including digitisation projects, metadata, repository maintenance and digital preservation. Prior to this, Alexandra was the Internal Digitization Services Coordinator at the University of Maryland Libraries, managing projects and requests for the Hornbake Digitization Center in USA. Alexandra holds a master’s in library and information science and a bachelor’s in history from the University of South Carolina. Her interests include conducting outreach for digital collections and researching digital accessibility.
