Barbara Rockenbach
Associate University Librarian for Collections and Services, Interim
Columbia University
Nancy Maron
President
BlueSky to BluePrint
Matthew Connelly
Professor, Department of History
Columbia University
Robert Cartolano
Vice President for Digital Programs and Technology Services
Columbia University
The scenario is familiar: a faculty member launches a digital initiative that immediately draws media attention. It includes rare or unique scholarly content and some innovative tools or interfaces. What model will best support this project for the long term, as it continues to grow? In this session, we will share a project update of the Freedom of Information Archive (FOIA), the world’s largest aggregation of declassified U.S. government documents, developed by historian Matt Connelly and his colleagues at Columbia’s History Lab. The project is at an important crossroads: What will it take to transition an initiative from a labor of love developed by a small and devoted team, to something embraced by and valuable to a large community? Recent discussions among Association of Research Libraries members have focused on how community goods can be supported, and how to determine when an initiative has become worthy of this support. This session will explore these questions through the lens of the FOIA. Panelists will share perspectives from faculty, libraries, and publishers concerning the values and tradeoffs of the different approaches under consideration.
www.history-lab.org
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/11/02/heres-what-data-science-tells-us-about-hillary-clintons-emails/
