Jamie Rogers
Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives
Florida International University
Rhia Rae
Digital Assets Project Manager
Florida International University
As humanities research increasingly relies on large-scale data, ethical considerations in curation become critical, particularly in representing marginalized communities. Libraries and archives can lead by adopting care-based data curation, transparency, and community engagement. This presentation showcases Enhancing Access and Research Possibilities through Critical Engagement with Historical Data, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Humanities Collections and Reference Resources program. This initiative is based on the Dana A. Dorsey Collection—a collection of papers from Miami’s first Black millionaire. Thoughtful curation and creation of open data sets from these archival resources has enhanced access to early 20th-century Miami’s Black community histories, providing avenues for the exploration of broad networks involved in real estate and community building as well as illuminating historical patterns of structural racism. By prioritizing human-centered data practices, this work demonstrates responsible approaches to data curation that enhance the visibility and accessibility of historical narratives, reinforcing libraries’ role in advancing equity and broad access in scholarship.
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