Databases for the People: How to use AI to unlock library archives

​Join Aboard for a night of conversation with Josh Hadro, acting chief of the Library of Congress Digital Innovation Division, as he discusses an archives-focused personal passion project: The Directory Pipeline, an AI-powered tool that turns digital library collections into structured data. (One example, based on page scans from NYPL's Schomburg Center, is a digital directory of the library's collection of Jim Crow–era travel guides for Black travelers.) Aboard president Paul Ford will moderate the discussion to be followed by an audience Q&A. Come eat, drink, talk, and listen! It's going to be a great evening.

​Doors open at 6PM and the discussion should get under way around 6:30.

​Josh Hadro is currently the acting chief of the Library of Congress Digital Innovation Division, also known as LC Labs, though he’ll be speaking in personal capacity. Josh served previously as the Managing Director of the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) Consortium, where he coordinated the strategy and business affairs of the nonprofit that supports the IIIF open technology standard. Prior to that, Hadro worked at The New York Public Library where he served as the Associate Director for Digital Policy, and as the Deputy Director for NYPL Labs, which fostered innovation at the library and melded emerging technologies with traditional library practices. He lives in Brooklyn, NY, with his spouse, two kids, and two cats.