AEOLIAN (Artificial intelligence for cultural organisations)
Lead Research Organisation:
Loughborough University
Department Name: Communication and Media
Abstract
How can we unlock "dark" digital archives closed to the public? What is the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in making digitised and born-digital cultural records more accessible to users, on both sides of the Atlantic? AEOLIAN (Artificial intelligence for cultural organisations) focuses on born-digital and digitised collections that are currently closed to researchers and other users due to privacy concerns, copyright and other issues.
Archives are meant to be used, not locked away. In order to unlock cultural assets, we need to work across disciplines and harness the latest technology. AEOLIAN brings together Digital Humanists, Computer Scientists, archivists and other stakeholders to transform the access and use of born-digital and digitised collections which are currently hidden away.
Analysing vast amounts of data cannot be done manually: automation is no longer a choice, it is a necessity. Artificial Intelligence can be used to improve access to non-confidential materials through sensitivity review, for example by distinguishing between personal and business emails. AEOLIAN aims to unlock born-digital and digitised collections and open them up to a large number of users.
Access to digital archives is essential, but we also need to anticipate the moment when born-digital records will be more accessible. To make sense of this mass of data, new methodologies are urgently needed, combining traditional methods in the humanities with data-rich approaches. Collaborations between humanities scholars, computer scientists, archivists and other stakeholders are therefore essential to make archives more accessible, but also to design new methodologies to analyse huge amounts of data.
AI and machine learning create opportunities, but also challenges, for libraries, archives and museums. The project will address larger questions in the humanities - including ethical and social considerations at the centre of current debates on AI and digital technologies.
The AEOLIAN project will lead to the following research outputs:
_6 online workshops , which will result in the creation of an international network of theorists and practitioners working with born-digital and digitised archives.
_5 case studies of US and UK cultural organisations . These case studies will feed into an open-access 100-page report for an interdisciplinary audience outlining avenues for future research.
_2 collections of essays published as special issue of journal or edited collection.
The final report will offer a roadmap on born-digital and digitised cultural assets, based on 5 case studies of specific collections in the UK and US and detailed interviews. Crucially, it will also develop specific ideas for interdisciplinary research areas to solve the issue of access to digital cultural assets, which could form the basis of future research initiatives.
Archives are of course not reserved to academic researchers. The online workshops and the website will foster public engagement on the topic of the changing nature of archival collections (from print to digital) in the twenty-first century.
The website will keep track of all the project activities in the form of presentation materials from all workshop participants, video recordings of workshop presentations, and case studies that will then feed into the final report. Associated social media will help us connect with interested parties - in academia, archival institutions and beyond.
Archives are meant to be used, not locked away. In order to unlock cultural assets, we need to work across disciplines and harness the latest technology. AEOLIAN brings together Digital Humanists, Computer Scientists, archivists and other stakeholders to transform the access and use of born-digital and digitised collections which are currently hidden away.
Analysing vast amounts of data cannot be done manually: automation is no longer a choice, it is a necessity. Artificial Intelligence can be used to improve access to non-confidential materials through sensitivity review, for example by distinguishing between personal and business emails. AEOLIAN aims to unlock born-digital and digitised collections and open them up to a large number of users.
Access to digital archives is essential, but we also need to anticipate the moment when born-digital records will be more accessible. To make sense of this mass of data, new methodologies are urgently needed, combining traditional methods in the humanities with data-rich approaches. Collaborations between humanities scholars, computer scientists, archivists and other stakeholders are therefore essential to make archives more accessible, but also to design new methodologies to analyse huge amounts of data.
AI and machine learning create opportunities, but also challenges, for libraries, archives and museums. The project will address larger questions in the humanities - including ethical and social considerations at the centre of current debates on AI and digital technologies.
The AEOLIAN project will lead to the following research outputs:
_6 online workshops , which will result in the creation of an international network of theorists and practitioners working with born-digital and digitised archives.
_5 case studies of US and UK cultural organisations . These case studies will feed into an open-access 100-page report for an interdisciplinary audience outlining avenues for future research.
_2 collections of essays published as special issue of journal or edited collection.
The final report will offer a roadmap on born-digital and digitised cultural assets, based on 5 case studies of specific collections in the UK and US and detailed interviews. Crucially, it will also develop specific ideas for interdisciplinary research areas to solve the issue of access to digital cultural assets, which could form the basis of future research initiatives.
Archives are of course not reserved to academic researchers. The online workshops and the website will foster public engagement on the topic of the changing nature of archival collections (from print to digital) in the twenty-first century.
The website will keep track of all the project activities in the form of presentation materials from all workshop participants, video recordings of workshop presentations, and case studies that will then feed into the final report. Associated social media will help us connect with interested parties - in academia, archival institutions and beyond.
Organisations
- Loughborough University (Lead Research Organisation)
- HARVARD UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- North Carolina State University (Collaboration)
- National Library of Wales (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Educopia Institute (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Wellcome Collection (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- The History of Parliament (Collaboration)
- DURHAM UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- National Library of Scotland (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Frick Collection (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW (Collaboration)
- Dublin City University (Collaboration)
- The National Archives (Collaboration)
- Indiana University (Collaboration)
- Stanford University (Collaboration)
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Collaboration)
- Yale University (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Indiana University Bloomington (Project Partner)
- University of London (Project Partner)
- Harvard University (Project Partner)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Project Partner)
- Carnegie Museum of Art (Project Partner)
Publications
Warwick C
(2021)
Negotiating the Digital Dystopia: The Role of Emotion, Atmosphere and Social Contact in Making Decisions about Information Use in Physical and Digital Contexts
in New Review of Academic Librarianship
Jaillant L
(2022)
Unlocking digital archives: cross-disciplinary perspectives on AI and born-digital data.
in AI & society
Jaillant L
(2022)
More Data, Less Process: A User-Centered Approach to Email and Born-Digital Archives
in The American Archivist
Jaillant L
(2023)
Applying AI to digital archives: trust, collaboration and shared professional ethics
in Digital Scholarship in the Humanities
Jaillant L
(2022)
How can we make born-digital and digitised archives more accessible? Identifying obstacles and solutions
in Archival Science
| Description | We have to date completed 5 out of our 6 planned workshops, all generating international interest and interdisciplinary discussions. 1. "Employing machine learning and artificial intelligence in cultural institutions" (WORKSHOP 1 - DELIVERED IN JULY 2021) 2. "Reimagining Industry / Academic / Cultural Heritage Partnerships in AI" (WORKSHOP 2 - DELIVERED IN OCTOBER 2021) 3. "What challenges do Machine Learning and AI raise in terms of privacy, ethics, research integrity, reproducibility, and bias?" (WORKSHOP 3 - DELIVERED IN JANUARY 2022). 4. "AI/ML: Increasing Access, Visibility, and Engagement" (WORKSHOP 4 - DELIVERED IN APRIL 2022). 5. "Making More Sense With Machines: AI/ML Methods for Interrogating and Understanding Our Textual Heritage in the Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences" (WORKSHOP 5 - DELIVERED IN NOVEMBER 2022). Recordings and slides have been made available through the website: https://www.aeolian-network.net/category/workshops/ We have also published 2 of our 5 open-access Case Studies on US and UK Cultural Organisations (Case Study 1 on The National Archives UK and Case Study 2 on Computer Vision and Cultural Heritage). All our case studies will be incorporated to an open access monograph, alongside new chapters. The book proposal was submitted in January 2023, and is currently under review. We have also launched the Call for Papers and received submissions for the two Special Issues associated with the project: "Artificial Intelligence for Cultural Heritage Materials" to be published in Journal of Documentation (Emerald), and "Applying Innovative Technologies to Digitised and Born-Digital Archives" to be published in the ACM Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage. We also created a list-serv which has 274 members at the time of writing (March 2023) and we have made extensive use of Twitter using the hashtag #AEOLIAN_Network. |
| Exploitation Route | The networking and collaborative opportunities, as well as the research into born-digital archives and accessibility have and will continue to influence AEOLIAN members, workshop participants and industry professionals who are having these conversations and dealing with similar issues within their own industries. The collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the project, bringing together Humanities scholars, Computer Scientists, archivists and other stakeholders, is a prominent point of praise within the project's collected feedback from workshop participants. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | https://www.aeolian-network.net/outcomes/ |
| Description | For the five AEOLIAN workshops, we have asked participants, of whom over 50 percent on average are non-academic, to provide feedback on their experience, which as a whole has been very positive. The growing interest in the project has been measured through workshop participation, Twitter followers and engagement, mailing-list subscribers and website visits measured through datastudio (google). Since the launch in February 2021, the AEOLIAN website has had 11,800 views from 4,300 users from the UK, US, Canada, Australia and France, with the workshop recordings and slides being the most visited content. The AEOLIAN JISCMAIL list-serv has 274 subscribers at the time of writing (March 2023). |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Influence on policy - AEOLIAN Case Study 1 referenced in 'The impact of digital technology on arts and culture in the UK' by UK Parliament POST |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | https://post.parliament.uk/research-briefings/post-pn-0669/ |
| Description | Influence on policy - LUSTRE [Unlocking our Digital Past with Artificial Intelligence] |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | The LUSTRE project is still ongoing. We have so far delivered 2 lunchtime talks (in December 2022 and March 2023) and one workshop (in January 2023) at the Cabinet Office in London, as well as a series of interviews with policy makers, industry professionals and academics. In total, the project will deliver: _4 lunchtime talks; _a total of 4 face-to-face workshops; _online survey and 50 semi-structured interviews; _open-access report and journal special issue; _cross-sector network on born-digital archives, connecting government professionals with academics and GLAM professionals. |
| URL | https://lustre-network.net/ |
| Description | Influence on policy - Unlocking our Digital Past |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or improved professional practice |
| Impact | The Unlocking our Digital Past project led to 2 online workshops in June and September 2021, as well as 30 interviews with policy makers and industry professionals from the UK and US. It brought together a wide range people from across the GLAM sector, academia and the civil service to discuss some of the potential ways in which AI can be used to support making born-digital archives more accessible and usable to users, both for the general public and professional researchers. |
| URL | https://unlockingourdigitalpast.com/ |
| Description | "Work with French researchers" scheme funded by AHRC in the UK and LABEX in France, for EyCon (Early Conflict Photography and Visual AI) |
| Amount | £175,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/W008408/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2022 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | Unlocking our Digital Past with Artificial Intelligence (LUSTRE) |
| Amount | £80,647 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | AH/X003132/1 |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2022 |
| End | 07/2023 |
| Description | Collaboration with Catherine Nicole Coleman (Stanford University) |
| Organisation | Stanford University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, building of the AEOLIAN Network. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise and practical knowledge of library sciences, artificial intelligence and computer science. |
| Impact | Catherine Nicole Coleman (Stanford University) chaired for the first Workshop: "Employing machine learning and artificial intelligence in cultural institutions" and is currently preparing our second Case Study on the library collections at Stanford University. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with Claire Warwick (English Department, Durham University) |
| Organisation | Durham University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, cultural heritage and Information Sciences |
| Impact | Delivery of Workshop 3: What challenges do Machine Learning and AI raise in terms of privacy, ethics, research integrity, reproducibility, and bias? |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with Dr Annalina Caputo (School of Computing, Dublin City University) |
| Organisation | Dublin City University |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in Computer Science/ Artificial Intelligence |
| Impact | Co-Authored Case Study on The National Archives for the AEOLIAN project, exploring the TNA's current strategies, projects and policies concerning the use of AI to make born-digital records more accessible. It also addresses other projects and current developments within the wider sector and internationally. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with Paul Gooding (Information Studies, University of Glasgow) |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in Data Science, Information Studies and Digital Humanities |
| Impact | Blog Post: Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) Blog Post. The blog post introduced the AEOLIAN network and its project outputs. It also encouraged readers to join our AEOLIAN list-serv to receive updates on our initiative and latest news. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with The National Archives (UK) |
| Organisation | The National Archives |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Library Science, Archives and current industry policies. |
| Impact | Case study 1: The National Archives (UK). Written by Lise Jaillant, Annalina Caputo, and Katherine Aske on The National Archives UK (TNA). The study examines TNA's current strategies, projects and policies concerning the use of AI to make born-digital records more accessible. It also addresses other projects and current developments within the wider sector and internationally. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Collaboration with University of Illinois |
| Organisation | University of Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities |
| Collaborator Contribution | Working with Glen Layne-Worthey and J. Stephen Downie (HathiTrust Research Center, University of Illinois), and post-doc Ryan Dubnicek, with combined expertise in Digital Humanities, Information Science, project promotion, workshop organisation, publication and editing. |
| Impact | Delivery of Workshop 2: "Reimagining Industry / Academic / Cultural Heritage Partnerships in AI" Project Blog Post: Artificial Intelligence for Libraries, Archives & Museums (AI4LAM) Secured publisher and submissions for the first Special Issue with Journal of Documentation. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Partnership with Educopia |
| Organisation | Educopia Institute |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, project management and networking. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in library science and digital preservation. Attendance at events (up to 4 staff members). |
| Impact | Attendance at and participation in the project's online workshops. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Partnership with Frick Collection |
| Organisation | Frick Collection |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, project management and networking. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in library science and digital preservation. Organisation of Workshop 4, and attendance at events. |
| Impact | Organisation of workshop 4. Attendance at and participation in the project's online workshops. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Partnership with Harvard College Library |
| Organisation | Harvard University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, project management and networking. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in library science. Attendance at events (up to 5 staff members). |
| Impact | Attendance at and participation in the project's online workshops. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Partnership with Indiana University Libraries |
| Organisation | Indiana University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, project management and networking. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in library science and digital preservation. Attendance at events (up to 4 staff members). |
| Impact | Attendance at and participation in the project's online workshops. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Partnership with The National Library of Scotland |
| Organisation | National Library of Scotland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities |
| Collaborator Contribution | Attendance at workshop events (up to 7 staff members) |
| Impact | Attendance at workshops |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Partnership with The National Library of Wales |
| Organisation | National Library of Wales |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, project management and networking. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in library sciences. Attendance at events (up to 4 staff members). |
| Impact | Attendance at and participation in the project's online workshops. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Partnership with University of North Carolina Libraries |
| Organisation | North Carolina State University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, project management and networking. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in library science and digital preservation. Attendance at events (up to 4 staff members). |
| Impact | Attendance at and participation in the project's online workshops. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Partnership with Yale University Library |
| Organisation | Yale University |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, project management and networking. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in library science, working with the Digital Preservation Team and the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library. Attendance at events (Digital Preservation Team, up to 4 staff members / Music Library, 1 staff member). |
| Impact | Attendance at and participation in the project's online workshops. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Partnerships with History of Parliament Trust |
| Organisation | The History of Parliament |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, project management and networking. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in policy. Attendance at events (1 staff member). |
| Impact | Attendance at and participation in the project's online workshops. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Partnerships with Wellcome Collection |
| Organisation | Wellcome Collection |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Expertise in Digital Humanities, project management and networking. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise in library science. Attendance at events (up to 4 staff members). |
| Impact | Attendance at and participation in the project's online workshops. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | AEOLIAN Workshop 1: "Employing Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Cultural Institutions" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The purpose of this first workshop was to bring together key figures in the archive 'circuit', from the creators of data (computer scientists, digital humanists, researchers, and archivists), to users, addressing the employment of ML and AI across the spectrum. The workshop focussed on how AI technologies, and specifically ML models, are being employed within the archival sector. It addressed concerns regarding ethics, collaboration, and innovation within the GLAM [Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums] industry. Over 100 participants attended the workshop from all over the world. We conducted a survey after the workshop and received 34 responses. The majority of these respondents were professionals from the GLAM sector (approx. 45%), with the remaining participants being early career students, academics, and university staff. I) ORGANISATION. Respondents found the workshop extremely useful (35.3%), very useful (55.9%), and useful (8.8%), with most saying the workshop was well-organised (97%). One respondent enjoyed the "flow and structure of the workshop" and was also "grateful for presenters in different roles, e.g. librarians, technicians, curators, etc". Several respondents noted the user-friendly programme, particularly the "perfect length" of the talks and regular breaks. Two described the workshop as "well-organized" and one applauded the "communication and moderation" throughout the workshop. Others said it was "well paced" and "well managed", and that they enjoyed the sense of community in a network welcoming "a wide group of people working in the area of ML & GLAMs." On the whole, the organisation received very positive feedback, with the programme and the range of presentations being particularly noteworthy. II) CONTENT. Nine respondents noted the variety of presentations as the best part of the workshop. In particular, the range and "highly applicable topics" was well received, as was the "high calibre of the presenters", discussions, and the demonstration of ML tools and techniques. Others commented on the relevance of the Keynote presentation as a "theoretical complement" to the earlier panels, and for challenging them to think "beyond immediate projects". Another respondent was glad to attend a workshop "for GLAM institutions", noting they "mostly hear about AI/ML in other fields." One noted the "thoughtful passion and practical work behind the 'AI-positive' presentations", and particularly the "civic-minded" applications of AI covered by the workshop. Others commended the expertise of the presenters and valued their range of knowledge concerning both "big-picture" and "detailed projects". Overall, respondents appreciated the advice and discussion arising from the presentations and Q&A sessions. III) IMPACT. 27 out of the 34 respondents answered the question regarding the impact of the workshop on their own work. This was overwhelmingly positive with the majority of respondents saying it would impact their knowledge of AI and ML, and the way they approach their own projects/work. They said the workshop had revealed new ideas, inspired further reading and detailed not only ML models, but how to apply them in a range of audio, visual and textual contexts. Comments included: "I started thinking about new concepts and I got some new ideas". "I did learn a lot about the broader state and use of AI in cultural heritage and the Digital Humanities, which will help shape my future research and collaborations". "I am quite a newbie to the field, and haven't used many of these tools myself, but it helps me to think through my own problems and how they can be solved." "I am interested in the potential use of AI to aid in this detecting and reassembling of globally dispersed and undocumented indigenous heritage." One respondent said that "considering what others have done to overcome the labor intensive work of training a ML tool to accomplish something" will help to generate important conversations within the GLAM sector, by "becoming more aware of data sets that can be used for some of the training effort." One post-graduate respondent said "I am about to embark on an MA in Archives and Records Management so this is really helpful for me." Others noted that they could now go and "explore some of the different tools" and that the workshop had given them "inspiration for the next edition of our institution's collections information plan". Suggesting the importance of including non-AI specialists, four respondents noted the significance of having conversations with colleagues across the GLAM sector. One claimed that "it was very helpful to learn more about the ways AI is being used to improve access to collections, the importance of working across institutions to ensure this work is done ethically, and being able to network with others working in this space." Generally, the responses welcomed the call to action for sharing resources, learning, and methodologies between archivists, GLAM professionals, AI specialists and digital humanists. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.aeolian-network.net/events/workshop-1-employing-machine-learning-and-artificial-intellig... |
| Description | AEOLIAN Workshop 2: Reimagining Industry / Academic / Cultural Heritage Partnerships in AI |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The purpose of this second workshop was to continue to bring together key figures in the archive 'circuit', from the creators of data (computer scientists, digital humanists, researchers, and archivists), to users, addressing the employment of ML and AI across the spectrum. The workshop focused on the application of innovative AI research methods and collaborations among industry, academia, and cultural institutions, how they are now, and what they might look like in the future. The workshop invited critique, visions, and revisions of what and how these relations might grow with equity and social justice interweaved from the design process onwards; we explored both synergies and differences in the ethics, motivations, and practices implicated in such industry / cultural heritage partnerships, reimagining them for a thoughtful and intentional future within the GLAM [Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums] industry. With 10 international speakers, almost 100 participants attended the workshop from all over the world. Recordings of the presentations are now available to view on the project website. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.aeolian-network.net/category/workshops/ |
| Description | AEOLIAN Workshop 3: "What challenges do Machine Learning and AI raise in terms of privacy, ethics, research integrity, reproducibility, and bias?" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The workshop was online and hosted on ZOOM by Prof. Claire Warwick (project Co-I) at Durham University on Thursday 27th January and Friday 28th January. The workshop, the third in the series, looked at privacy and the uses of AI. It asks how far we, as users and as information professionals, trust AI both in terms of how transparently algorithms are constructed, and what their creators say about them. How far are we able to cut through promotional hype and evaluate the affordances of AI for use in cultural heritage? How do we allow for potential biases in the construction of algorithms? How should we advise potential new users of such technologies? The workshop consisted of two Keynote talks, one on each day, followed by open discussion sessions, where participants will be encouraged to discuss questions, and make recommendations for future action. The Keynotes were from Prof. Jason R. Baron (University of Maryland) and Prof. Alexandra Cristea (Durham University). Over 110 participants registered for the 2-day workshop, 19 of whom were PhD or Postdoctoral students, demonstrating the project's growing engagement and relevance within higher education. The remaining participants were from a diverse range of professions, including academia, neuropsychiatry, management and library services, and ranged from entry level positions to heads of departments. Most registered attendees were from the UK and US, but we also had participants from India, Hungary, Finland, Luxembourg, Greece, Austria, Croatia, Australia, and South America. When asked if the workshop was useful, 100% of survey participants said yes. Comments included that the workshop was 'carefully organised', and included 'exciting topics' relevant to practice, and that they were looking forward to future events. The keynote talks and discussions revealed the relevancy of the project, and the call for a collaborative approach and wider communication across sectors in the use and development of AI technologies in cultural heritage. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.aeolian-network.net/events/workshop-3/ |
| Description | AEOLIAN Workshop 4: "AI/ML: Increasing Access, Visibility, and Engagement" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Of the attendees who provided feedback on the AEOLIAN Workshop 4, 60% were GLAM professionals; the other 40% were an undergraduate student; postdoc (academic); a staff member working with visual resources; and an Early Career Academic (within 6 years of PhD). In their feedback, 70% said that the workshop was 'very useful', with the remaining attendees suggesting it was 'useful'. 100% responses said that the workshop was 'well-organised'. When asked what the workshop did well, one response commented that 'it was a really good balance of actionable projects and ideas (new information) and playful exploration with people in related roles at other institutions. This is especially helpful as I, like many people in a digital role at a smaller institution, am on my own for a lot for this strategic thinking'. Several responses mentioned the quality of the speakers, with the presentations by Elizabeth Merritt and Robert Erdmann being particularly noteworthy. When asked what the workshop could have done better, there were only two comments, one suggesting a timing issue, and another suggesting that they would have liked to see 'emphasis on researcher engagement', but that the 'workshop was excellent'. We also asked if the workshop would have an impact on future work; most responses said yes, and the general tone of the comments was that the workshop inspired further investigation and strategies within attendees' professional work. Overall, the feedback demonstrates the wide impact of the Workshop, not only within professional sectors, within academia, from undergraduate to Early Career. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.aeolian-network.net/events/online-workshop-4/ |
| Description | AEOLIAN Workshop 5: "Making More Sense With Machines: AI/ML Methods for Interrogating and Understanding Our Textual Heritage in the Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This online workshop was hosted by University of Illinois and the HathiTrust Research Center in November 2022. The workshop, the fifth in the series, focused on the work of interrogating documents of many types and scope, with the aim of unlocking their data and making it more accessible and more computable. Our shared goal is to make our heritage digital collections in all subject areas richer and more usable through the application and enhancement of computational methods both old and new. The workshop consisted of a series of presentations by senior academics and industry experts that provided a comprehensive insight into current and future research that highlighted the relevancy of the project, collaborative approach, and created a space for an enriching discussion on both days. It also included Undergraduate research showcase in the form of lighting talks where students were able to present their works-in-progress, and this was much appreciated by the participants. When asked if the workshop was well organised, 100% of survey participants said yes. Attendees also agreed that the workshop was either "very useful" (87.5%) or "useful" (12.5%) to them. Comments included that the workshop was "well-organised" and "very useful", and gave a "comprehensive overview". Key areas that were found useful and appreciated included "the diversity of topics as well as the speakers", "the format and structure of the workshop", the "excellent presentations", and "the relaxed moderation". Almost all the participants said that this will contribute to their respective research projects and introduced them to new avenues for research. The participants especially commented on planning to use "investigating the use of the HahtiTrust services" and future collaboration with academics and industry experts. Some attendees suggested that they would have liked more time for questions, so this will be taken into account for the next workshop. Others have said that they could not attend the whole workshop due to work or childcare issues, and for this reason we will continue to make recordings of the papers available on our project website, where permission has been granted from the speakers. There was a diverse range of presentations that provided a comprehensive overview of the current research and opened opportunities for use in the participants' own research and initiated an on-going dialogue between the presenters and the participants. There was also an almost equal balance of academics and professionals within the GLAM sector, demonstrating the importance of the project's inter-disciplinary focus. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.aeolian-network.net/events/workshop-5/ |
| Description | Blog post by Glen Worthey (Associate Director for Research Support Services in the HathiTrust Research Center, US PI for AEOLIAN) detailing AEOLIAN's work so far. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This second blog post, published on the Artificial Intelligence for Libraries, Archives & Museums website, has been written by Glen Worthey, Associate Director for Research Support Services in the HathiTrust Research Center, based in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Information Sciences. Formed in 2018, AI4LAM is a collaborative framework for libraries, archives and museums to organize, share and elevate their knowledge about and use of artificial intelligence. The blog post details our partnerships and work so far, as well as our upcoming workshop on July 7. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://sites.google.com/view/ai4lam/news/20210609worthey |
| Description | Blog post by Paul Gooding (Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, UK Co-I for AEOLIAN) introducing the AEOLIAN project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The first blog post, written by Paul Gooding, Senior Lecturer in Information Studies at the University of Glasgow, was published on the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) blog. A not-for-profit membership organization, the DPC was founded in 2002, and now gathers more than 100 agencies from 13 countries. The blog post introduces the AEOLIAN network and its project outputs. It also encouraged readers to join our AEOLIAN list-serv to receive updates on our initiative and latest news. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.dpconline.org/blog/aeolian-paul-gooding |
| Description | Feature in ARC Magazine by Katie Aske, title: 'Better Together: AEOLIAN Network's First Workshop' (October 2021) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr Katie Aske, Research Assistant for the AEOLIAN Network at Loughborough University, discusses the key outcomes of the network's first workshop which addressed the ways in which Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence can be leveraged to help organise, search and understand digital collections across the sector. Aske, K. 'Better Together: AEOLIAN Network's First Workshop', Feature in ARC Magazine, Issue 381, Archives & Records Association, pp. 25-27. ISSN: 2632-7171 (Sept-Oct 2021). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.archives.org.uk/arc-magazine |
| Description | Interview for American Library Association's Choose Privacy Every Day blog |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Virginia Dressler, Digital Projects Librarian at Kent State University interviewed Glen Worthey (AEOLIAN US Director) for the American Library Association's Choose Privacy Every Day blog: "Artificial Intelligence for Cultural Organizations (AEOLIAN) NEH Grant". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://chooseprivacyeveryday.org/artificial-intelligence-for-cultural-organizations-aeolian-neh-gra... |
| Description | News Eye interview with Lise Jaillant about the AEOLIAN Network. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Amanda Maunoury, National Library of France, interviews Lise Jaillant in "Artificial Intelligence for Cultural Organisations: A Conversation with Dr Lise Jaillant" for the News Eye blog. They discuss the project, the background and the future of the network. The post also encourages readers to join the AEOLIAN mailing list. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.newseye.eu/blog/news/an-interview-with-lisa-jaillant-uk-principal-investigator-for-the-a... |
| Description | Open Access Case Study on The National Archives UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This first case study is written by Lise Jaillant, Annalina Caputo, and Katherine Aske on The National Archives UK (TNA). The study examines TNA's current strategies, projects and policies concerning the use of AI to make born-digital records more accessible. It also addresses other projects and current developments within the wider sector and internationally, and highlights key areas for future research and collaborations. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.aeolian-network.net/case-studies/ |
| Description | Review of AEOLIAN Workshop 1 'Employing Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Cultural Institutions Workshop', by Adrian Stevenson (Technical Innovations Manager of Digital Resources at Jisc) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Adrian Stevenson, Technical Innovations Manager of Digital Resources at Jisc reviews the first workshop from the AEOLIAN project for Archives Hub. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://blog.archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/2021/07/09/employing-machine-learning-and-artificial-intelligenc... |