At Digital Transitions, we spend every day working alongside museums, libraries, archives, and cultural heritage institutions navigating the realities of preservation-grade digitization. One thing has become increasingly clear: while standards, workflows, and technology are critical, the most valuable knowledge in this field often lives in people—their experience, judgment, and hard-won lessons.
That’s why we’re excited to announce the launch of DT’s Wider Lens Podcast, a series of conversations with cultural heritage leaders on the current and future state of digitization.
A Podcast — Recorded Live, With the Community
Wider Lens is both a live webinar series and a podcast. Each episode is recorded during a live online event, where attendees can watch the conversation unfold in real time and submit questions directly to our guest.
Each session features:
- One guest deeply embedded in cultural heritage digitization
- A candid, experience-driven conversation hosted by Patrick McDonough, Head of Marketing at Digital Transitions
- A live audience Q&A
- A full recording released afterward as a podcast episode
These conversations go beyond surface-level overviews.
We explore:
- Real-world digitization projects and experiences
- The future of preservation imaging standards, QA, and decision-making
- Real stories of building digitization programs, unique digitization needs, the most interesting collections in CH
- Lessons learned (and mistakes made)
- The human side of digitization work
- Where the field is heading — and how we can improve it
Whether you work in a museum, library, archive, university, or related institution, Wider Lens is designed to feel like the conversations you wish you had more time for at conferences.
Announcing Our First Three Wider Lens Guests
We’re kicking off the series with three guests whose work spans academic libraries, state historical institutions, and national-level digitization programs.
Wider Lens: Episode 1
Cliff Harrison
Senior Manager of Digital Programs, Purdue University Libraries
Cliff Harrison leads digital programs within Purdue University Libraries, supporting preservation, access, and large-scale digitization initiatives that serve research, teaching, and public engagement. His work sits at the intersection of technology, special collections, and institutional collaboration.
Event Details
- Format: Live webinar + podcast recording
- Cost: Free
- Date & Time: Wed, Feb 18, 2026, 4:00 PM ET
- REGISTER HERE
Wider Lens: Episode 2
Michelle Gollehon
Digital Asset Specialist, Utah Historical Society
Michelle Gollehon leads on-site digitization efforts at the Utah Historical Society while also managing vendor-based digitization projects. She is currently helping shape the new Museum of Utah, including the design and implementation of a state-of-the-art digitization lab to expand access to the state’s collections far beyond the museum’s physical footprint.
Event Details
- Format: Live webinar + podcast recording
- Cost: Free
- Date & Time: Wed, Apr 22, 2026, 4:00 PM ET
- REGISTER HERE
Wider Lens: Episode 3
Martina Hoffmann
Head of Digitization Services, Swiss National Library
Martina Hoffmann brings decades of experience designing and operating digitization workflows across national libraries and archives. In addition to her role at the Swiss National Library, she works internationally as an independent consultant focused on cultural heritage digitization and quality assurance workflows.
Her background includes senior production and QA leadership within major national programs, making her perspective especially valuable for institutions grappling with scale, standards, and long-term preservation.
Event Details
- Format: Live webinar + podcast recording
- Cost: Free
- Date & Time: Thu, Jul 2, 2026, 10:00 AM ET
- REGISTER HERE
Join the Conversation
Wider Lens is designed as an ongoing monthly series, featuring voices from across the cultural heritage community — practitioners, program leaders, technologists, and strategists working at every scale. If you work in cultural heritage digitization — or support those who do — Wider Lens is built for you. These live events are an opportunity not just to listen, but to participate, ask questions, and learn directly from peers navigating similar challenges.
🎟 Check our EventBrite page to register now for one or more upcoming sessions
📅 Look for the live release of the podcast on our Podcast Page, coming soon
🎧 Be part of the conversation shaping the future of digitization by sending thoughts & feedback to [email protected]
We look forward to seeing you there — and to sharing many more conversations through a wider lens.