Carlyn Grace Osborn, MLIS, CSPO
carlyn(at)hey(dot)com. Updated May 2024.
Education
The University of Maryland. College of Information Studies. MLIS, Dec. 2017.
The Johns Hopkins University. Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. BA, May 2014.
Cranbrook Schools. Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School. 2010.
Professional Certifications
Certified Scrum Product Owner® (CSPO®). Scrum Alliance. December 2023. Credential ID 001520624.
Certificate in Business Analytics. Harvard Business School Online. December 2020.
Professional Experience
Community Manager & Digital Collections Librarian. Library of Congress, Digital Services | Washington, DC | Jan. 2020 - Present
Led the development of the By the People program’s user personas. Develop product content and communications targeted for specific specific personas. Collaborate with developers and UX team to prioritize feature development based on user personas and follow-up user survey.
Established the agency's first-ever digital collections newsletter, "What's New Online at the Library of Congress." Compiles, edits, and publishes to both internal and external audiences, with a total readership of 87,000 subscribers. View all issues at https://blogs.loc.gov/thesignal/category/new-on-loc-gov/
Develops and executes communications for the user-engagement program, By the People (crowd.loc.gov), with a user base of 40,000+. Ensures that internal and external messaging is consistent with, and supports, the agency’s mission, vision, and digital strategy. Develops a full range of communications products to inform the public, stakeholders, and management on program’s success, milestones, new features, and policy changes.
Acts as Subject Matter Expert (SME) for all reporting policies and procedures for the program. Independently gathers, analyzes, summarizes, and visualizes a wide variety of measures of success. Uses findings and visualizations to make updates to the Program and makes recommendations based on analysis.
Science Librarian. Library of Congress, Science Reference Section | Washington, DC | Aug. 2022 - Jan. 2023
Served on a 180-day detail ton the Science Reference Section of the Science, Technical Reports, and Business Division. Served as the frontline reference service point for 175 hours for the Division, triaging multiple patrons’ needs both online and in-person, and incorporating colleague SMEs as needed. Provided feedback on digitization proposals, technical reports processing workflows, and delivered outlines and recommendations for future LibGuide development.
Digital Content Specialist. Library of Congress, Digital Services | Washington, DC | Jan. 2018 – Jan. 2020
Lead editor for Division’s blog, “The Signal.” Schedule, coordinate, and facilitate editorial meetings and maintain production calendar utilized by the rest of the editorial team. Continues to serve as lead editor following promotion to Community Manager in 2020.
Partner with internal teams and technical teammates to develop deliverables communicating the impact of our newly-created Division. Create original slide decks and speaker talking points for members of leadership to orient colleagues on our impact and outcomes.
Collections Technician. Library of Congress, Geography & Map Division | Washington, DC | Jan. 2015 – Jan. 2018
Creator and founding editor of Division’s first public-facing blog, “World’s Revealed.” Compose original copy for external audiences and collaborate with a wide range of colleagues to develop content.
Participate in user engagement events to communicate Division’s offerings and opportunities to existing and future end-users.
Access Services Assistant. Johns Hopkins University, Sheridan Libraries | Baltimore, MD | May 2014 – Jan. 2015
Onboard and train new staff in executing workflows, conveying policies clearly and concisely to end-users, and applying judgment when resolving conflicts with users.
Troubleshoot complex user inquiries and communicate existing departmental policies to stakeholders in disparate areas of the organization.
Presentations, invited talks, research posters, & publications
“By the People Crowdsourcing Datasets from the Library of Congress.” Journal of Open Humanities Data, February 4, 2022. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/johd.67
“Transcribing Together in Times of Crisis: By the People in 2020” with Lauren Algee. Museums Computer Group, Museums+Tech 2020. December 9, 2020.
“By the People & Rough Rider to Bull Moose: Letters to Theodore Roosevelt” with Michelle Krowl. Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site. October 27, 2020.
“Douglass Day 2021: Learning about By the People & the Library of Congress” with Lauren Algee. Center for Black Digital Research, Penn State University. October 1, 2020.
“Crowdsourcing and E-Volunteers: Two National Examples” with Eric Schmaltz, USHMM. Southeastern Museum Conference, Tuesday Talks Series. June 30, 2020.
“How Do Levels of Description Affect Discoverability of the Web Archives at the Library of Congress?” 2019 Society of American Archivists Research Forum. Friday, August 2, 2019.
“Science Between the Visualizable and Computable: Astronomy and Neuroscience” 2016 REMS Capstone Presentations, University of Michigan School of Information. August 17, 2016. Capstone research poster.
Fellowships, grants, and awards
Librarian of Congress Award. Recipient of an inaugural Librarian of Congress Award as a member of the Library Legal Reports
Archive Team. Granted May 2024.
Special Achievement Award. Group recognition award for administering internal staff engagement activities at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Granted June 2021.
“Science Between the Visualizable and the Computable.” $10,000 funded research fellowship from the University of Michigan School of Information. Funding provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services grant RE-01-15-0086-15. May - August 2016.
Media Coverage and Interviews
“Library of Congress Seeks Volunteers to Transcribe Letters to Theodore Roosevelt” by Livia Gershon. Smithsonian Magazine. December 4, 2020.
“Library of Congress enlisting volunteers to help transcribe documents” by Jarod Serbu. Federal News Network. August 25, 2020.
“Lincoln’s mail included advice, warnings and a call to shoot deserters: The Library of Congress’s massive ‘Letters to Lincoln’ transcription project shows what filled the president’s mailbox” by Michael E. Ruane. The Washington Post. August 10, 2020.
“Five Questions with Carlyn Osborn of the Digital Content Management Section” by Danna Bell. Teaching with the Library of Congress. July 8, 2020.
“History at Home” by Joanna Wendel. The Pursuit of History . May 28, 2020.
“Congratulations Carlyn Osborn, UMSI’s “Research Experience for Master’s Students” Fellow” by Faith Rusk. blogMLIS, University of Maryland. April 21, 2016
“Developing Student Understanding of Cartographers' Purpose by Comparing Two 16th-Century Maps” by Cheryl Lederle and Danna Bell. National Council for the Social Studies. January 2016.
Service to Profession
Institute of Library & Museum Services. Peer grant reviewer. Dates withheld.
National Endowment for the Humanities. Peer grant reviewer. Dates withheld.
National Endowment for the Arts. Peer grant reviewer. Dates withheld.
Society of American Archivists. Chair. Reference Access and Outreach Section: Exhibits and Events Committee. 2020-23.
University of Maryland Data Challenge. Judge. 2021.
Washington Map Society. Member of the Board of Directors. 2017-18.