CV
JA Pryse
Senior Archivist III, Instructor
japryse@ou.edu
Norman, Oklahoma
Professional Summary
Results-driven digital archivist with 14 years of progressive experience designing and managing large-scale congressional and cultural heritage repositories. Proven track record supporting state and federal agencies in the acquisition, appraisal, and lifecycle management of records across all formats. Leads institution-wide records management programs, including retention scheduling and disposition reviews, ensuring legal compliance and public access. Smithsonian-trained fellow and Ph.D. candidate in Information Science, advancing research in adaptive, AI-assisted workflows. Skilled in policy development, born-digital acquisition, metadata standards (DACS, EAD, PREMIS, Dublin Core), and preservation platforms (Preservica, ArchivesSpace, AWS). A recognized mentor, collaborator, and educator, I’m committed to public service, inclusive access, and archival innovation.
Core Competencies
- Records Disposition Scheduling and Facilitation
- Records Appraisal and Backlog Reduction
- Access Review & Restricted-Data Handling
- Electronic Records Management & Policy Development
- Public-Facing Outreach & Social-Media Promotion
- AV & Legacy-Media Reformatting, Repair, Preservation
- User Training, Outreach & Documentation
- Grant & Budget Stewardship (>$3 M secured)
- Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Risk Assessment & Emerging-Tech Monitoring
Professional Experience
University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma
Senior Archivist III and Curator, Carl Albert Congressional Research Archives (2018–Present)
Instructor of Information Science (2018–Present)
- Direct stewardship of 175.5 TB of digital congressional assets
- Designed and implemented ERM framework, retention schedules, and automated ingest workflows
- Led $1M Preservica migration; authored SOPs now adopted across 5 repositories
- Improved access via AI-assisted triage and backlog elimination
- PI/co-PI on NEH, NSF, and DISC-funded initiatives
- Manages FTEs, students, and interns with training and weekend rotations
- Delivers annual workshops on records management and digitization
Oklahoma Historical Society, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Director of Digital Archives / Archivist III (2016–2018)
Digital Archivist III (2015–2016)
- Managed statewide digital program: 13M legislative pages, 118K maps, 3K oral histories
- Created the first born-digital transfer policy and backlog reduction workflows
Archivist I–III / Projects Archivist (2011–2016)
- Promoted across roles, working with diverse AV and textual formats from the Territorial era
Education
- Ph.D. (Expected 2025), Archival Informatics – University of North Texas
Dissertation: Adaptive Learning Models for Efficient & Standardized Archival Processes Focus: large-scale records management, adaptive learning model development, AI toolchains, Python automation - M.L.I.S. (2015), Library & Information Science – University of North Texas
Focus: large-scale records and digital content management, adaptive learning model development - M.S. (2011), Museum Science – University of Oklahoma
Focus: Focus: digital asset management, large-scale records management, institutional content management - B.S. (2007), Criminal Justice – University of Central Oklahoma Focus: forensic technology, surveillance, data analysis
Advanced Training
- Smithsonian Institution Research Fellow (2014)
- Data Curation Network Workshops (2019, 2023)
- Archival Education & Research Institute, LSU (2023)
Technical & Media Engineering Expertise
- Cloud & Transfer: AWS S3/Glacier, Google Cloud, gsutil, Storage Gateway
- Programming & Markup: Python, JavaScript, Java, R, PHP; XML, LaTeX, XHTML, DFXML
- AI/ML: Workflow automation, metadata extraction, adaptive learning models
- Digital Forensics: FRED, FTK, Sleuth Kit, DataAccessioner, EnCase, Brunnhilde
- Repositories & CMS: Preservica, ArchivesSpace, Cuadra STAR, Omeka, PastPerfect
- Metadata & Standards: Dublin Core, EAD, PREMIS, METS, MARC, PBCore
- Media Preservation: Wax, reel-to-reel, lacquer discs, Type C, Quad, 16/35mm film
- Studio Design: AV digitization lab planning, signal flow, training and documentation
Select Projects & Grants (PI/co-PI)
- James R. Jones Carl Albert Center Digital Archive ($1M, Private Donation)
- Digital Archives Portal: Congressional Archives for Education (NHPRC, $199,588)
- American Congress Digital Archives Portal (NEH, $349,000)
- Political Campaign Advertisements Project (NSF, $538,000)
- AWS Textract Pilot – Handwritten Correspondence (DISC, $5,000)
- Redlining Community Analysis (Oklahoma Humanities, $5,000)
- The Independent Student Voice (Inasmuch Foundation, $25,000)
- Carl Albert Interactive Platform (OHRAB, $3,000)
- COVID-19 Curation Project (Oklahoma Humanities, $5,000)
- Indian Self-Determination & People’s Voice (APSA, $5,000)
- Gateway to Oklahoma History (Ethics & Excellence, three grants totaling $+1M)
- Oklahoma Commissioners of the Land Office Digitization ($98,000)
- State Senate Journal Digitization (13M pages)
- Oklahoma Tourism Maps & Records Digitization ($90,000)
- Living Legends Oral History Project – 3,000 reels ($3,000)
Selected Publications & Presentations
Peer-Reviewed Articles
“Using AI to Summarize US Presidential Campaign TV Advertisement Videos, 1952–2012”
Adam Breuer, Bryce J. Dietrich, Michael H. Crespin, Matthew Butler, J. A. Pryse, Kosuke Imai. arXiv (2025).
DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2503.22589 – Forthcoming“Adaptive Learning Models for Efficient and Standardized Archival Processes”
JA Pryse, Archival Science Journal (2025).
Preprint PDF – Forthcoming“Practical Remote Workflow Solutions for Complex Digital Projects: Opportunities in a Pandemic”
JA Pryse, Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals (2021).
DOI: 10.1177/15501906211052720“Changing Guard”
JA Pryse, Public Libraries Journal (2017), 78(1): 118–137.
Data Curation & Technical Publications
“Oral History Interviews Data Curation Primer” – JA Pryse et al., Data Curation Network (2020)
“Audiovisual Data Curation Primer” – Grace Jerrild, Lauren Phegley et al., Data Curation Network (2023)
“Audio, Film, and Video Preservation and Access at the Oklahoma Historical Society” – Rachel Mosman, JA Pryse, Recorded Sound Journal
“Journey of Big Bertha Webster” – JA Pryse, IASA Journal (46): 67–68
“Journey Back to Life” – JA Pryse, Archival Outlook (May–June)
“Clara Luper Collection: Community Description Project” – JA Pryse, IASA Journal (43): 70–74
Working Papers
- “Encoding Knowledge: Training Internal AI Models to Recognize and Support Indigenous Languages in Visual Media” – JA Pryse
- “Coded Words: Adaptive AI Models for Detecting Indigenous Languages in Textual Artifacts” – JA Pryse
Selected Recent Conference Papers
Association of Centers for the Study of Congress (ACSC) – National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
“AI and Python for Efficient and Standardized Archival Processes”Society of American Archivists (SAA) – Chicago, Illinois
“Archival Chaos and the Exhaustive Layers of Order: The Story of Kanter’s Political Ads”Archival Education and Research Institute (AERI) – Louisiana State University
“Julian P. Kanter Collection: Chaos and Order”
Professional Service
- Executive Board Member, National Association of Government Archives & Records Administrators (NAGARA), 2021–present
- Advisory Board, American Congress Digital Archives Portal, 2023–present
- Data Curation Network Mentorship Program, 2023-2024
- National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators: Mentorship Program, 2024-2025
- Executive Board Member, Oklahoma Museums Association (OMA), 2019-2022
- Staff Initiatives Committee, University of Oklahoma Staff Senate (OUSS)](https://www.ou.edu/staff-senate/committees) (2020–present)
- Native American Studies, Tribal Collaboration Committee Member, University of Oklahoma: (2018–present)
- Reference, Access & Outreach Section Steering Committee Society of Southwest Archivists (SSA): (2018–2019)
- Oklahoma Representative Digital Public Library of America (DPLA): e (2014–2016)
Awards & Fellowships
- Dean’s Outstanding Staff Award, University of Oklahoma (2022)
- Outreach Recognition, Oklahoma Museums Association (2019)
- Community Outreach, Pioneer Library System (2019)
- Smithsonian Institution Fellow, ERM & Digital Archives (2014)
- SAA Emerging Leader Nominee (2017)