My name is Madeline Streeter, I’m a Master of Library and Information Science student at Syracuse University with a focus in digital archives, particularly as they deal with accessibility and cultural heritage. I was able to attend through the support of the scholarship program, which sent me through a very welcoming first-timer pathway of introduction.

As someone less versed in the data aspects of my professional area, my primary interest in attending was to expand my knowledge and awareness of contemporary data projects, issues, and discussions particularly as they interact with archival spaces. I have to admit, though, there was an amount of trepidation as to how “beginner-friendly” my conference experience might be, given my freshness to the scene.

The 2026 RDAP Summit met my hopes and then surpassed them. Through the Summit Buddy program I was swiftly connected with Rachel Woodbrook who shared mutual interest in data ethics, accessibility, and interactions with cultural heritage organizations. She was able to speak with me on her work in those areas as well as to provide me with a good preemptive sense of the community of RDAP, coming from a longstanding role of involvement and active organizational planning. What particularly stood out to me in that conversation is something that carried forward throughout the summit; a concept of RDAP as a setting to tangibly address modern anxieties around data and archives, and to build communal support in the process.

In particular, I was struck by how much the summit did not merely dwell in the struggle of the ongoing climate, but provided actionable avenues and resources. The keynote address introduced me to the Data Rescue Project and its extensive response efforts to emergencies of public data. As the project is highly dependent on volunteers, it was meaningful to see the talk present many ways in which a person in my situation could become involved. I felt the immediate drive to action, an energy which set the tone of the program.

Talks such as “Addressing Ethical Tensions in Archiving and Sharing Anthropological Research Data”, “Collections-as-data in the real world”, and “‘Our repository doesn’t publish sensitive data...’: But how do we put this into practice?” were grounded conversations that provided insight on the specific sort of contemporary practices that I am grateful to be able to bring as a basis to my future work.

In particular, Celia Emmelhainz’s remarks on archival labor and concern for worker wellbeing addressed a topic that I found to be underrepresented and yet incredibly resonant. She quoted something to the effect of “We cannot fix the harms of the past by harming the workers of the present”, and I know that the sentiment will be sticking with me throughout my career.

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference through the generosity of the scholarship program. I was able to strengthen my sense of community, stay informed, and find new steps forward. I would heartily express the RDAP summit as an event that truly meets the moment.