Conference Program

8:00 – 9:00 Registration ~ Foyer
Coffee and Refreshments Lounge


9:00 - 9:15 Welcome and Digital Commonwealth Update ~  Ballroom
Joseph Fisher, University of Massachusetts, Lowell and
Digital Commonwealth President


9:15 – 9:30 Boston Public Library Update ~ Ballroom
Anna Fahey-Flynn, Boston Public Library


9:30 – 10:30 Keynote: Preserving the Cultural Record in the Digital Age ~ Ballroom
Clifford Lynch, Director of the Coalition For Networked Information


10:30 – 11:00 Break & Networking ~ Lounge

Want a metadata consultation? The staff from the Boston Public Library will be on hand in the exhibit area during this time and through the day to answer conference attendees’ questions about describing their collections and getting digitized materials into the Digital Commonwealth system.


11:00 – 12:00 Breakout Sessions ~ Rooms TBA

Introduction to the Digital Commonwealth
Sadie Roosa (WGBH) and Elizabeth Thomsen (NOBLE)
Are you a member of the Digital Commonwealth? Do you have a collection that you would like to digitize, or that is already digitized? Are you interested in gaining a better understanding of how to include your digital resources in the Digital Commonwealth? Then this session is for you! Learn more about how the process works from start to finish, see examples of the technology and tools, and ask questions about your project.

A Brookline Children's Photo Album, 1882
Ken Liss, President, Brookline Historical Society

Copyright Issues and Libraries
Emily Kilcer and Kyle Courtney, Harvard University Libraries

12:00 – 1:45 Lunch and Keynote: Developments at the DPLA  ~  Ballroom
Dan Cohen, Founding Executive Director of the Digital Public Library of America

1:45 – 2:45 Breakout Sessions ~ Rooms TBA

A Peek Under the Hood: The Annual Digital Commonwealth Systems Development Update
Steven Anderson and Eben English, Boston Public Library

Preserving the Showers of Information: Tools of the Trade
Nancy Y. McGovern, Head, Curation and Preservation Services and Lead for Digital Preservation and Curation, MIT Libraries
Kari R. Smith, Digital Archivist, Institute Archives and Special Collections, MIT Libraries
Chris Lacinak, AV Preserve

Packaging Collections for Public Consumption
Sara Slymon, Brookline Public Library will discuss Biblioboards; Elizabeth Thomsen, NOBLE will discuss OMEKA

2:45 – 3:00 Afternoon Break ~ Lounge

3:00 – 4:00 Breakout Sessions ~ Rooms TBA

The Policy Cycle
Diane Brenner & Ed Lewis, Worthington Historical Society
Kelcy M. Shepherd, Head of Digital Programs, Frost Library, Amherst College

Publicizing Digital Collections on Social Media
Joe Keefe, National Archives and Records Administration, Boston
Kayla Hopper & Lauren Hewes, American Antiquarian Society
Nadia Dixson, City of Somerville Archives

Rapid Fire Inspiring Projects
Sharon Hawkes & Amy Lafave, Lenox Town Library
Molly Stothert-Maurer, Perkins School for the Blind
Anthony Fonseca, Elms College Alumnae Library
Paige Roberts, Phillips Andover Academy
Maureen Ambrosino & Anthony Vaver, Westborough Public Library
Kaitlin Connolly, State Library of Massachusetts

Martha Mayo, Center for Lowell History

return to main conference page