LIS Student Reflection: David Castro, San Jose State University

MLS Student David Castro answers a series of questions on the collection she built for the LIS Student program and the program overall. David was one of the participants in the 2024 LIS Student Program.

David Castro

David Castro is the Special Collections & Archives Processing Specialist at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona and a recent graduate of San Jose State's Master of Library and Information Science Program. He aims to simplify the process of building digital collections for his local community, showing how technology can be useful for preserving personal history.

LIS Student Reflection: David Castro

My Experience within the CollectionBuilder LIS Student Program

During my time in the CollectionBuilder LIS Student Program, I participated in the Family Archives Project, a collaborative effort aimed at preserving and showcasing family photos and films of significant personal and historical value to each group member. Our created collection site serves as a digital repository, not only preserving these memories but also offering insights into our diverse family histories and cultural backgrounds.

CollectionBuilder provided a user-friendly interface, making it accessible even for those with limited technical expertise. Its customization options allowed us to tailor the website’s design and functionality specifically for our Family Archives Project. We were able to customize page layouts, incorporate unique features like tables, maps, and timelines, and ensure smooth navigation.

Despite its user-friendly design, mastering CollectionBuilder involved a learning curve. Tasks such as constructing spreadsheets and manipulating code required using tools like GitHub, Git, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Ruby, and Jekyll. Particularly challenging was understanding how to use the command line within VS Code and navigating the interaction between GitHub and VS Code, including the “pull” and “push” processes.

However, the comprehensive documentation provided by CollectionBuilder and instructional videos from their team were invaluable resources whenever assistance or reminders were needed.

I highly recommend CollectionBuilder to anyone interested. While there is a learning curve, especially for those less familiar with coding and technical environments, the effort is rewarding. I believe CollectionBuilder enables creation and sharing of digital collections with the public, and I personally plan to continue using it to digitize my extensive collection of family photos and films. This platform not only serves as a staging area for digital items but also allows me to create a meaningful visual narrative connecting all items.

Looking forward, I aspire to become a digital archivist for an academic library, where I can assist the university and broader community in publishing their histories online. Through continued practice with CollectionBuilder and the Lib-Static methodology, I aim to develop a solid foundation to support others in their learning journeys.