Blog topic: Digital library

New features available for Spotlight at Stanford

In early March 2020, an engineering team from Digital Library Systems and Services concluded a 2-month work cycle to make significant improvements to Spotlight at Stanford, our platform that supports digital showcases for research and teaching -- also known as "exhibits." As requested and highly prioritized by Stanford Libraries' curators, bibliographers and other exhibit creators, we released new features that enhance both discoverability and discovery for exhibits. The new features are described in detail, below.

At the VALA2020 conference on Libraries and Technology last month I stated, as I have in numerous other presentations, reports, and recommendations, that implementations of technology (and I am usually speaking about AI) in libraries should reflect the ethos of the library. I say this not because the ethos of the library is correct, just, or even well-defined; but it is something to which we who work in libraries can be held accountable.

Lighting the Way: A National Forum on Archival Discovery and Delivery kicks off with a series of livestreamed presentations on archival discovery and delivery on February 10, 2020 from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM Pacific Standard Time (GMT-8).

We encourage you to register for the livestream in advance so you can join in for what we hope will be an engaging set of presentations on four key themes:

• The Evolving Systems Ecosystem: What software and other systems do we use to make archival discovery and delivery possible, and how is that changing within institutional contexts?
• Networks and the Big Picture: What issues are impacting archives and libraries at the level of the sector, consortia, or beyond, related to discovery and delivery?
• Ethical, Legal, and Cultural Concerns: How have factors like privacy, cultural protocols, copyright, and others impacted our ability to address archival discovery and delivery, on a technical, operational, or strategic level? 
• Impacts on Public Services and Outreach: How does archival discovery and delivery fit within the front-line work of library and archives workers focused on reference, outreach, public service, and community needs?

For more information on the event, see agenda and detailed list of presentations. Follow the event on Twitter using the hashtag #LTWForum.