2026 Conference Programs

Session

W11: Archivist as Architect: The Hidden Labor of Managing Digital Infrastructure

Time:

Wednesday, 14/Oct/2026:

3:30pm - 4:20pm

Location: Breakout 3

Presentations

Archivist as Architect: The Hidden Labor of Managing Digital Infrastructure

Kelli O'Toole, Caleb Simone

Department of Records and Information Services, United States of America

Brief Abstract

This presentation explores the expanding yet hidden archival labor of managing digital infrastructure, focusing on how archivists are responsible for ensuring interoperability between independent systems. We explore the tension between the invisibility of digital labor within a historically women’s profession and the profitability of tech-centered work in male dominated fields.