Richard Naples

Technical Information Specialist

Richard Naples is a Technical Information Specialist in the Metadata and Analytics Department of the Digital Projects and Initiatives Divisionof the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. In his current role, he oversees the development and deployment of Tableau dashboards for assessing library programs and processes, while also supporting research assessment for Smithsonian administrators, unit directors, and others as part of the team responsible for Smithsonian Research Online, the system that tracks the research output of the Institution. A strong proponent of open principles, he has recently become more involved with Wikidata and linked open data and their importance for the open citations movement.

Richard has been a staff member at the Smithsonian Institution for over twenty years, having previously worked in the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives’ Preservation Services Department where he oversaw the general collections care program and the environmental monitoring program, and served an integral role in establishing the Libraries’ social media presence. Richard’s work has been featured in The Washington Post, Smithsonian magazine, WIRED, and other publications, including being dubbed by Gizmodo as a “Photoshop maestro” regarding the animated GIFs he has created for the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives’ social media platforms. A former Board member of Slow Food DC, Richard’s interests include culinary history, local foods, food preservation, and gardening heirloom varieties.