25 Association of Research Libraries Research Library Issues 300 2020 the creation and transference of new knowledge in the service of the University of Miami and a plurality of audiences, objectives that are severely hampered if collaborations do not move beyond simple object sharing. Digital Collaborations The enhanced reliance upon and inclusion of digital technologies into both LAM and UML’s work have also helped to facilitate a shared commitment to stronger, fuller collaborations. Illustrative in this regard is UMLLAM’s combined response to a fall 2018 call for proposals for developing mixed-reality applications. Sponsored jointly by UM and Magic Leap,12 this internal competition sought innovative digital projects intentionally designed to foster, promote, and support research, teaching, and public outreach. The museum and libraries’ successful proposal took as its organizing principle Radical Conventions: Cuban American Art from the 1980s, a groundbreaking exhibition curated by Elizabeth Cerejido, Esperanza Bravo de Varona Chair and Director of UML’s Cuban Heritage Collection, and slated for exhibition at LAM in summer 2021. Specifically, UMLLAM will create a new app that, using Magic Leap devices, will allow constituents to interact with works featured in Radical Conventions through unique visual and auditory experiences. These works include voice recordings of individuals who were a part of the Mariel Boatlift (an overarching theme of the show, which commemorates the 40th anniversary of this historic event) as well as opportunities for guests to contribute their own oral histories through prompts keyed to specific exhibition objects. These personal narratives will be added to other crowdsourced content stored on an augmented reality (AR) cloud, ensuring persistent availability and ease of access and use. The Digital Turn: Before, during, and after COVID-19 On Monday, March 16, 2020, the University of Miami swiftly and decisively suspended virtually all in-person operations on its three campuses in response to the mounting global health emergency. UM,
Previous Page Next Page