Conference Agenda (All times are shown in Eastern Daylight Time)

The archival and record-keeping practices of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI) reflect a unique intersection of queer activism, roles and structures borrowed from Catholic religious hierachies, and the organizational demands of 501(c)(3) nonprofit work. This study examines how these contexts shape the individual and community information work of members of SPI with an emphasis on their use and management of information and communication technologies (ICTs). Through findings from interviews with members from 10 different SPI houses within the United States, the paper discusses how ICTs inform the information activism of SPI members. Themes discussed in the paper include how SPI members prioritized ICT choice and use, the role of management of house information via ICTs, and how ICTs impacted member accountability across houses. Findings reveal that compliance with nonprofit regulations informed which ICTs members and houses prioritized and, by extension, shaped their advocacy work. Additionally, findings suggest that community accountability helps institutionalize collective management of house digital assets and their use and management. The paper concludes by contending the complex uses by SPI houses and their members reveal ways that ICT providers ought to consider the complexities of activist work to design more adaptable systems, while supporting nonprofit.

This study investigates how affect shapes and is shaped by archival narratives, focusing on identity formation in grassroots archives. Using the Picun Culture and Arts Museum of Migrant Labour (PCAMML), a community museum established by Chinese migrant workers as a case study, it explores the dual role of affect: both as a structuring medium guiding curatorial practices and as a product evoked among visitors. Drawing on structuration theory and affect theory, the research employs qualitative methods, including curator interviews, thematic analysis of exhibition materials, and audience feedback from guestbooks and social media. Findings reveal that curatorial decisions were driven by affective motivations such as the desire for belonging, historical redress, resistance to stigma, and the imagining of alternative futures. In turn, visitors reported experiencing affective resonance, strengthened identification with migrant workers, and reflexive awareness prompting social critique and potential action. The study contributes theoretically by conceptualizing archives as affective assemblages that mediate social memory and identity, and practically by highlighting the role of affective storytelling in empowering marginalized communities and fostering inclusive historical narratives.

The Trump administration’s erasure of public data—climate science, CDC records, HIV research—exposed the archive as a contested site where knowledge is shaped, erased, and reconstructed by power. In response, archivists and activists are engaging in salvage archiving to preserve endangered records in shadow archives. This paper examines how AI could be repurposed for counter-surveillance, systematically tracking government data erasure, to prevent future loss. However, as scholars rooted in Indigenous feminist methodologies, we must critically interrogate not only the dangers of AI co-optation by techno-oligarchs like Elon Musk, but also AI’s material impacts—its land use, energy demands, and reliance on extractive labor. Even in the unlikely event that AI escapes corporate capture, we must ask: at what cost to land, and at what cost to future generations? This paper ultimately positions AI not as a revolutionary fix, but as a modest, deeply flawed tool that can only be part of a much larger project of archival sovereignty—one that must remain accountable to land, labor, and the communities AI is meant to serve.

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into religious contexts has sparked considerable debate, raising theological, ethical, and epistemological concerns. This study employs a qualitative approach to examine how individuals navigate religious and spiritual information in increasingly complex digital environments. Specifically, it investigates AI’s role in delivering religious sermons by analyzing a real time YouTube videos and its reception, drawing insights from nearly 1000 comments. The study explores public perceptions of AI-driven religious discourse, assessing its implications for information practices, belief systems, and spiritual engagement.

Grounded in theories of information practices, this research examines how AI-mediated religious content disrupts and reshapes established spiritual information landscapes. It cross-examines how individuals engage with and interpret AI-generated sermons, addressing broader concerns related to religious authority, authenticity, and technological mediation.

Findings reveal strong opposition to AI-driven sermons, rooted in concerns about biblical prophecy, the perceived absence of a soul in AI, fears of AI worship, and a general distrust of technology in spiritual domains. However, a minority acknowledges potential benefits, including improved accessibility, enhanced religious education, and administrative efficiency. The study underscores prevailing anxieties regarding AI’s role in faith-based practices, highlighting the need for ethically informed, spiritually sensitive approaches to AI integration in religious contexts.