DCDC21 | Changing the narrative in times of crisis
Channel: ResearchLibrariesUK
Date: 2021-07-05

- -DCDC stands for Discovering Collections, Discovering Communities. It is a cross-sectoral conference, hosted by The National Archives, RLUK and Jisc, that brings together the GLAMA sectors (galleries, libraries, archives, museums and academia) to shine a light on our shared experiences, innovations, interests and concerns. The DCDC21 Conference explored how crisis can act as a catalyst for change within libraries, archives, museums, and cultural organisations. https://dcdcconference.com/

Digital Heritage in 60 Seconds: Reinterpreting Narratives on TikTok 
Eleanor Capaldi, University of Edinburgh

Participation in the reinterpretation of heritage online has seen the rise of the TikTok curator. The confluence of a distinct social platform alongside stay at home restrictions during the pandemic brought about conditions for a surge in usage. Trends previously observed in a case study for National Galleries of Scotland showed that contributors on social media would share images taken in the galleries, attaching to them either personal insights, or presenting them in the style of curators. This paper takes this investigation further, exploring how the 60 second format has been utilised by curator-contributors, focusing on LGBTQ+ communities. 

Dank Memes with Exclusionary Themes: Cultural institutions, social media, and perpetuating cultural hegemony online 
Laura March, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Social media became one of the few ways cultural institutions were able to engage with their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, some online content reproduces – and amplifies – inequalities already present in libraries, museums, and archives. This presentation analyses examples of viral posts by prominent institutions to reveal how power and privilege can manifest digitally. Attendees will learn how to assess virtual content through Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony to determine whether their organisation perpetuates or adequately addresses social inequality through their online presence. 

Catalogues as Data: Challenging the Narrative 
Caroline Bolton, University of Leeds

Within a legacy of narrative catalogue descriptions lie the un/conscious biases of those who wrote them and the societies within which they were written. Where individuals and communities have been misrepresented, marginalised or ignored, this undermines inclusivity and presents a barrier to accessing collections today. This session looks at the opportunities for addressing this identified within a TNA/RLUK Professional Fellowship

- 'Catalogues as Data: Re-imagining Archival Practice', including:
- methods for identifying and treating offensive terminology
- enriching descriptions with structured (and linked) identifiers to make previously hidden stories discoverable 
- engaging remote volunteers and researchers in data curation