iPRES 2025 - Tūtaki | Encounter: Mid-Conference Keynote

Tūtaki | Encounter: Mid-Conference Keynote - Rosalyn Metz

Tracks

Rongomātāne A

Rongomātāne B

Rongomātāne C

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM

Rongomātāne Room

Session Contact

Rosalyn Metz

Chief Technology Officer

Emory University

Encountering Collapse: Power, Community, and the Future of Infrastructure

Summary Abstract

We often treat infrastructure as stable, neutral, and purely technical, but it never has been. In many societies—particularly those shaped by shared governance or collective values—infrastructure has consistently reflected and reinforced deeper civic structures, including community, accountability, and shared responsibility. Today, those structures are eroding globally. What happens when community is no longer a given? When open infrastructure is exploited? When resilience becomes a human AND technical challenge?

This keynote encounters collapse not as an ending, but as a turning point. Through the lens of Tūtaki (Encounter), one of the iPRES 2025 themes, we will explore how disruption can open space for new, more participatory systems to emerge, creating the conditions for a more resilient, connected, and hopeful future.

Biography

Rosalyn Metz is a thought leader in library and museum technology, serving as Chief Technology Officer at Emory University Libraries and Museum. She oversees a $4.5 million budget and leads a team of 26 professionals, advancing open infrastructure, digital preservation, and user-centered services. Rosalyn is known for her fearless perspectives on the politics, power, and the sustainability of open infrastructure and the scholarly community. Her career spans roles at Stanford University, George Washington University, and Wheaton College, as well as industry experience in project management and software training. She has held leadership positions in Fedora, Samvera, and APTrust and is a member of the OCFL Editors. A frequent speaker and published author, Rosalyn is a certified ScrumMaster with an M.L.I.S. from UNC Chapel Hill and a B.A. in Political Science. She brings sharp, forward-looking strategies and insight to the challenges shaping the preservation landscape.