Christopher Lee

Christopher (Cal) Lee is a Professor at the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He specializes in digital preservation, digital forensics, and electronic records management, with a focus on the professionalization of digital curation practices. His work includes leading projects like BitCurator and OSSArcFlow, which develop open-source tools for libraries, archives, and museums. Lee holds a PhD in Information from the University of Michigan and has been recognized with awards such as the Frances Carroll McColl Term Professorship and the Society of American Archivists Preservation Publication Award.

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (Summa Cum Laude), Albion College, 1995
• Master of Science in Information, University of Michigan, 1999
• PhD in Information, University of Michigan, 2005

Research Interests:

• Long-term curation of digital collections
• Diffusion of digital forensics tools into professional practice
• Open-source software in cultural heritage institutions
• Ethical and practical challenges in digital preservation

Recent Articles and Projects:

Lee’s recent work focuses on modeling digital curation workflows (e.g., OSSArcFlow), computer-assisted appraisal methods, and applying natural language processing to born-digital materials. His publications span topics like disk image access, automated redaction of sensitive data, and the integration of forensic tools into archival workflows.

Awards and Honors:

• Frances Carroll McColl Term Professor (2013–2015)
• Poster Award, Aligning National Approaches to Digital Preservation (2013)
• Best Political Science Website Award for ContextMiner (2010)

Grants and Leadership:

Lee has led major grants including the RATOM project (reviewing appraisal of digital mail) and the BitCurator consortium. He co-edited key volumes like Aligning National Approaches to Digital Preservation and serves as a Fellow of the Society of American Archivists.

Labs and Teams:

He contributes to initiatives like the DataNet Federation Consortium and the DigCCurr curriculum project, fostering collaboration between academia and cultural heritage institutions.