July 31, 2024
Technological literacy and accessibility are increasingly important in a growing digital world, and students at SCI are putting their classroom knowledge on the subject into action. Rachel Rossi, a recent recipient of a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the School of Computing and Information (SCI), is one such student.
“Libraries and information sciences translate across so many different fields!” said Rossi. Specialized libraries, she continued, “often require a deep understanding of the unique information needs and regulatory requirements of their specific fields and can often complement a previous area of study you pursued.”
Rossi currently serves as the Metadata Team Lead of the HTML Program with the Library of Congress. Working to enhance accessibility the Library of Congress’s website and its information to promote discovery, Rossi also maintains a position at the Barco Law Library as the Public Services and Circulation Specialist in addition to doing archival work where they oversee the management and access of various materials at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
This field’s interdisciplinary nature requires students and professionals to identify information needs and develop creative works to curate digital interfaces and exhibits that are accessible, informative, and engaging. In Rossi’s own words, an “MLIS education will prepare you to identify and execute complex information challenges and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in various settings.”
At Barco Law Archives and Special Collections (ASC) alone, Rossi has had the opportunity to exercise their skills in visual design and information organization to contribute a variety of resources and research guides for upper-level students, including interactive modules and tutorials to forward the library’s mission of “fostering teaching, learning, and student success.”
Just this past June, Rossi reached three years working at Barco. The position had just opened when she began searching for library jobs at the University of Pittsburgh—where she already knew she wanted to pursue her MLIS—and she knew she enjoyed creating informative and education digital experiences to make historical archives more relatable and accessible.
Toward the end of her MLIS program, Rossi won the ALL-SIS Digital Publication Award from the American Association of Law Libraries for one of her digital exhibits archiving the life and work of Robert Berkley Harper, the University of Pittsburgh’s first Black tenured law professor.
Rossi expresses that both SCI and Pitt have been instrumental, saying that their experiences at Barco Law Library provided the practical experience to apply their knowledge in the real world. In the future, Rossi looks forward to continuing their work in archiving and preservation. By prioritizing a human-centered approach over the more traditional historical lenses that aimed for neutrality, she plans to foster inclusivity and a more comprehensive history.
“What makes this work worthwhile is creating spaces that reflect and reckon with the marginalized experiences and histories in our local community, while being able to use these mediums to express a high level of creativity and integrity,” said Rossi, who hopes to become a University Archivist one day.
At the end of July, Rossi presented a webinar on her work for Pitt Law titled “Increasing Visibility of Key Collections: Digital Commons Exhibits at Pitt Law.” It also explored digital exhibits as tools to enhance the visibility of archival collections and histories.
Rossi encourages other students pursuing library and information sciences to advocate and support each other in their studies and careers.
“Be present in whatever capacity you can,” Rossi said. “Supporting one another enhances our collective impact; it’s important to impart our skills through knowledge sharing and mentorship so others can learn, flourish, and find their footing in the field.”
--Gwyneth Bessey