Earlier this summer, I had the opportunity to speak at the ‘Digital Humanities Today: Critical Inquiry with and about the Digital’, an international conference hosted by the Department of Digital Humanities at King’s College London. The conference, which took place on 23-26 June, marked two significant milestones in the department’s history: the 25th anniversary of the Centre for Computing in the Humanities becoming a department at King’s and the 15th anniversary of its renaming as the Department of Digital Humanities. It brought together scholars and practitioners from around the world to explore how digital technologies are transforming research, culture and society, while also prompting important conversations about power, equity, sustainability and representation.
One of the themes that particularly resonated with me throughout the conference was the idea that digital technologies are never neutral. They shape, and are shaped by, the social, cultural and institutional contexts in which they are developed and used. Listening to presentations and discussions, it became clear that many of the questions being explored within Digital Humanities are also central to the work of research libraries. As libraries increasingly sit at the intersection of collections, technology, scholarship and community engagement, they have an important role to play in ensuring that innovation is guided by principles of inclusion and responsibility.
For many years, research libraries have been defined by their mission to provide access to knowledge. In my talk, I explored how their role has evolved beyond the provision of access alone to consider whose knowledge is represented in collections, who has opportunities to participate in research, and how digital technologies can support more inclusive approaches to collection discovery, teaching and scholarship. Drawing on recent RLUK research projects and wider discussions across the RLUK community, I reflected on some of the ways member libraries are embedding equity, diversity and inclusion into their collections, services and professional practice.
The first area I explored was collection-based decolonisation. Research undertaken by RLUK’s Decolonisation Group found that many libraries are reviewing cataloguing practices, metadata, collection development policies and institutional histories to make collections more representative, inclusive and discoverable. Rather than simply diversifying collections by acquiring new material, institutions are critically examining how knowledge has historically been organised and described, often working in partnership with researchers, students and communities to uncover voices that have been overlooked or marginalised. The research also highlighted that sustainable progress depends on institutional commitment, with clear strategies and policies providing the foundation for long-term change.
My talk also examined how digital innovation can reduce barriers to participation. Services such as Virtual Reading Rooms and Virtual Teaching Spaces, first developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, now enable researchers and students to consult non-digitised collections remotely through live, staff-mediated sessions. These services have expanded access for users who face geographical, financial or accessibility barriers, demonstrating how technology can promote inclusion when it is tailored to users’ needs and supported by library expertise.
The final part of my presentation focused on the growing role of artificial intelligence in research libraries. Institutions have been exploring how AI can enhance access to collections through activities such as metadata enhancement, and improve discovery across increasingly large and complex collections, helping reveal connections and perspectives that might otherwise remain hidden. However, during this part, I wanted to emphasise that research libraries are approaching these developments thoughtfully. Rather than viewing AI simply as a technological opportunity, libraries recognise the importance of adopting it responsibly, with careful consideration of issues such as bias, transparency, accountability and environmental sustainability.
A key takeaway from discussing these different areas was that creating more inclusive collections and services depends on investing in people as much as in technology. Digital tools can create new opportunities, but lasting change depends on supporting library professionals to develop new skills and on embedding equity, diversity and inclusion throughout organisational culture, leadership and everyday practice.
Overall, the conference provided an excellent opportunity to reflect on how the experiences of research libraries can contribute to wider conversations within Digital Humanities. One of the key messages from my talk was that moving beyond access means looking not only at how information is made available, but also at how knowledge is created, organised and interpreted. As digital technologies continue to reshape research and cultural heritage, libraries have an important role to play in ensuring that innovation is guided by principles of inclusion, collaboration and responsible practice.
You can view the presentation slides below.
Author spotlight: Christina Kamposiori, Executive Programme Officer
Christina is interested in the role of the research library in supporting scholarship and fostering innovation in the digital age. She has also an interest in audience engagement and the facilitation of research and learning through collections.
