Assoc ProfessorAmber Cushing

My main area of interest is broadly described as exploring the context of maintaining digital information over time. 

At the institutional level, digital preservation is not only about technology, but also about the social context in which the technology is applied and utilised. A focus on the "how and when" of maintaining digital archives collections is an important issue to consider in deciding how cultural heritage institutions can adapt and/or adopt novel technology, such as AI. These decisions impact those who access and use the heritage material, as well as those who work to maintain it. I apply my expertise to conduct research about digital preservation work practices, education and training.

At the personal level, I explore how personal information is maintained over time. I am most interested in how technology and social contexts collide in these spaces and the impact on those who manage and use these collections (which straddles humanities and social science areas). This can include such things as why and how people maintain a personal or family collection over time or the ways in which cultural heritage institutions attempts to personalise access to their collections via apps. I am happy to hear from prospective collaborators, students, and/or postdocs working in the broad areas of information behaviour and cultural heritage.

I teach modules on the topics of digital curation, personal information management, information and social media, and research methods.

I earned my Ph.D. at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I hold an MLIS with a concentration in Archives Management from Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science and a BA in History from Mount Holyoke College.

Before my academic career, I worked as a librarian and information consultant and utilise knowledge gained from these experiences to inform research and teaching.