As the Head of Archives & Special Collections and Digital Collections Librarian, Emily provides strategic leadership and vision for programs and services that document, preserve, and share the rich historical legacy of the WPI community. In her role, she also leads efforts to organize, preserve, describe, and provide access to born-digital and digitized archival materials, especially in her work with the Digital WPI repository. Her professional interests center on metadata wrangling, digital storytelling, and the integration of technology to strengthen preservation and access. Emily enjoys connecting with partners on campus and connecting people with resources.

Education
M.S. in Library Science, Texas Woman's University
B.S. in Computer Information Systems, Bentley University
Profile photo of Emily Ping O'Brien
Publications

Digital solutions and process optimisation: A case study at a small university archive
Journal of Digital Media Management · Mar 1, 2025
https://doi.org/10.69554/BBLA8855

Giving Data Back through Computational Scholarship
Archival Outlook, Society of American Archivists · Jul 1, 2023
https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?i=798391

A Framework for Unlocking and Linking WWII Japanese American Incarceration Biographical DataA Framework for Unlocking and Linking WWII Japanese American Incarceration Biographical Data
2021 IEEE International Conference on Big Data (Big Data): Computational Archival Science Workshop · Jan 13, 2022
https://doi.org/10.1109/BigData52589.2021.9671578

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being

SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

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SDG 4: Quality Education

SDG 4: Quality Education - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

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SDG 5: Gender Equality

SDG 5: Gender Equality - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

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SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

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SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities - Reduce inequality within and among countries

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SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

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