Collections as Data: A Data Literacy Tool for Community Engagement

The Collections as Data initiative begun by Thomas Padilla strives to reframe digital objects as data that is community-oriented, contextualized for easy reusability, and empowering reimagination in creative ways. In an effort to increase the accessibility of University Libraries archival collections to researchers and students, we began investigating the feasibility of this initiative on our campus using the digitized South Haven Lighthouse Log Collection as a starting point. The lighthouse logs are a series of digitized journals originally compiled at South Pierhead Light in South Haven, Michigan, recording passing vessels, weather remarks and lighthouse expenditures between 1878-1892. A collection assessment in early 2020 set up document structures and time estimates, resulting in remote internships during the pandemic and two curated datasets published in 2022. In an effort to increase dataset reusability within the community, we developed K-12 lesson templates from the datasets that sought to expose students to data literacy through the use of primary source materials in their social studies and science curriculums. Template materials were adapted to post-secondary education, envisioned as a workshop in a data education series that demonstrated combining datasets, targeted analysis, good data management practices in research, and critically examining data sources from the past and present. This collection pilot led to a reassessment of collection as data candidates, with emphasis placed on student experience and community impact. This case is presented to inspire librarians to consider how their collections can be reimagined into accessible, documented data that meet community needs.