I am an alumnus of the University of Regina, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, a Minor in Sociology and a penchant for open source software, especially the Linux operating system. Following graduation, I worked in Edmonton at a specialized digital photography company and at an IT company that delivered email and web services to a variety of companies (including Habitat for Humanity and the Alberta Curling Association). These positions developed my skills in digital image applications, software programming and system administration, and laid the groundwork for my current position as Digital Collections Administrator for the Archer Library and Archives.

Coming back to the University of Regina was like coming home. In my role as Digital Collection Administrator, one of my major responsibilities is administering ouRspace, the University of Regina’s institutional repository. It houses the University theses, research publications, reports, news releases and other digital documents that are of archival importance. We recently upgraded oURspace to provide a more “responsive web design” and also implemented international standards such as ORCID and DOI, so that oURspace publications are easily found through global scholarly search systems.

Digitization of artifacts in various formats such as audio, video and film materials, photographs, documents and books is of great importance. The use of high resolution scanners and cameras are incorporated in this process as well as the use of new technology to convert from the old. I help set policies and procedures for digitization, and provide guidance for colleagues who have documents to digitize.

I also utilize digital preservation tools and techniques to ensure that digitized materials are safeguarded for future use. Archer Library is a major member of the COPPUL Westvault project which is a large LOCKSS network built for data preservation. We also have an onsite “cold storage” network drive that we also use for conservancy.

Since digitization and digital preservation is always changing, I am required to do a fair amount of research and evaluation to determine best methods and practices to facilitate the aforementioned tasks. With COVID-19 and having to work from home, I have been carrying out my research while telecommuting to my workstations in the office and the Digital Lab.