During Spring 2026 Walk With Web (WWW) worked with Dr. Mégane Coulon of Susquehanna University to support a collaborative research initiative at the Sierra Leone Public Archives (SLPA) that combined archival digitization, student mentorship, and digital humanities research.
The SLPA preserves and provides access to the country's documentary heritage. Central to our initiatives in Sierra Leone is the belief that meaningful historical research must be grounded in local expertise and community collaboration. To support this work, WWW welcomed Joseph Saidu Dumbuya and Sheku Osman Swaray, two recent graduates of Department of Information Studies and Knowledge Management (DISKM) at Fourah Bay College, as full-time interns between February and May.
Under the supervision of senior archivist and SLPA Director Albert Moore, with support from Solomon Sellu, Director of DISKM at FBC, and archivist and internship coordinator John Sannoh, together with the broader SLPA team, they assisted with the digitization of archival historical records from the nineteenth century, including the creation and organization of metadata to support the description and categorization of these materials.
Their work contributed valuable local knowledge and archival expertise to the project and the internship provided an opportunity to work alongside an international research team while contributing directly to the preservation and accessibility of Sierra Leone's documentary heritage.
The project formed part of Lilian Garcia Alarcon's March Fellowship under the supervision of Dr. Mégane Coulon , Assistant Professor of African History at Susquehanna University. Lilian is a junior major in International Studies and Political Science and her research explored how historians can ethically construct biographies of formerly enslaved individuals using archival records that are shaped by colonial perspectives and biases, while also examining how researchers can collaborate ethically with local communities in Sierra Leone.
She was able to present her findings during Seniors Scholar Day at Susquehanna University, an annual event where students and fellowship recipients showcase their research through public presentations and posters, providing an opportunity to share the project's collaborative approach and broader significance with the community.
This initiative was built on a three-way partnership between SLPA, Susquehanna University, and Walk With Web. SLPA provided archival access and local expertise, Walk With Web, under leadership of CEO Kartikay Chadha supplied the digital infrastructure, project coordination, and internship support necessary to facilitate the work, and Susquehanna University contributed research guidance and historical interpretation through Dr. Coulon's mentorship and the broader Freedom Narratives research framework.
Together, the partnership fostered a deeper understanding of local contexts through meaningful collaboration with Sierra Leonean archivists and emerging professionals, while supporting the digitization and preservation of archival materials that might otherwise remain inaccessible or vulnerable to loss.
The initiative also provided Sierra Leonean interns with professional experience working alongside an international research team, while helping make historically significant records more accessible to researchers, educators, and the broader public.
By bringing together archivists, students, researchers, and digital humanities practitioners, the collaboration demonstrates how ethical archival research can be strengthened through meaningful partnerships that value both local knowledge and international scholarly exchange.