Annual Meeting Schedule

Tuesday, May 12, 2026 

5:30-7:00pm Reception at the St. Petersburg Museum of History, 335 2nd Ave NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 - map can be accessed on https://linktr.ee/sfa2026

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

8:00-9:00am Vendor setup and Registration Table Opens

8:15-9:45am Welcome breakfast

9:00-9:15am Welcome and Introductions

9:15-9:30am Archives Tabula Rasa: Notes from a University’s First Professional Archivist, Gino Pasi, University of Tampa

Though relatively small compared to other university repositories, the University of Tampa’s Archives & Special Collections consists of 1800 cubic feet of university records and manuscript collections, a 10,000-volume rare book library and a large collection of 3-dimensional university artifacts and memorabilia. For 92 years, the University of Tampa functioned without an “official” formal archives or archivist. Any work done on the aforementioned materials (primarily collecting and some inventory), was accomplished by reference librarians with a little free time in their schedules. This presentation discusses the exhilaration, frustration, and stress (sometimes all at the same time!) of a mid-sized private university’s first professional archivist. It looks critically at the previous volunteers’ honest mistakes and their successful accomplishments. And finally, it reviews the promising opportunity of having a “clean slate” and early strategies the new archivist employed to “hit the ground running,” e.g., prioritizing processing and digitization, establishing administrative procedures, and taking the very first steps toward outreach.

9:30-9:45am Perseverance Through Changing Times: A Case Study on Facing Challenges While Rebuilding the Ybor City Museum Society Archives, Gloria Rose Angelita Lopez, Ybor City Museum Society

The purpose of this session is to discuss the difficulties that arose while reprocessing the Ybor City Museum Society’s archives, which had been largely unmanaged for years preceding the start of this project. This session will speak on the difficulties of approaching an archive of this nature with little prior experience and minimal guidance. An endeavor that was made more difficult due to challenging times and complications that arose over the past few years including changes in office space, environmental disasters, and the disruption of funding due to the current state of affairs when it comes to government grants. The intended audience for this session is other archivists for smaller or under-funded institutions who may benefit from seeing the process that has begun to reprocess this archive with limited funds. Additionally, this session could be beneficial for first-time archivists who might find it interesting or helpful to see the challenges that came from inexperience and how plans were adapted as knowledge was gained. The session will differ slightly depending on the session format that is approved. In general, the session will start with a brief discussion on the history of the Ybor City Museum Society and role in the community. Then a short section touching on the separation of the society from the management of the Ybor City Museum State Park. The bulk of the presentation will be on the reprocessing of the archives including discussing the challenges faced by both an internal and external nature. The conclusion will be focused on plans for the archive’s future as we continue reprocessing.

9:45-10:00am Connecting Tampa Bay to the Archives: A Social Media Campaign to Promote Digital Collections, Alice Fabela, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library

The purpose of this session is to explore the creation and development of an ongoing social media campaign led by the Digital Collections Librarian for the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library (HCPLC). Beginning in the spring of 2025, the goal of the campaign was to increase awareness of the digital collections available for free to the public housed by a major public library system. Prior to the hiring of a dedicated librarian position for the Digital Collections department, the utilization of existing social media channels to promote the 500,000+ digital records available on HCPLC’s CONTENTdm website had not been explored. The intended audience of this session is those interested in a case study of a successful start to an ongoing social media campaign, as well as provide suggestions and advice for those looking to highlight their own collections digitally.

The session will proceed chronologically while including insights and realizations made as the campaign progressed throughout 2025 and into 2026. The need to promote HCPLC digital records was necessary, as only one of 17 collections (with more to come) was ever highlighted on library-managed social media channels. Following this identification of needs, the audience will be provided with a description of the research strategy used for determining content while following internal social media policies and collaboration with the library’s Digital Media & PR team. Finally, the session will conclude with a comparison of successful versus unsuccessful posts, the creation of a manual to aid in future staff training, and hopes for the future of the campaign.

10:00-10:15am Q&A

10:15-10:30am Break

10:30-10:45am Making Archives Matter: Increasing Engagement Through Programmatic Planning, Alexandra Vargas-Minor, Gary Austin, and Kirk Mitchell, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg

The Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus embarked upon a 3-year programmatic planning initiative in 2023 to strengthen its connection with the USF community. Faculty and staff at the Poynter Library collaboratively developed seven goals to leverage the library’s unique resources and increase meaningful engagement with the USF community. One of the goals developed in alignment with the USF Libraries’ strategic direction was to develop distinctive collections, archives, and special collections that align with campus and community priorities. This presentation will discuss the process of developing and implementing this goal within the Poynter Library’s Special Collections & University Archives (SCUA) department. The presenters will review the process of developing action items to achieve this goal, as well as analyze the impact of these activities after two and a half years of implementation. This session will be particularly relevant to archives and library professionals wanting to initiate strategic planning initiatives to better align with the needs of their larger organization and/or community. The session will also be insightful to practitioners wanting to engage non-archives personnel in archives-focused activities and programming. 

10:45-11:00am The Trials and Tribulations of a Local Historical Society, Josh Liller, Loxahatchee River Historical Society

This presentation will recap the history of the Loxahatchee River Historical Society, located in Jupiter and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1972. It will focus on the challenges and lessons learned in terms of collections development, management, and use. Many of these growing pains are representative of those faced by other local historical societies with very limited staff and are a stark contrast to most university archives.

11:00-11:15am Becoming Shelf-Aware: Creating a Scalable Photography Project for a Historic Library Collection, Ayla Toussaint and Gibson Field, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is undergoing an ambitious construction project to update its hurricane protections, which requires the deinstallation of every decorated space in the historic mansion. The library, complete with nearly 800 books original to the 1916 space, was the first room to be deinstalled. In preparation for deinstallation, the books underwent a condition assessment, including cleaning and photo-documentation. This presentation will discuss project planning and execution, with special attention given to creating a program that fits within budget, staff, and time constraints.

Historic house collections pose specific challenges. Objects and archives coexist in an environment that makes prioritization difficult depending on budget, time, and perceived importance. In 2025, institutional focus on resiliency created an opportunity to prioritize the historic library. By utilizing in-house technology, collaborating across departments to minimize budget, and taking on interns to efficiently execute project tasks, Vizcaya completed an extensive record update of the historic library collection. 

Indeed, the library was last assessed in 2015 and had never been photographed. With books moving off-site, a current condition assessment was crucial to track possible new damage and identify condition concerns that would affect packing, transit, and storage. However, budgeting had not anticipated the project, so cost was minimized through combining existing tools with new purchases. The setup aimed for studio quality images and conservation-grade documentation for the CMS. Photography and assessment took place in-situ for collection safety and to limit guest disruption, necessitating a mobile and storable rig. Undoubtedly, these requirements make this design easily scalable to other projects and institutions. 

11:15-11:30am Q&A

11:30-12:00pm 2026 Sponsor Introductions

12-1:30pm Lunch on your own - local suggestions listed on https://linktr.ee/sfa2026

1:30-2:30pm Poster Session

A First-Year Experience Focused on Archives and Digital Editing at the University of North Florida, Oliver Douglas, Shadae Reid, Zoie Turci, and Clayton McCarl, University of North Florida

This poster presentation considers a Fall 2025 course at the University of North Florida (UNF) built around the papers of African American businesswoman and philanthropist Eartha M.M. White (1876-1974), held in UNF’s Special Collections and University Archives. Part of the First-Year Experience of the Hicks Honors College, the course provided students with a structured opportunity to gain familiarity with archives and digital methods. Participants transcribed and marked up in TEI-XML a variety of artifacts that included letters, event programs, and postcards. They explored ways to make the project’s Omeka website work (unfdhi.org/earthawhite) more accessible to diverse communities through the creation of interactive exhibits and timelines. All course participants also presented their work at a dedicated poster exhibit held in the Special Collections Reading Room and as part of a larger Honors Showcase.

In this presentation, course instructor Clayton McCarl will be joined by three student participants. They will discuss their experiences working collaboratively to increase access to White’s papers, preserve the memory of her activism and leadership, and increase awareness of the African American history of North Florida. They will likewise consider the opportunities that hands-on work with archival materials and digital tools can create for first-year students from a wide range of intended majors. This presentation will appeal to SFA members who are interested in incorporating archives in undergraduate classrooms and positioning archives as a space for experiential learning. 

Creating a New Special Collections Center at the University of North Florida, Hilary Streifer, University of North Florida

In 2023, the University of North Florida’s Thomas G. Carpenter Library received funding to establish a new center within the Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA) unit, the Allen Lastinger Center for Florida History.  Built around a private collection of books, maps, prints, and ephemera about the state of Florida, as well as materials about Barnett Bank, the Allen Lastinger Center for Florida History is a center for knowledge about Florida’s history, a hub for academic activity, and a global resource for researchers.  This poster will outline what it was like to build a new special collections center from the ground up, the priorities, challenges, and lessons learned.  Topics discussed include: prioritization; project management; branding yourself; getting control of the collection; physically building out the space; and the continuous re-evaluation of priorities and expectations.

Discovering the Artchive: Inventorying the Fine Art Collections of USF Special Collections, Caity Campbell and Emerson Elliott, University of South Florida

This session demonstrates an ongoing initiative at the University of South Florida Tampa and St.  Petersburg campuses to inventory and assess the Special Collections' fine art collections. This initiative exemplifies evolving practices within our institution with regard to expanding discovery access and enhancing inter-campus collaboration. The goal of this project was to integrate existing art objects into our collection by recording a detailed inventory and accurate condition report, cataloging, and conducting provenance research. A key outcome of this project was expanding our provenance records and establishing a new precedent for record-keeping with future acquisitions. Additionally, the project illuminated preservation concerns through the creation of comprehensive condition reports and allowed for the enactment of preservation measures. This presentation will benefit institutions who wish to implement similar initiatives in assessing provenance, preservation, and accessibility concerns for their fine art objects. The session will proceed by outlining the goals and challenges of the project, as well as outcomes of the Tampa campus inventory and adaptations made in the implementation at the St. Petersburg campus. This session will provide a framework for the creation of similar projects which aim to holistically integrate art objects into archival collections and address the rising concerns for detailed provenance information to establish transparency in fine art collection in academic institutions.

The USF Women's Club: A Case Study in Donor Driven Digitization Projects, Elizabeth Rossbach and Stephanie Mackin, University of South Florida

In the digital era, an increasing number of donors are requesting the digitization of their collections to enhance preservation and broaden access for students and scholars. These requests are reshaping library workflows, as donor-driven projects often take precedence over previously planned initiatives. This poster session examines how academic libraries are adapting to this shift through a case study of the University of South Florida (USF) Tampa Libraries’ collaboration with the USF Women’s Club.

In early 2025, the USF Women’s Club approached USF Tampa Libraries with a request to digitize its archival collection and offered financial support for the project. Although digitization of the collection had not been scheduled, the donor’s request elevated it to an immediate institutional priority. During preparation for digitization, the USF Archives Librarian Stephanie Mackin, Associate Director of Digital Initiatives Dr. Amanda Boczar, and Digital Collections Assistant and Library Science graduate student Elizabeth Rossbach encountered several unanticipated challenges. These included rapidly deteriorating scrapbooks requiring rehousing, the need to reappraise portions of the physical collection, and the discovery of unprocessed accruals from past Women’s Club presidents. Addressing these issues prior to digitization required rapid adjustments to established archival and digital workflows. Additional challenges emerged once digitization began. Many of the older materials were worn and thin, causing scans to appear dark or illegible and necessitating the refinement of image-editing techniques to improve online readability.

This poster explores the practical realities of balancing donor expectations, preservation requirements, and institutional capacity while maintaining positive donor relationships. By highlighting both the successes and challenges of the USF Women’s Club digitization project, the session demonstrates how donor relationships increasingly influence archival priorities and decision-making. This presentation will be of interest to archivists and librarians in academic or donor-supported institutions who are navigating the growing demand for donor-driven digitization projects.

They Said There Might Be Leaks …, David Benjamin, University of Central Florida

This poster describes how UCF Libraries' Special Collections & University Archives found a practical, low-cost way to protect collections during a building renovation. For the past seven years, ongoing construction at the John C. Hitt Library has disrupted Special Collections & University Archives spaces, sometimes forcing us to move materials for 1 to 6 weeks at a time. In 2024, we faced a new challenge: replacing boilers in the penthouse above our main stacks, which increased the risk of water leaks in areas where we store rare books, fine art, and fragile archival materials. We could not move everything out, and it was important to keep the collections available to patrons.

Contractors and UCF Facilities expected only minor HVAC issues, but they could not promise there would be no leaks. Since we could not find a good commercial solution, I suggested we design custom roll-down Visqueen tarps to cover the shelves while still allowing staff to reach the materials. I worked with the construction company to design the tarps and coordinate their installation.

The system proved effective in mitigating several leaks during the construction. And, as a bonus, we have a permanent, rapidly deployable safeguard for future penthouse work and hurricane preparedness. This poster outlines the planning process, design considerations, installation logistics, and lessons learned, offering a replicable model for institutions facing similar infrastructure challenges. The project highlights resilience through adaptability, collaboration, and creative problem-solving in the face of ongoing environmental and facilities disruptions.

2:30-3:30pm Reflections on the First Year of the UNF Archivist in Training Program, Allison Mason, Anna Hobbs, Jennifer Bibb, Peyton Hudson, Emrys Hentish, and Clayton McCarl, University of North Florida

The Archivist in Training Program at the University of North Florida provides opportunities for undergraduate students to learn about archival processes and gain hands-on experience through paid, for-credit internships with community partner institutions. Designed by Dr. Laura Heffernan, professor of English, and Susan Swiatosz, head of Special Collections and University Archives, the program began in Fall 2025 with a cohort of five students who undertook intensive training in UNF’s Special Collections and University Archives and then spent most of the semester working on-site at five community organizations in Jacksonville and St. Augustine: the Durkeeville Historical Society, the Eartha M.M. White Museum, the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, the Mandarin Historical Society, and the Ritz Theatre and Museum. 

In this session, Jennifer Bibb, coordinator of Special Collections, and Allison Mason, coordinator of University Archives, will discuss their experiences training the interns and supporting their work at the partner institutions. Fall 2025 interns Emrys Hentish, Anna Hobbs, Peyton Hudson, and Thomas Orsini will reflect on their projects, including the challenges they encountered and the discoveries they made. This session is intended for anyone interested in developing pedagogical programs focused on archives as well as those seeking ways to build relationships between university and community archives. 

3:30-4:00pm Break

4:00-5:00pm Networking Activity

4:00-5:00pm Executive Board Meeting

5:30-7:00pm Reception at Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, USF St. Petersburg campus, 140 7th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701 - map can be accessed on https://linktr.ee/sfa2026

Thursday, May 14, 2026

8:30-9:00am Registration Table Opens

9:00-9:15am Welcome

9:15-9:45am Recovery and Resilience: University-Community Partnerships in the Wake of a Storm, Catherine Wilkins, University of South Florida

In 2024, Hurricane Helene produced a catastrophic storm surge in the Tampa Bay region, causing significant damage to residences, businesses, and institutions on our barrier islands. Many smaller organizations – such as churches or local history museums – that maintained their own archives were caught off-guard by the flooding event, experiencing damage and loss to their physical collections. This session will describe the collaborations formed in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton to recover and restore community archives, prepare collections for future climate threats, and create new resources to document a community in flux. We will explore how the involvement of an institution of higher education lent expertise and resources to the endeavor, while participating students gained transferrable career skills and deepened their sense of responsibility and engagement with the community. By way of this case study, this session will outline potential goals and outcomes for both community organizations and University partners to encourage proactive collaboration before natural disasters strike. Archivists from both sectors (higher education and community organizations) can learn from this session, which will also discuss the personnel, technology, and infrastructure needs not only for a recovery effort, but also to help foster resiliency for the future. Finally, this session will showcase new student-made collections and public-facing resources produced in the wake of the storm, to reinforce the importance of local archives in documenting populations and places being changed by more frequent and intense weather events. 

9:45-10:15am Processing Grief and Preserving Community Response to Tragedy, Taylor Henning, Florida State University

Following a tragedy, spontaneous memorials often emerge as powerful sites of grief and resilience. Recently, archivists at Florida State University have faced the challenge of collecting and stewarding memorial materials created after the April 17, 2025, mass shooting on campus. In this 30-minute presentation and Q&A, FSU University Archivist Taylor Henning will share her experiences related to the tragic event and the community’s efforts to memorialize the tragedy. In the aftermath, FSU Special Collections & Archives (SCA) responded swiftly to preserve at-risk memorial materials, engaging the campus community and raising public awareness through a thoughtful, inclusive collecting initiative. This collaborative effort resulted in a memorial collection of over 50 linear feet, much of which presents challenges to long-term preservation. The presentation will include a discussion of these challenges, as well as resources available to assist with such initiatives, including the Society of American Archivists’ “Documenting in Times of Crisis: A Resource Kit.” In addition to discussing the collecting efforts, the presentation will focus on SCA’s partnership with the Center for Leadership & Service, which has offered volunteers the opportunity to help process the collection through an item-level inventory and surface cleaning. This is not only valuable to the Archives, but it has also allowed the campus community to meaningfully engage with the April 17 Memorial and Remembrance Collection. This session will be valuable for those seeking guidance about documenting spontaneous memorials and stewarding sensitive collections. However, the session is of interest to all GLAM (galaries, libraries, archives, and museums) professionals who are interested in creating a plan for similar crises and events. Though the presenter is from an academic institution, the session will also appeal to those working in public libraries, museums, community archives, and other cultural heritage organizations.

10:15-10:30am Break

10:30-11am Preserving Jacksonville’s Legislative History, Claire Manos, Erika Alfieri, and Jess Salvato, Jacksonville Public Library

This presentation tells the story of a collaborative effort between the Jacksonville Public Library and City Council to rescue and reimagine Jacksonville’s legislative record as a living, public-facing archive. Framed through the lenses of resilience, growth, and advocacy, the project demonstrates how strategic partnerships, thoughtful workflow design, and a clear value proposition can transform a fragile collection into a sustainable asset for the community while fostering long-standing partnerships that enhance library funding and services. It demonstrates how archivists can navigate shifting technologies, funding pressures, and unforeseen challenges by building durable workflows, expanding access and collaboration, and communicating the value of preservation to diverse audiences.

11:00-11:30am East Coast Citrus, West Coast Citrus: Citrus Crate Labels in Florida and California, A Study in Comparisons, Samantha Redmond, Jeffrey Zines, and Kendra Belton, Florida Southern College

“East Coast Citrus, West Coast Citrus: Citrus Crate Labels in Florida and California, A Study in Comparisons” is a twenty-minute-long video presentation and a series of six blog post installments. The project details the ways the Florida and California citrus industries advertised via citrus crate labels. The original research compares the topics depicted on the labels: flora, fauna, transportation technologies, holidays, and sexual and racial stereotypes. Most notably, the examination of sexual-racial stereotypes demonstrates the widespread beliefs of the time and explains why those stereotypes persisted, remaining a relevant topic today. The purpose of the video and blog posts is to engage aficionados of the citrus industry, academics, and casual learners while showing the relevant citrus label images to inform viewers of the similarities and differences of the citrus labels and what that says about the labels’ intended audience: citrus wholesalers. 

Though the project could easily have been a paper-based presentation, using the video format and blog posts condense the material and make it more easily accessible for a wider audience, from casual viewers to interested academics. The research process also fostered connections between citrus archives, connecting the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame and the McKay Archives at Florida Southern College with institutions in both Florida and California, raising awareness that academics value citrus crate labels and their relevance to the history of the citrus industry.  

11:30 -12:00pm Archives Unlocked: Opening Doors to Discover, Chereeka Garner, David Benjamin, Renee Cole Montgomery, University of Central Florida

University archives and special collections are frequently regarded as static spaces; however, they possess significant potential to function as dynamic tools for student engagement and active learning. This panel examines strategies for transforming archives and special collections into vibrant, participatory environments that stimulate curiosity, foster community, and connect students with historical narratives. Drawing on successful initiatives such as Splash from the Past, Escape the Library, the university Student Welcome Expo, and interactive library wall exhibits, presenters will discuss innovative methods for engaging students with archival materials beyond the traditional reading room, extending into campus events and informal learning settings. Panelists will present practical approaches to program development, interdepartmental collaboration, marketing strategies for promotion, and the design of active learning experiences that showcase archival collections. Attendees will gain concrete tips for planning, marketing, and evaluating archival engagement activities, along with insights into positioning archives as active contributors to student success and campus culture. Ultimately, this session encourages participants to rethink archives not as static repositories, but as inclusive, creative spaces that support learning, foster connections, create cross-department relationships, and make archival collections relevant across the campus community.

12:00-1:30pm Luncheon with Keynote Speaker Dr. Ray Arsenault

1:30-2:30pm Business Meeting and Awards

2:30-2:45pm Break 

2:45-3:15pm Curating the Bicentennial: Collaborative Exhibit Design and Student Experiential Learning with UCF Public History Central, Shantelle Clement and Jessie Oldham, University of Central Florida

In preparation for the 2026 U.S. Semiquincentennial, the University of Central Florida is developing a major Bicentennial exhibit through a cross-unit partnership between Public History Central, Special Collections & University Archives, and Emeritus History Professor, Dr. Richard Crepeau. This session explores the collaborative, student-driven process behind planning a medium-scale archival exhibit that bridges institutional collections, legacy materials, and contemporary public history practice. 

The exhibit draws from three complementary bodies of material—two physical and one digital: University Archives collections housed at the John C. Hitt Library; a UCF History Department-housed assemblage of Bicentennial-era materials collected during the original 1976 celebrations by UCF Professor Emeritus Richard Crepeau, his family, and his students; and a born digital exhibit created in 2016 by UCF Public History Director Dr. Scot French’s class. Together, these collections allow the project team to examine how national commemorations are documented, preserved, and reinterpreted across generations. 

This presentation focuses on the Spring 2026 planning phase, during which graduate and undergraduate students are conducting research, developing interpretive narratives, planning exhibit design and layout, and preparing digital and physical materials for installation. Particular attention is given to the interpretive and ethical challenges of working with so-called “historical junk”—ephemera, souvenirs, teaching materials, and everyday objects often excluded from traditional archival hierarchies, yet essential to understanding how the Bicentennial was experienced and remembered at the local level. 

Emphasis will be placed on resilience in archival memory, institutional growth through partnership, and the role of technology in managing, interpreting, and translating both formal archival collections and informal historical materials for public audiences. During the session, attendees will gain insight into collaborative workflows, student mentorship models, and strategies for transforming disparate and unconventional collections into cohesive, accessible, public-facing exhibits.

3:15-3:45pm Off the Wall: Building a Community Archive Outside the Institution, Laura Hampton and Harrison Bender, Novo Collegian Alliance

After a controversial takeover in early 2023, New College of Florida became a figurehead of a broader political campaign to reshape higher education. The college’s deeply rooted tradition of fostering independent thought and inquiry was quickly replaced by an overtly politicized agenda.

As a result, many alums have lost faith in the institution, and no longer wish to donate their archives to the college. With a rapidly aging charter class and an untrustworthy alumni association, something had to be done. The Tabularium Axis Mundi (TAM) is an independent project of the Novo Collegian Alliance to preserve the unique history and culture of New College of Florida. Through both a living digital collection and physical repository, we seek to curate and share a wide variety of materials and content from students, faculty, and alumni, including: stories, memorabilia, images, and art. 

TAM goes beyond preservation–it serves as a bridge between New College’s past, present, and future. Postponing this effort risks losing fragile historical materials to time, damage, or neglect. Through TAM we hope to encapsulate New College’s cultural legacy, and ensure this legacy remains accessible and meaningful to the community and future generations.

We’re currently in the early stages of building this collection. This session is to highlight our mission, discuss challenges that come with building an independent archive, and the role of archives in the context of hostile institutions. This session is intended for anyone interested in our work, the role of archives at large, or has experienced similar situations. The presentation will consist of a power point outlining the project and open discussion with the audience where we can share ideas, tips, and resources.

3:45- 4:45pm Growing Collections, Improving Access, Evolving Practice: Lessons from a New AI-Assisted Digital Collections Tool, Rachel Walton, Wenxian Zhang, and Liriam Tobar, Rollins College, and Lee Dotson, JSTOR Digital Stewardship

As archives continue to expand their collections and experiment with emerging technologies, archivists face the challenge of scaling up online access while also developing new technical skill sets in a rapidly evolving technology landscape — often without corresponding increases in staffing or time. This paper presents a case study of implementing JSTOR Digital Stewardship’s Seeklight AI tool in a small College Archives environment and focuses on how AI-assisted collection description can reshape and improve our archival workflows and help us leverage our existing resources.

JSTOR Seeklight enables AI-assisted description by generating transcripts, metadata, and other collection-level insights at scale without compromising archivist oversight. Drawing on an ongoing pilot project, this presentation examines how the tool performs across different archival collections and formats. Early results suggest particularly strong outcomes for photographic collections and textual materials (both typed and handwritten); however, they also underscore the need for careful review of historically sensitive or controversial materials and the value of our student workers’ contributions. 

Our discussion will emphasize the importance of collection fit and priority and the archivist’s own professional expertise in realizing gains from AI-assisted descriptive practices. Archivists play a central role in matching tools to appropriate materials while also maintaining ethical standards, contextual integrity, and institutional mission. Additionally, implementing AI-assisted workflows requires growth in our archival skill and practice; we must develop the needed competencies -- in ourselves, our staff, and our student workers -- for effectively reviewing, correcting, and otherwise mediating machine-generated outputs, if we are to improve the quantity and quality of our digital collections. 

We see the JSTOR Digital Stewardship Seeklight tool as -- not a magic wand or universal solution -- but rather as an impressive emerging AI technology that has the potential to support intentional and sustainable collection growth even for small archives with limited resources. 

 4:45-5:00pm Final remarks

Friday, May 15, 2026

9:00-11:30 am Post-Conference Workshop - Finding the Flow: Employment Trend Updates & Job Seeker's Workshop hosted by Carady Madden, Nelson Poynter Memorial Library at USF St. Petersburg, 140 7th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, limited to 30 attendees (on campus parking will be available for attendees)

10:30-11:30am Post Conference Workshop - Provenance and Evolving Narratives at The Dali Museum with Sarah Lynch, The Dali Museum, 1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, limited to 16 attendees (arrive at least 15 minutes early, complimentary parking and wristbands for attendees)

10:00- 11:30am - Heritage Village Park & Museum led by Al Miller, 11909 125th Street N, Largo, FL 33774

10:00-11:00am - Stetson University Archives led by Brooke Smith, limited to 10 attendees, 1401 61St S, Gulfport, FL, 33707

10:30am-12:00pm - Sunken Gardens, limited to 30 attendees, $18 admission at the door required, 1825 4th St N, St. Petersburg, FL 33704

1:00-2:30pm - Henry B. Plant Museum tour led by Selena Martinez, limited to 18 attendees, 401 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL, 33606

1:00-2:00pm - Dali Museum Docent Tour (limited to 30 attendees) - 1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701

Map with directions to all tour sites can be accessed here