Dissertation: Women in Museum Computing
My dissertation research centers around the experiences of women data workers in museum collections. In this project, I investigate the past and present experiences of women working in these roles, unpacking the gendered nature of this work and the lasting implications of that. Further, I explore the extent to which current data workers are interested (or feel empowered) to enact transformative data practices in their work. These questions were answered through an interview study and archival research at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution.
My dissertation was funded by:
The University of Michigan Fellowship for Doctoral Research in Museums
Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant
I defended my dissertation in May 2025. Publications resulting from this project are coming soon!
Remediation of Harmful or Problematic Repository Metadata
Collaborating with data curators at Deep Blue- the institutional repository for the University of Michigan-we developed remediation guidelines for material that has been self-deposited and might contain culturally offensive or outdated information. Using three varied collections as case studies, we created guidelines for this work and unpacked the applicability of different remediation approaches, including contextual statements and content warnings, metadata edits, and changing access restrictions.
We are currently in the process of getting these guidelines published. Please check back soon for our final report. We hope it will be useful for other institutional repositories, similarly considering implementing remediation plans.