The CDSC traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to celebrate the ninth iteration of The Caribbean Digital (TCD) conference. TCD is an annual international event that has been held in the United States and the Caribbean since 2014. After two years of virtual gathering in 2020 and 2021, TCD convened this year at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus.

The first day started with a workshop led by CDSC Co-PI Alex Gil, titled “Collection Data and Caribbean Cultural Heritage.” Gil introduced attendees to digital collections and exhibits by showcasing Omeka-S and Wax. During the workshop, Gil reflected upon the importance of community work and the potential of minimal computing. He also invited attendees to imagine diverse uses of technology that can serve the interests and needs of the Caribbean.

The question of access, preservation, and knowledge systems continued the next day with two thought-provoking panels. In the first session, Nicté Fuller-Medina, Stephanie Chancy, and Jessica Marie Johnson discussed the dilemmas of preservation and the production of historical narratives. Fuller-Medina, Chancy, and Johnson’s work, which centers on Belize’s linguistic diversity, Haiti’s built heritage, and Black Puerto Ricans, respectively, constitute important examples of the potential routes to rethinking historical heritage and preservation. As Johnson states, “[our work] is not just about data, it is about stories and about people.” This work thus requires critical thinking about how historical evidence can shape our notions of the past and about how people engage with these narratives in their everyday lives.

The afternoon session continued with Jeanmary Lugo, Joel Blanco, and Valeria Fernández, who have done extensive archival and community projects in Puerto Rico. The presenters discussed, for example, archiving and documenting issues of the present, such as the #RickyRenuncia movement in March 2019. They also discussed the need for community-centered work. When talking about the potential of Digital Humanities, Lugo states, “we need to develop a network of professionals and institutions that document and share resources, who create products that help our immediate communities according to their needs, realities, and limitations.” Lugo, Blanco, and Fernández’s work exemplify how local librarians and archivists can create forms of preserving political mobilization in Puerto Rico. They demonstrate how Caribbean specialists use digital technologies with a critical, anti-racist outlook to redefine notions of documenting and analyzing our past and present.

The Caribbean Digital was a vital space for conversations about the present and the future of data curation and digital collections. The conference gave a platform to researchers, librarians, and educators who are doing important work in and about the Caribbean. We thank all the participants and collaborators who made this conference possible!

A recording of the panels is available on The Caribbean Digital IX website.