“A Nation without Archives Is like Eyes without Sight” (“Ummad aan dhigaal lahayni, waa dhaayo aan arag lahayn.”) - Abdi M. Roble, photographer, archivist, friend
Abdi’s comparison is worth discussion. While no simile is perfect for comparison, is it implying that “sight” is “insight”? Can we compile and not really understand? Then what is a historian? An archivist? A genealogist? Are they different from a chronicler? A storyteller? A wise elder? The “boys around the cracker barrel”? And how does the user, the consumer, the library patron view this smorgasbord of interpretation, now “enhanced” by AI?
In this plenary, presented by Doreen Uhas-Sauer, we examine the joys and mysteries of archiving, how our work creates informed discussion, and how our work can be used in surprising ways. Uhas-Sauer also covers what goes into her "Place Based" interpretations and provides a sampling of her work with a brief exploration of the surrounding University District.
Doreen Uhas-Sauer is a retired Columbus City Schools veteran classroom teacher of 40 years and former Ohio Teacher of the Year. She currently works with the Columbus Metropolitan Library doing research and scripts for Columbus neighborhood walking tours. Over the years, Ms. Uhas-Sauer has received awards in education, historic preservation, and civic engagement; co-authored several books; worked with local teachers in Eastern Europe, co-sharing the importance of nineteenth-century local history archives for interpreting twentieth-century issues; and worked with WOSU Columbus Neighborhoods.
She currently serves on the boards of the State of Ohio Historic Preservation, Green Lawn Cemetery, the Rickenbacker/Woods Foundation, the Ohio National Road Association, the University District Organization, the Ohio America 250 Committee for Untold Stories, and several other charitable non-profits—all of which provide opportunities to examine under-told stories, creating based-in-place documentable interpretation.
In 2025, Uhas-Sauer was recognized for her lifetime involvement with humanities by the Ohio Humanities Council and for her work with the University Area Commission by Columbus mayor Ginther. Her story was featured in the Columbus Dispatch as “The City’’s History Teacher.” She currently has several projects underway, working on a historic and rare map book of Columbus with co-author Tom Betti; helping students at the Rickenbacker / Woods Foundation to document the true history of Columbus-born inventor Granville T. Woods and to use obituaries and historical context to create vignettes about housing advocates for on-line posts for Columbus’’s Social Justice Park; and is with others to use archives and landmarks to “rebrand” the too-often unknown or mythological tales of Columbus’s University District.
Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming archival work—from description and discovery to access and outreach. This interactive roundtable brings together archivists from diverse institutions to share how they are experimenting with AI tools in their daily practice, especially in settings with limited technical support. Each speaker will offer a brief presentation on their institution’s use of AI, followed by a facilitated discussion with the audience about the opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations that come with integrating AI into archival workflows.
Larissa Krayer (University of Nebraska Medical Center) will discuss using generative AI to generate alt text and metadata for accessibility. Estée O’Connor (Racine Dominican Archive) will share how AI transcription tools have revolutionized oral history workflows for a solo archivist managing a large and complex repository. Meghan Courtney (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan) will reflect on student use of chatbots in archival discovery and the implications for archival pedagogy. Pete Brink (Creighton University Libraries) will explore AI-assisted description of handwritten correspondence and the development of a university history chatbot, framed within Jesuit ethical inquiry.
Following the main discussion, you will be invited to participate in small, moderated breakout groups to share your own experiences, questions, and concerns in a more focused setting. These collaborative conversations will be structured around key themes—such as ethics, accessibility, and resource limitations—to foster a practical dialogue on implementation. The session aims to encourage you, regardless of your institution's size or resources, to responsibly and creatively engage with AI and leave with actionable strategies for your own settings.
Speakers Larissa Krayer, University of Nebraska Medical Center (Session Chair) Pete Brink, Creighton University Meghan Courtney, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan Estée O’Connor, Racine Dominican Archive
