Introduction
The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to compile a list of essential resources that I will use as a new digital project manager. As a model for such a position, I used a recent job posting for a digital project manager from a public library. The description focused particularly on the design, creation, and maintenance of digital collections, and mentioned knowledge of particular metadata standards and content management systems specifically. Therefore, in preparing this document, I focused on these requirements; however, given a different position, resources on other metadata standards and content management systems could be substituted. In addition to drawing inspiration from this description, I used what I have learned about digital libraries, digitization, and project management over the course of my education to inform my selections.
MLA format was chosen for the citations since many are electronic resources, and MLA is particularly good at representing these materials. The citations are organized into various categories, and, in general, from least to most specific within each subsection.
When selecting resources, some consideration was given to the preferences of the author. When a choice between electronic or analog format existed, partiality was usually given to the electronic format due to their ease of accessibility and the ability to search the full text of most of these resources. The author also prefers a style of writing that is both clear and succinct, and undoubtedly her bias towards such writing made a difference in which resources are presented here.
Digital Project Management
Project Management Hut. 2009. The PM Hut Team. 23 Apr. 2009 http://www.pmhut.com/
The Project Management Hut (PM Hut) describes itself as being considered “the largest database of categorized Project Management articles on planet Earth” (About Us page). While that claim might not be supported by actual research, there certainly is a lot of information on this site. All of the articles and resources are attributed to specific project managers, whose biographies are available on the site.
This resource would be useful for me in two ways. First, there are a number of introductory handbooks and guides to project management that would be beneficial for me to read at the start of my career. Secondly, this site is useful in the long run as a resource to go to when I have questions about project management. The breadth of coverage is huge, but the categories list on the homepage and the ability to search the full text of the articles means that I can use PM Hut as a quick reference for project management related topics.
A note on the next three resources: In preparing this bibliography, articles by Frank Cervone turned up again and again. Although it might be considered best to get opinions on a topic from as wide a variety of sources as possible, Cervone’s clear and concise style makes for articles that I know I will read multiple times to remind myself of the most important issues concerning project management. Therefore, I included three of them here. I will also be on the lookout for more of his writing in the future.
Cervone, H. Frank. "Standard methodology in digital library project management." OCLCSystems & Services 23.1 (2007): 30-34. Emerald Fulltext.
This article goes through the basic processes of project management as defined by the Project Management Body of Knowledge, an international standard for project management. It is a good primer for someone first learning about project management, and it will serve as a quick reminder of the steps I should be aware of moving in to my first project. It also outlines and defines the nine “knowledge areas” of project management.
Cervone, H. Frank. "Developing the business case for a digital library project." OCLC Systems & Services: International Digital Library Perspectives 24.1 (2008): 18-21. Emerald Fulltext.
The article summarizes the “hows” and “whys” of creating a business cases for digital library projects. It goes into detail about the planning phase of the Systems Development Lifecycle (SDL) including SWOT analysis and establishing feasibility and desirability. Also included is a list of criteria that a business case should address and the details that should be included.
As a project manager, getting institutional buy-in is essential for success, and developing a business case seems to be a great way to do that. This article is a broad overview of that process that highlights the most important elements of a business case for digital library projects.
Cervone, Frank. " How not to run a digital library project." OCLC Systems & Services: International Digital Library Perspectivees 20.4 (2004): 162-66. Emerald Fulltext.
This article is a list of the most common pitfalls for digital library project managers. It is short, but chock full of warnings written in a very readable style. As a new project manager, it will be less desirable to learn from my own mistakes than from those made by others; this article gives me the chance to see some potential problems before they occur. It can also be read as a priority list of the most important tasks for a project manager.
Technology Resources for Storage and Access
The CMS Matrix. Plain Black Corporation. http://cmsmatrix.org/
This site provides the means to compare over 1000 open source and proprietary content management systems on a wide range of features. Furthermore, the site includes discussion boards where users can ask questions and share their experiences with specific content management systems. There is also a great list of links to other CMS evaluation sites. One criticism of the site is that content management systems have to be added by their vendors, which means that vendors can choose not to participate. However, even if a content management system that I want to evaluate is not listed, I can use the list of features on the site to compare the systems and evaluate the unlisted content management system myself.
Han, Yan. "Digital Content Management: The Search for a Content Management System."Library Hi Tech 22.4 (2004): 355-65. Emerald Fulltext.
This article is an excellent resource to read when in the process of choosing a content management system. It goes through shaping the organization’s definition of a CMS and determining the organization’s needs in terms of a CMS’s functional abilities (capabilities) and non-functional abilities (constraints). The authors then examine many open source and commercial content management systems through a two round process, describing three content management systems in depth. Included in the appendix is an excellent table that outlines all of the points the library used in evaluating the various systems. The table is a great starting point for determining any digital project’s needs.
Drupalib. http://drupalib.interoperating.info/
This site is a place where libraries that use Drupal for their content management system can go to share resources and ideas. The open source nature of Drupal means that this site also allows for the possibility of collaboration. There is also a list of all of the library websites that use Drupal, so if I were a Digital Project Manager using Drupal, in addition to connecting with other users, I can see real examples of what other libraries are doing with Drupal. Of course Drupal will likely not be the CMS chosen for every project I am a part of. This site is included here as an example of the type of CMS-specific site I would want to use as a digital project manager.
McGath, Gary. File Formats Blog. 2009. http://www.fileformats.blogspot.com/
This blog by Gary McGrath, a digital library software engineer from Harvard University Library’s Office of Information Systems, provides a great deal of information about digitization in libraries with a particular focus on choosing file formats. What I especially like about the blog is that McGrath seems to spend a lot of time on preservation. Since this digital preservation is a new and challenging field, following this expert will help me keep on top of what I will need to know to make sure that I’m not only helping to create the best possible digital assets today, but that there are processes in place to do the best possible job of preservation to make sure that they are just as available in the future.
BCR. BCR 's CDP Digital Imaging Best Practices Version 2.0. 2008.http://www.bcr.org/cdp/best/digital-imaging-bp.pdf
This online document is a complete resource for digitizing images, from planning through preservation and storage, but its strength is in the technical details of how and what is needed to begin digitization. It explains the necessary hardware and software considerations as well as file formats and types. Embedded within the document are scores of other resources that will come in handy during an image digitization project, and since it was just published last year, I can be confident that the advice is current. One thing that I particularly like about this resource is the concise writing style that is only as technical as it needs to be. In my own work I anticipate working with images more often than audio or video assets. If I became a project manager for a project that involves audio and/or video, I would consult a similar set of best practices for that media type.
Selecting Materials to Digitize
Chapman, S, D Hazen, J Horrell, and J Merrill-Oldham. "Selection for Digitizing: A Decision- Making Matrix." CLR Reports. 1997. Council on Library and Information Resources and Harvard University Library. http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/hazen/matrix.html
This matrix is a fairly complex series of yes or no questions that a person in charge of determining what materials from a collection can and should be digitized can use to aid them in the decision making process. The matrix itself is simple to use, even if answering the questions it poses is not. It is a nice high-level view of what needs to be taken into consideration concerning material selection before a digitization project gets too far along in the process. As a digital project manager, I would likely use this matrix at the beginning of the process of planning a project. If a number of different ideas were on the table, taking each one through this matrix would be a good way of possibly narrowing down project options.
"Inside CDL: Collection Development Framework." California Digital Library. 2006. The Regents of the University of California. http://www.cdlib.org/inside/collect/framework.html
This collection development policy is included in this bibliography for two reasons. First, it serves as a placeholder on the list for the collection development policy for the institution that I will work for in the future. Most libraries have such a policy, and in selecting materials to digitize, it will be an important document to consult. The second reason is because the CDL’s collection development framework is particularly good. The framework consists of 18 principles that are meant to guide digital collection development in particular. Linked at the bottom of the document are a number of other good resources (including the CDL’s standard license agreement and checklist, and requirements lists that they use for publishers and vendors) that would serve as good models for a library developing similar documents. If the organization I will work for needs to update their collection development policy to include digital materials, or if they need to create any of the documents linked to on the page, these are excellent models to follow.
Cost Estimates and Funding
"RLG Worksheet for Estimating Digital Reformatting Costs." 1997. Research Libraries Group and Cornell University's Department of Preservation and Conservation. http://worldcat.org/arcviewer/1/OCC/2007/08/08/0000070511/viewer/file2733.pdf
This is a comprehensive worksheet for determining the cost of a digitization initiative. The worksheet is a little old, but most of the outdated sections are easily adjusted. It is important to note that this worksheet only covers the initial costs of digitization, and therefore does not include costs for things like planning, assessment or preservation. If I were actually estimating costs using this worksheet, I would transfer the information to an Excel file that calculates the numbers for me so that it would be easy to make small adjustments in numbers and see how the overall cost was affected. Having the information in this format would also make it easy to integrate it with the additional estimates for the costs the worksheet does not include.
"Grant and Award Opportunities." 2008. Institute of Museum and Library Services. http://www.imls.gov/pdf/2009_Grant_Opportunities.pdf
AND
Grants.gov. 2009. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.grants.gov/
These are the types of resources I would look to if there were a financial gap between the project goals and the budget resources for a digitization project I was working on. Many of the digitization projects I have studied in this class and others were funded by IMLS grants. More than just a list of grants, this guide also gives grant writing tips and directions on how to apply for grants on Grants.gov, which is a much larger compilation of grants. IMLS has the advantage of being already narrowed to the types of grants that I would most likely be applying to, thereby saving me time finding relevant opportunities. Grants.gov, although bigger and therefore more likely to require a greater investment of time for research, provides the opportunity to find grant money from outside the typical sources for libraries.
Copyright
"Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code." U.S. Copyright Office- Copyright Law: Chapter 3. United States Government. http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap3.html
The law is the most authoritative source of information on copyright. If one is consulting any other document, no matter how well written and objective that document might be, it is still only an interpretation of the law. Although the language is not easy to understand for the layperson, there is still no substitute for having a copy on hand to consult when documenting decisions that concern copyright. As a digital project manager, there is a chance that I would need to consult copyright law when making decisions about either the library’s copyright policy or when deciding whether or not a material in our physical collection can be digitized.
Hirtle, Peter B. "Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States 1 January 2009." 5 Jan. 2009. Cornell Copyright Information Center.http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/
It is likely that if I am a member of a digitization team for a public library, a large number of the materials we will digitize could be in the public domain. There are many guides to help non-lawyers determine if materials are in the public domain, but I personally find that Peter Hirtle’s guide strikes the right balance between being thorough and easy to understand. One of the ways that Hirtle strikes this balance is through his use of footnotes to develop further the explanations in the chart. Hyperlinks in the footnotes provide even more resources. As a digital project manager, this is where I would start when making decisions about copyright and determining public domain.
Copyright Renewal Database. 2006. Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources. http://collections.stanford.edu/copyrightrenewals/bin/page?forward=home
Determining public domain for resources published between 1923 and 1963 is particularly tricky since the continuation of copyright protection depends on whether or not the copyright for a particular item was renewed. This searchable database is an excellent resource for determining whether or not copyright was renewed for a book. Important to note is that the database only covers books; nonetheless, the resource is still valuable. The homepage for the site also contains a link to the Project Gutenberg site where there are digitized copies of all renewal records if one needed to see whether a copyright on a non-book was renewed (although these records are not searchable). If I am in a position of determining whether or not an item published between 1923 and 1963 is in the public domain, this resource will be very helpful.
FACE (Friends of Active Copyright Education). Copyright Society of the U.S.A.http://www.csusa.org/face/home.htm
The FACE website, from an authoritative non-profit organization that has been in existence for more than 50 years, is a large collection of copyright information that is divided into six separate categories: moving images, internet, words, music, still images, and international. When a user chooses one of these categories, they are presented with an overview of the copyright law as it pertains to that type of resource and lists of FAQ’s, myths, and additional resources. The information on the site comes from a very conservative interpretation of copyright law, but as a project manager this seems like a safe angle from which to proceed in making decisions that have copyright implications. The language on the site is very simple and succinct. A few parts of the site are still under development, and it would be greatly improved if for each FAQ or myth a link was provided to the actual law, but I still believe that this is a valuable site to watch.
Metadata
Gill, Tony, Anne Gilliland, Maureen Whalen, and Mary S. Woodley. "Introduction to Metadata Online Edition, Version 3.0." www.getty.edu. 2008. Getty Research Institute. http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/standards/intrometadata/
As a digital project manager, this would be my “go to” guide for metadata. It covers everything from what metadata is to why it is essential to best practices with a particular focus on digital resources. I’ve found the fact that it is an online guide particularly helpful since I can search full text to find exactly what I’m looking for (although chapters must be searched individually, which has proven to be frustrating a few times). On top of all of the useful and current information, the bibliography is a great additional resource where the citations are broken into three separate categories. Many of the job descriptions I have read for digital project managers place a heavy emphasis on metadata, so it is reasonable to expect that a guide like this will be essential to my job.
Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). 2009. DCMI. http://dublincore.org/
EAD: Encoded Archival Description Version 2002 Official Site. 2008. Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/ead/
MARC Standards. 2008. Library of Congress. http://www.loc.gov/marc/
The job description that I am using as a model for this assignment mentions metadata standards twice within the short job description, and the above three standards by name. Each of these official sites would be my starting place for information on that standard. Of the three sites, the most up-to-date and comprehensive is the site for Dublin Core. Easily located on the site are DCMI mailing lists, wikis, and online communities. In addition to reading the more static information on the site, following these resources and possibly becoming an active member would really help me stay up to date on the latest news, applications, and technologies relating to the metadata standard. While some of the features available on the Dublin Core site are also available on the MARC and EAD sites, it is likely that I would have to do additional research on MARC and EAD to get all of the information that I can find on Dublin Core’s site.
Harold, Elliotte R. XML 1.1 Bible. 3rd ed. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishing, Inc, 2004.
A solid knowledge of XML will be very important when working with the metadata for digital resources. The above book is useful for both the absolute XML beginner as well as someone who knows and understands the basics of XML but wants to learn more about supplemental XML technologies. The amount of information in this tome is exceptional, but Harold’s style of writing and use of entertaining examples makes it very readable. This book served me very well when I was first learning XML, and I have consulted it many times since. I know that as I put my knowledge into practices as a digital project manager, I will turn to it whenever I need a refresher.
Powell, Andy, and Pete Johnston. "Guidelines for implementing DC in XML." Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. 2003. DCMI. http://dublincore.org/documents/dc-xml-guidelines/
As a student I’ve taken classes both in metadata and XML. As a digital project manager, it is unlikely (although possible!) that I will be doing a lot of the code writing for the digital library, but I am sure that an understanding of how a metadata standard and its XML schema relate will be important. Access to this authoritative list of recommendations and examples allows me to understand the standards a digitization project should be following. In addition to the article itself, the list of linked resources in the references section provides more explanations of the type that can be found in the above Harold text. Therefore, if I need more or different information on XML, I can use these sources. If the digitization project I am working on uses a metadata standard other than Dublin Core, then a resource similar to this for that standard would be useful.
Preservation
Seadle, Michael. "The digital library in 100 years: damage control." Library Hi Tech 26.1(2008): 5-10. Emerald Fulltext.
This article provides a short explanation of migration, emulation, and enduring standards and analyses planning for preservation including a discussion of funding, potential risks to watch out for, and what to do if an archiving system is failing. As a digital project manager, it will be my responsibility to help plan for the future of the assets I will help create, and this article is a nice overview of the issues I need to think about now and a warning about possible problems I could encounter in the future.
"Interactive Assessment: Selection of Digital Materials for Long-term Retention." Digital Preservation Coalition. 2006. DPC. http://www.dpconline.org/docs/handbook/DecTree.pdf
Similar to the CMS Matrix, the “Decision Tree” as it is referred to on the DPC website, provides a long series of “yes/no” questions that aid one in deciding whether a digital resource can and should be preserved. It involves four steps: selection, rights & responsibilities, technical/costs, and documentation & metadata/costs. This document will be instrumental in preservation planning. As a digital project manager, I know that decisions about preservation are best made from the planning stages. Tools like this matrix really clarify the issues that need to be considered when making those decisions.
Caplan, Priscilla. "Understanding PREMIS." 2009. Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office. http://www.loc.gov/standards/premis/understanding-premis.pdf
The idea of preservation metadata is an essential consideration when thinking about preserving digital assets long term, and PREMIS is one of the more popular models. This work is an introduction to PREMIS, and provides me with the information I would need as a digital project manager to consider implementing preservation metadata. At the very least, after reading this guide I have a strong understanding of the types of information that I need to track if I want to ensure long-term access to digital assets.
Lawrence, Gregory W., William R. Kehoe, Oya Y. Rieger, and Anne R. Kenney. "Appendix A: Risk-Assessment Workbook." 2000. Council on Library and Information Resources.http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub93/AppendixA.pdf
If, as a digital project manager, the organization I am working for were considering migration as a preservation strategy, a workbook like this would be very helpful in determining if and when migration should be implemented as well as planning the migration process. The workbook claims that it is trying to substitute for a migration and risk assessment “team of experts” that the authors know most institutions would not have the means to hire. The calculations it takes the user through are quite scientific, but the language makes it easy to understand. It would be my hope that if a different preservation strategy were chosen by an institution I might work for, that a guide like this would also exist for that strategy.
Digital Project Evaluation
Covey, Denise Troll. "Usage and Usability Assessment: Library Practices and Concerns." 2002. DLF & CLIR. http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub105/contents.html
The job description that I am using as a model for this project mentions that the digital project manager will play a role in designing the digital library’s space. As a part of making sure that this space works for the library’s users, usability assessments should be planned and conducted. This guide provides answers to the “who, what, when, why, and how” questions for various user studies including surveys, focus groups, and user protocols among others. The information on transaction log analysis is particularly useful for digital libraries. Decisions about performing usability studies should be made during the planning stages, and this guide will help me integrate them into the initial project proposal.
Tenopir, Carol. "Use and Users of Electronic Library Resources: An Overview and Analysis of Recent Research Studies." 2003. CLIR. http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub120/pub120.pdf
This lengthy article provides an overview of 200 recent usability research studies performed in libraries. Tenopir outlines very clear, authoritative criteria for what types of studies were included. It is a nice companion article to the above article by Covey since it follows up on most of the same methods by describing what libraries discovered by conducting usability studies. As stated earlier in this bibliography, one of the best ways to find success is to learn from the earlier experiences of others. As a digital project manager, this article will allow me to anticipate problems that might occur during a usability study for a particular digital project.
Additional General Resources
"A Framework of Guidence for Building Good Digital Collections, 3rd Edition." 2007. NISO and IMLS. http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub120/pub120.pdf
This is an authoritative guide to best practices when building digital collections. It is broken down into sections on the principles of good collections, objects, metadata, and initiatives. One thing that I like in particular is that it emphasizes the process of building a collection, “The key to a successful project is not to strictly and unquestioningly follow any particular path, but to plan strategically and make wise choices from an array of tools and processes to support the unique goals and needs of each collection” (p. 3). The best parts of this guide are the lists of resources that support each of the principles. As stated previously, examining and learning from how other institutions have completed projects provides valuable lessons in how to proceed when making decisions about a project currently in development.
Sitts, Maxine, ed. Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access. Andover, MA: Northeast Document Conservation Center, 2000. http://www.nedcc.org/resources/digitalhandbook/dman.pdf
This is an excellent overall resource that I have come across in more than one class, but the primary reason I chose to include it here is because of the chapter by Janet Gertz on vendor relations. Gertz first takes readers through the process of deciding whether to digitize in-house or use a vendor. Presuming that the decision to use a vendor is made, Gertz then goes on to explain how to choose a vendor, including the processes of creating Requests for Information and Requests for Proposals, evaluating vendor responses, writing a contract, and maintaining quality control. Unless an institution that I work for already has an in-house digitization lab, I will be a part of the process when making decisions about vendors, and the information in this chapter will be especially helpful.
Hughes, Lorna M. Digitizing Collections: Strategic Issues for the Information Manager. London: Facet Publishing, 2004.
Chapters 4-7 of this comprehensive book on digitizing collections will provide important information for me as a new project manager, particularly concerning working within a larger institution and collaborating with other institutions. This resource also contains good information on project planning and costs, especially budgeting and funding.
OCLC. Online Computer Library Center, Inc. http://www.oclc.org/us/en/default.htm
This organization and its resources are both massive and far-reaching. It would be difficult to work as a digital project manager for a library and not find myself on the OCLC website. If I work with ContentDM, I will be working with OCLC. If I want my collections to be available in WorldCat, I will be working with OCLC. As an intern, I am already working with people from OCLC. They might be a source of funding, they might provide a library I work for with software, or I might just stay up to date by reading one of their journals. I have visited this site every semester that I have been a student, and this likely will not change as I transition into a professional career.
Digital Library Federation. 2009. DLF. http://www.diglib.org/dlfhomepage.htm
The DLF site is a rich source for information, particularly on their publications page. Although the site says that new publications will have to be purchased on Amazon, the links to their latest publications are still active. The reports here are authoritative, and almost any one of them might be relevant to me as a digital project manager. When conducting research on digitization in the future, there is a good chance that I will find pertinent information on this site.
Hurst-Wahl, Jill. Digitization 101. 2009. http://hurstassociates.blogspot.com/
Digital project management is a constantly changing field, and following the blogs of professionals in the field is one way that I will stay current. Features that I like about this blog include the frequency that it is updated, the relatively wide range of topics concerning digitization that are covered, the label navigation on the left-hand side, and the author’s own list of digitization resources. In addition to keeping this blog in my feed reader, I have already used it to search for advice on particular topics, and I feel confident that it will continue to be useful as a digital project manager.
Jordan, Mark. Digitizationblog. http://digitizationblog.interoperating.info/
Following this blog is a good way to keep up with new information that is being published elsewhere on digitization. There is not as much commentary or context as on the previous blog; these are more like quick headlines with links to the source of the information. This format is useful because it does not require a lot of time; I can read the summary, and then click on the link if I think the information is important. The blog is also searchable, which means that when doing research on any aspect of digitization I can perform a quick check to see if Jordan has written any information on the topic I am looking for.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Annotated Bibliography
There has been much discussion and planning in my organization of late concerning the creation of a digital office. While there has been much discussion about who will do the work and what will be digitized, we are still in the planning phase. While we have had some disagreement as far as what and how much should be ultimately digitized, the important thing is that we have started to look at what we need to do to in order to become a fully digital office. As we have begun to move forward with the changes in both the administration and in the implementation of new protocols as deemed by the U.S. Department of Higher Education, the need to go forward with our digitization project has grown. Currently there are no established protocols for formatting documents, such as software version, or file types, what is needed is to provide a structure for digitizing documents, with well-defined protocols for storage and retrieval. Our Digital Library (DL) will be the main interaction process for all documents and will be accessible through a secure network connection, web accessible, and eventually be able to connect to the existing data structures.
Creating a digital library will require an enormous, but much needed, culture change, and will be met with understandable trepidation (and in some cases resistance). The current culture of document and process management is quality control on output and a belief that paper documents are official and the only truly accurate documents (including records, lists and reports). We enter data, then keep separate list to check data entry, but only as an output measure. Therefore, our main goal should be to improve the quality of current accreditation processes by bettering our historical records and record management services that support the advancement and enrichment of our accreditation activities.
For the purposes of this initial portion of the project we will be focusing on the institutional documents and records and not the Human Resources or Accounting office records. Those departments will be added to the digital library at a later date. Consisting of paper, electronic files, audio recordings of lectures, this collection is located in the main offices of the organization and use is reserved for employees and independent scholars with permission from the member institutions. There are no specific laws or rules that pertains to regional accreditors and their institutional files, though it has been decided that we will retain 20 years (two cycles) in the active files. However many of the member institutions have been accredited for much longer and several have been with the organization since its inception.
There are no established protocols for formatting documents, such as software version, or file types. What is needed is to provide a structure for digitizing documents, with well-defined protocols for storage and retrieval. The DL will be the main interaction process for all documents, will be accessible through a secure network connection, web accessible, and eventually be able to connect to existing data structures, and will allow the 40+ staff (and eventually 1000+ peer reviewers) to access data on or about accreditation, peer review, as well as other activities and institutional information that will allow for the creation of a more cohesive organization of information for providing accreditation services.
While a document is a written account, it is no longer necessarily one that can only be viewed on paper. Paper and a document can now be separated. Once created, documents have lifecycles, and a path, along with a method for storage and retrieval. In a paper-based world, we think of this as file folders and file cabinets. In a digital system we have a method for document transfer, storage and retrieval. The document content is stored electronically, and thus will require the organization to focus on aspects of document storage and retrieval such as file name protocols as this will affects efficient retrieval.
For the purposes of this initial portion of the project we will be focusing on the institutional documents and records and not the Human Resources or Accounting office records. Those departments will be added to the digital library at a later date. Consisting of paper, electronic files, audio recordings of lectures, this collection is located in the main offices of the organization and use is reserved for employees and independent scholars with permission from the member institutions. There are no specific laws or rules that pertains to regional accreditors and their institutional files, though it has been decided that we will retain 20 years (two cycles) in the active files. However many of the member institutions have been accredited for much longer and several have been with the organization since its inception.
There are no established protocols for formatting documents, such as software version, or file types. What is needed is to provide a structure for digitizing documents, with well-defined protocols for storage and retrieval. The DL will be the main interaction process for all documents, will be accessible through a secure network connection, web accessible, and eventually be able to connect to existing data structures, and will allow the 40+ staff (and eventually 1000+ peer reviewers) to access data on or about accreditation, peer review, as well as other activities and institutional information that will allow for the creation of a more cohesive organization of information for providing accreditation services.
While a document is a written account, it is no longer necessarily one that can only be viewed on paper. Paper and a document can now be separated. Once created, documents have lifecycles, and a path, along with a method for storage and retrieval. In a paper-based world, we think of this as file folders and file cabinets. In a digital system we have a method for document transfer, storage and retrieval. The document content is stored electronically, and thus will require the organization to focus on aspects of document storage and retrieval such as file name protocols as this will affects efficient retrieval.
Articles:
Andolsen, Alan A. “Will Your Records Be There When You Need Them?” The Information Mangement Journal (May/June 2006): 56-61
• Short article that focuses on the management and extended retention of digital records. Very useful as a quick reference for not only digital but the non-digital (magnetic tape etc) environmental requirements as well. This will come in very handy as we have a plethora of microfiche that will need to be properly cared for as well as giving us guidelines when looking for a digital repository.
Arms, Caroline. "Some Observations on Metadata and Digital Libraries." Discussion paper presented at the Library of Congress Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium, November 15-17, 2000. Online: http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/arms_paper.html
• Discusses the differences between and on ground and a digital library and the importance of metadata and the expectations of users. This article has been very helpful in understanding what is needed and expected to make the digital library more searchable.
Arms, Caroline R., and William Y. Arms. “Mixed Content and Mixed Metadata: Information Discovery in a Messy World.” Chapter 14 in Metadata in Practice. Diane Hillmann and Elaine Westbrooks, eds. Chicago: ALA, 2004.
• Indeed, “content comes in a bewildering variety of formats,” (p. 223) and this chapter describes cross-domain metadata and the use of metadata for information discovery and retrieval. Emphasizes the need for coherent metadata and its relationship to content.
Bantin, Philip C. “Strategies for Managing Electronic Records: A New Archival
Paradigm? An Affirmation of Our Archival Traditions?” Archival Issues 23 (No.1, 1998):
17-34.
• Offers different models for managing electronic records, including the “life cycle model” and the “records continuum model.” The Article also goes in to the appraisal of electronic records and the importance of doing such including the theory that we can no longer appraise by content alone. Will be a good piece to use in the development of our Information policy.
Bishoff, Liz, and William A. Garrison. "Metadata, Cataloging, Digitization and Retrieval: Who's Doing What to Whom: The Colorado Digitization Project Experience." Discussion paper presented at the Library of Congress Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium, November 15-17, 2000. Online: http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/bishoff_paper.html
• This paper, while about the collaborations between museums and libraries, highlights the issues and differences that arise when trying to unite metadata across departments or organizations. While we are just working on our own digitization project there has been talk of possibly working with the other organizations like us to make a unified DL.
Brodie, Nancy. “Authenticity, Preservation and access in digital collections.” The New Review of Academic Librarianship. (6:2000), p. 225 – 236.
• This article examines how various organizations and communities see digital information and it’s authenticity. Interesting specifically since we are such an odd organization in some ways and we have yet to determine what level of authentication to use (i.e. how secure does it need to be?). Also the discussion on the “fluidity of electronic information” (p.229) is needed in light of discussions on what is a final copy.
Chopey, Michael A. “Planning and Implementing a Metadata-Driven Digital Repository.” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 40:3/4 (2005) 255-287
• Chopey’s piece takes the reader step by step through the creation and implementation of usable metadata. This is one article I have passed out several times knowing we need to develop our metadata further using the xpertise from staff across all areas of the office.
Emery, Priscilla. “Beyond Features & Functions: Evaluating RM Software Alternatives in the Real-World Environment” The Information Management Journal (Jan/Feb 2007): 28-34.
• On vendor selecting and questions that the organization must ask of itself before signing a contract with an ERM vendor or digitization company. Also discusses what to consider when looking at electronic records management software. A helpful piece that will frame our discussions in the weeks ahead as we interview companies for electronic storage and retrieval.
Hedstrom, Margaret.” Descriptive Practices for Electronic Records: Deciding what is
essential and imagining what is possible.” American Archival Studies, 381 – 394.
• Highlights the challenges we face when discussing description of the electronic records and how it may hinder search and retrieval. Something we will need to be considering especially since there is a variant of opinions on what and how much should be included in the metadata.
Hedstrom, Margaret. “How Do Archivists Make Electronic Archives Useable and
Accessible?” Archives and Manuscripts 26 (May 1998) 6 – 23.
• Concerning user needs and expectations in the creation, management, and preservation of electronic records and how this can effect workflow. Again, something terribly important that we as an organization will need to look at. For the time being we have been more concerned with the actuall digitization and less so about the retrieval.
Hedstrom, Margaret. “Digital Preservation: Problems and Prospects.” http://www.dl.slis.tsukuba.ac.jp/DLjournal/No_20/1-hedstrom/1-hedstrom.html
• Discusses the potential and eventual problems with digital preservation. Also acknowledges that the demand and expectations placed on digital assets may make for unrealistic goals for librarians, RM, or archivists. An interesting piece in light of the organization wanting to do away with all paper records. May be creating a much larger culture shift than we intended.
Henry, Linda. “Schellenberg in Cyberspace.” American Archivist 61, Fall, 1998: 309-
327.
• Calls for a change in archival theory and looks for better ways to work with electronic records/collections. Not specifically about digitization, but lays a good background for understanding why an archivist can be a big asset to the DL project.
Hicks, Emily A., Jody Perkins, and Margaret Beecher Maurer. “Application Profile Development for Consortial Digital Libraries: An OhioLINK Case Study.” Library Resources and Technical Services 51:2 (2007): 33-43.
• Describes the pupose of a digital repository and why this is different from a digital library (some thing that is not understood currently in the organization). This case study also describes how a complex data structure can be developed and utilized.
Schamber, L. (1996) “What is a Document? Rethinking the Concept in Uneasy Times.” Journal of the American Society for information Science 47 (9): 669-671
• Though an older article, it helps to bring understanding that a document is no longer just that piece of paper on your desk, but something that consists of “dynamic, flexible, nonlinear content, represented as a set of linked information items, stored in one or more physical media or networked sites; created and used by one or more individuals in the facilitation of some process or project.” This is more an educational piece to explain to the users what is going on with the DL and why we are doing it.
Smith, Abby. “Why Digitize?” Council on Library and Information Resources. (February 1999)
• Addresses the unexpected downside of digitization (budgetary, and workload) that may be over looked when beginning a new digitization project. She notes that she is not discussing this topic to “bring alarm” but to “encourage every professional responsible . . . to assess this new technology.” These “cons” will need to be addressed in a better light before continuing on with our project as they have yet to be noticed.
Wisser, Katherine M. Druscilla R. Simpson and Peter E. Hymas. NC ECHO Preservation Metadata for Digital Objects (PMDO). 2007 Edition. Online: www.ncecho.org/documents/pmdoaccesstool.pdf
• Metadata that will assist in the preservation of your digital assets. This article addresses the need to make changes to the digital records as technology changes and how to do so with out jeopardizing preservation. An important thing to consider before spending the money on the project is to be sure that we understand where we will have to spend money again in the next 5 – 10 years.
• Short article that focuses on the management and extended retention of digital records. Very useful as a quick reference for not only digital but the non-digital (magnetic tape etc) environmental requirements as well. This will come in very handy as we have a plethora of microfiche that will need to be properly cared for as well as giving us guidelines when looking for a digital repository.
Arms, Caroline. "Some Observations on Metadata and Digital Libraries." Discussion paper presented at the Library of Congress Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium, November 15-17, 2000. Online: http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/arms_paper.html
• Discusses the differences between and on ground and a digital library and the importance of metadata and the expectations of users. This article has been very helpful in understanding what is needed and expected to make the digital library more searchable.
Arms, Caroline R., and William Y. Arms. “Mixed Content and Mixed Metadata: Information Discovery in a Messy World.” Chapter 14 in Metadata in Practice. Diane Hillmann and Elaine Westbrooks, eds. Chicago: ALA, 2004.
• Indeed, “content comes in a bewildering variety of formats,” (p. 223) and this chapter describes cross-domain metadata and the use of metadata for information discovery and retrieval. Emphasizes the need for coherent metadata and its relationship to content.
Bantin, Philip C. “Strategies for Managing Electronic Records: A New Archival
Paradigm? An Affirmation of Our Archival Traditions?” Archival Issues 23 (No.1, 1998):
17-34.
• Offers different models for managing electronic records, including the “life cycle model” and the “records continuum model.” The Article also goes in to the appraisal of electronic records and the importance of doing such including the theory that we can no longer appraise by content alone. Will be a good piece to use in the development of our Information policy.
Bishoff, Liz, and William A. Garrison. "Metadata, Cataloging, Digitization and Retrieval: Who's Doing What to Whom: The Colorado Digitization Project Experience." Discussion paper presented at the Library of Congress Bicentennial Conference on Bibliographic Control for the New Millennium, November 15-17, 2000. Online: http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/bibcontrol/bishoff_paper.html
• This paper, while about the collaborations between museums and libraries, highlights the issues and differences that arise when trying to unite metadata across departments or organizations. While we are just working on our own digitization project there has been talk of possibly working with the other organizations like us to make a unified DL.
Brodie, Nancy. “Authenticity, Preservation and access in digital collections.” The New Review of Academic Librarianship. (6:2000), p. 225 – 236.
• This article examines how various organizations and communities see digital information and it’s authenticity. Interesting specifically since we are such an odd organization in some ways and we have yet to determine what level of authentication to use (i.e. how secure does it need to be?). Also the discussion on the “fluidity of electronic information” (p.229) is needed in light of discussions on what is a final copy.
Chopey, Michael A. “Planning and Implementing a Metadata-Driven Digital Repository.” Cataloging & Classification Quarterly 40:3/4 (2005) 255-287
• Chopey’s piece takes the reader step by step through the creation and implementation of usable metadata. This is one article I have passed out several times knowing we need to develop our metadata further using the xpertise from staff across all areas of the office.
Emery, Priscilla. “Beyond Features & Functions: Evaluating RM Software Alternatives in the Real-World Environment” The Information Management Journal (Jan/Feb 2007): 28-34.
• On vendor selecting and questions that the organization must ask of itself before signing a contract with an ERM vendor or digitization company. Also discusses what to consider when looking at electronic records management software. A helpful piece that will frame our discussions in the weeks ahead as we interview companies for electronic storage and retrieval.
Hedstrom, Margaret.” Descriptive Practices for Electronic Records: Deciding what is
essential and imagining what is possible.” American Archival Studies, 381 – 394.
• Highlights the challenges we face when discussing description of the electronic records and how it may hinder search and retrieval. Something we will need to be considering especially since there is a variant of opinions on what and how much should be included in the metadata.
Hedstrom, Margaret. “How Do Archivists Make Electronic Archives Useable and
Accessible?” Archives and Manuscripts 26 (May 1998) 6 – 23.
• Concerning user needs and expectations in the creation, management, and preservation of electronic records and how this can effect workflow. Again, something terribly important that we as an organization will need to look at. For the time being we have been more concerned with the actuall digitization and less so about the retrieval.
Hedstrom, Margaret. “Digital Preservation: Problems and Prospects.” http://www.dl.slis.tsukuba.ac.jp/DLjournal/No_20/1-hedstrom/1-hedstrom.html
• Discusses the potential and eventual problems with digital preservation. Also acknowledges that the demand and expectations placed on digital assets may make for unrealistic goals for librarians, RM, or archivists. An interesting piece in light of the organization wanting to do away with all paper records. May be creating a much larger culture shift than we intended.
Henry, Linda. “Schellenberg in Cyberspace.” American Archivist 61, Fall, 1998: 309-
327.
• Calls for a change in archival theory and looks for better ways to work with electronic records/collections. Not specifically about digitization, but lays a good background for understanding why an archivist can be a big asset to the DL project.
Hicks, Emily A., Jody Perkins, and Margaret Beecher Maurer. “Application Profile Development for Consortial Digital Libraries: An OhioLINK Case Study.” Library Resources and Technical Services 51:2 (2007): 33-43.
• Describes the pupose of a digital repository and why this is different from a digital library (some thing that is not understood currently in the organization). This case study also describes how a complex data structure can be developed and utilized.
Schamber, L. (1996) “What is a Document? Rethinking the Concept in Uneasy Times.” Journal of the American Society for information Science 47 (9): 669-671
• Though an older article, it helps to bring understanding that a document is no longer just that piece of paper on your desk, but something that consists of “dynamic, flexible, nonlinear content, represented as a set of linked information items, stored in one or more physical media or networked sites; created and used by one or more individuals in the facilitation of some process or project.” This is more an educational piece to explain to the users what is going on with the DL and why we are doing it.
Smith, Abby. “Why Digitize?” Council on Library and Information Resources. (February 1999)
• Addresses the unexpected downside of digitization (budgetary, and workload) that may be over looked when beginning a new digitization project. She notes that she is not discussing this topic to “bring alarm” but to “encourage every professional responsible . . . to assess this new technology.” These “cons” will need to be addressed in a better light before continuing on with our project as they have yet to be noticed.
Wisser, Katherine M. Druscilla R. Simpson and Peter E. Hymas. NC ECHO Preservation Metadata for Digital Objects (PMDO). 2007 Edition. Online: www.ncecho.org/documents/pmdoaccesstool.pdf
• Metadata that will assist in the preservation of your digital assets. This article addresses the need to make changes to the digital records as technology changes and how to do so with out jeopardizing preservation. An important thing to consider before spending the money on the project is to be sure that we understand where we will have to spend money again in the next 5 – 10 years.
Books
Gill, Tony, Anne Gilliland, et.al. Introduction to Metadata. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Publications, 2008
• Much as it did in 1998 and 2000, this edition gives a general introduction to metadata and discusses the issues related to metadata in the creation and maintenance of digital resources. Like the article by Wisser et.al. this will be important information to consider as we plan the budget for the DL for the next 5 – 10 years.
Gilliland-Swetland, Anne. Enduring Paradigm, New Opportunities: The Value of the
Archival Perspective in the Digital Environment. Washington, DC: Council on Library
and Information Resources, 2000. http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub89/contents.html
• Seeks to address and help understand the rapid development in information technology and the impact on the life cycle of digital resources. Brings an archival perspective to the changing roles in digital preservation and the digital environment. For an organization that is in some ways built on institutional knowledge, Gilliland’s idea of documenting relationships is a way of mapping out workflow, something that desperately needs to be done if we are to understand what documents and records we will be placing in the DL.
Hodge, Gail. Systems of Knowledge Organization for Digital Libraries: Beyond Traditional Authority Files. Washington, DC: The Digital Library Federation. 2000. Online: http://www.diglib.org/pubs/dlf090/dlf090.pdf
• An overview of the digital library field as it stood in 2000 as well as practical advice and information for those of us just starting out. Includes information on implementation of policy as well as enhancement of current practices. Section 4, “Planning and implementing Knowledge Organization systems in Digital Libraries,” is an interesting and useful look at analyzing user needs. Before embarking further on our project this in particular will need to be addressed.
Stephens, David O. Records Management: Making the Transition from Paper to Electronic. ARMA International, 2007
• Stephens offers a look at the building an effective electronic RIM program as well as highlights some of the pitfalls that a new RM may run in to (budget and copyright) as well as other overall management challenges. Budget as a while has yet to be discussed at the organization, these pit falls need to be highlighted and addressed.
Owens, Genevieve. Electronic Resources: Implications for Collection Management. Binghamton: Haworth Press, 1996
• Explores the social, archival, budgetary, and work implications of moving to an electronic environment for your collections. Also assists in learning to evaluate and select materials for the electronic collection. Since we have no information policy in place as of this time, it would behoove us to begin drafting policies on selection such as discussed by Owens.
Lesk, M. (2005) Understanding digital libraries. 2nd edition. Morgan Kaufman: San Francisco, CA. 2005
• Looks at how a digital library should be planned as well as an examination of what is needed technologically, economically and legally. This is a must have for the organization as it will aid in the foundation steps we are currently taking and will assist in the future guidance.
Stielow, F. Building digital archive, descriptions and displays. New York:Neal-Sschuman. 2003
• A general guide for managing a digital archive, this text speaks more to those in the organization that wish this to be a more open and web based application. This text will assist in bringing together the individuals who see this as a stagnant electronic file and those who see this project as a living breathing archive that will support the over all mission of the organization.
• Much as it did in 1998 and 2000, this edition gives a general introduction to metadata and discusses the issues related to metadata in the creation and maintenance of digital resources. Like the article by Wisser et.al. this will be important information to consider as we plan the budget for the DL for the next 5 – 10 years.
Gilliland-Swetland, Anne. Enduring Paradigm, New Opportunities: The Value of the
Archival Perspective in the Digital Environment. Washington, DC: Council on Library
and Information Resources, 2000. http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub89/contents.html
• Seeks to address and help understand the rapid development in information technology and the impact on the life cycle of digital resources. Brings an archival perspective to the changing roles in digital preservation and the digital environment. For an organization that is in some ways built on institutional knowledge, Gilliland’s idea of documenting relationships is a way of mapping out workflow, something that desperately needs to be done if we are to understand what documents and records we will be placing in the DL.
Hodge, Gail. Systems of Knowledge Organization for Digital Libraries: Beyond Traditional Authority Files. Washington, DC: The Digital Library Federation. 2000. Online: http://www.diglib.org/pubs/dlf090/dlf090.pdf
• An overview of the digital library field as it stood in 2000 as well as practical advice and information for those of us just starting out. Includes information on implementation of policy as well as enhancement of current practices. Section 4, “Planning and implementing Knowledge Organization systems in Digital Libraries,” is an interesting and useful look at analyzing user needs. Before embarking further on our project this in particular will need to be addressed.
Stephens, David O. Records Management: Making the Transition from Paper to Electronic. ARMA International, 2007
• Stephens offers a look at the building an effective electronic RIM program as well as highlights some of the pitfalls that a new RM may run in to (budget and copyright) as well as other overall management challenges. Budget as a while has yet to be discussed at the organization, these pit falls need to be highlighted and addressed.
Owens, Genevieve. Electronic Resources: Implications for Collection Management. Binghamton: Haworth Press, 1996
• Explores the social, archival, budgetary, and work implications of moving to an electronic environment for your collections. Also assists in learning to evaluate and select materials for the electronic collection. Since we have no information policy in place as of this time, it would behoove us to begin drafting policies on selection such as discussed by Owens.
Lesk, M. (2005) Understanding digital libraries. 2nd edition. Morgan Kaufman: San Francisco, CA. 2005
• Looks at how a digital library should be planned as well as an examination of what is needed technologically, economically and legally. This is a must have for the organization as it will aid in the foundation steps we are currently taking and will assist in the future guidance.
Stielow, F. Building digital archive, descriptions and displays. New York:Neal-Sschuman. 2003
• A general guide for managing a digital archive, this text speaks more to those in the organization that wish this to be a more open and web based application. This text will assist in bringing together the individuals who see this as a stagnant electronic file and those who see this project as a living breathing archive that will support the over all mission of the organization.
Websites, Blogs, et.al.
www.arma.org
• An international organization and professional association devoted to the development and maintenance of paper and electronic records management, ARMA provides updates on legislative and regulatory matters, standards and best practices, technology trends, as well as continuing education. The online
http://www.nyu.edu/its/humanities/ninchguide
• NINCH (National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage) Guide to Good Practice in the Digital Representation and Management of Cultural Heritage Materials established in 2002, this guide promotes the thinking through the digitization project as a while, not just one section (collection) or another (description). List good practices and principles that can be utilized by more than just a cultural heritage organization.
http://www.dlib.org/
• D-Lib Magazine: the focus on the development in digital libraries is very up to date and quite informative. Addressing not only technology, but economics and legal issues as well D-Lib is a wonderful resource that will make the finding of some of our member institutions available to us and possibly open up avenues of collaborations as of yet that are unexplored.
http://www.aiim.org/
• AIIM: a non-profit organization that works to assist users and members with managing documents, electronic records, and content. Offering webinars, podcasts, and continuing education. Also are the publishers of Infonomics Magazine. Very helpful with the continuing education and the webinars along with the downloadable information has been very helpful.
• An international organization and professional association devoted to the development and maintenance of paper and electronic records management, ARMA provides updates on legislative and regulatory matters, standards and best practices, technology trends, as well as continuing education. The online
http://www.nyu.edu/its/humanities/ninchguide
• NINCH (National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage) Guide to Good Practice in the Digital Representation and Management of Cultural Heritage Materials established in 2002, this guide promotes the thinking through the digitization project as a while, not just one section (collection) or another (description). List good practices and principles that can be utilized by more than just a cultural heritage organization.
http://www.dlib.org/
• D-Lib Magazine: the focus on the development in digital libraries is very up to date and quite informative. Addressing not only technology, but economics and legal issues as well D-Lib is a wonderful resource that will make the finding of some of our member institutions available to us and possibly open up avenues of collaborations as of yet that are unexplored.
http://www.aiim.org/
• AIIM: a non-profit organization that works to assist users and members with managing documents, electronic records, and content. Offering webinars, podcasts, and continuing education. Also are the publishers of Infonomics Magazine. Very helpful with the continuing education and the webinars along with the downloadable information has been very helpful.
Annotated Bibliography
Introduction
While digitization projects are complex and involved, there are countless resources available to help guide staff members through every step. Below is an annotated bibliography of 26 sources I believe would be helpful in mounting and carrying out a digitization project. As a possible future project manager or team member, I believe some of these would give me and my co-workers an introduction to digitizing issues and concerns, while others would provide more of a thorough focus. Having that variety would help to address different levels of knowledge on the project team, and help the team members explain the project to others, in order to gain approval, and perhaps funds.
This annotated bibliography includes resources which focus on the digitization of a variety of collection types – mainly museum, archive and library collections. However, it was my intention to prepare this list more for a museum collection digitization project than any other. Of course, museum is a very broad term that can be associated with many sorts of collections. A synonymous term that could be used is cultural heritage organization (CHO). However, even works in an archive or library collection can still be characterized as CHO collections.
It will be noticed right away that this annotated bibliography is not formatted in the normal manner. Because digitizing is extensive, the list is broken up into categories, some of which are roughly in the order in which they would be used in the process of digitization. However, at the end, there is a larger collection of miscellaneous resources that fall into different areas of the digitizing process. The categories, in order, are: Broad Coverage; Selection; Copyright; Metadata; Digital Imaging/Digitization; Outsourcing; Preservation; Costs; and Miscellaneous. Within each category, the resources are listed in traditional alphabetical order.
As of 4/26/09, all of the resource links were functional.
Broad Coverage
PADI Thesaurus. (n.d). National Library of Australia Preserving Access to Digital Information (PADI). Retrieved April 18, 2009, from http://www.nla.gov.au/padi/topics/thesaurus.html
This particular page within the Preserving Access to Digital Information (PADI) website gives the user access to the main hub of information that PADI provides. It offers links to topics on almost every matter concerning a digitization project. Types of resources include articles; books; events; projects and case studies; policies, strategies and guidelines; bibliographies; organizations and websites; tools; journals and newsletters; online tutorials; glossaries; evaluations; surveys; and discussion lists. A discussion/definition of the topic is also provided before the list of resources. Many of the topics on individual pages could be presented in this annotated bibliography from categories such as Costs, Preservation, Metadata, and Copyright. However, the PADI website offers much more information, both on broad topics, as well as specific ones. The Discussion List is a good resource for finding discussions, blogs, or listserves to join, in order to keep in contact directly with other digitization project personnel.
PADI also has its own listserv, called padiforum-l, which discusses preservation issues. It is a moderated listserv that provides its users with a place to exchange news and ideas about digital preservation issues. The link can be found on the “About PADI” page.
Maintaining a website with up-to-date relevant information on digitization is a part of PADI’s mission. Therefore, the site is an ongoing resource for new developments on all current digitization topics and issues, and will include new concerns and developments in the future. Most likely, no one article, book or other resource, will be sufficient for answering all questions about any one topic of the digitization process. Therefore, it is ideal to have a resource like this that can provide easy access to many resources at once. Furthermore, individual resources mentioned on the page come from various countries, which can open up research into new developments and concerns from all around the world.
Sitts, M. K. (Ed.). (2000). Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access. Andover, MA: Northeast Document Conservation Center. Retrieved April 7, 2009, from http://www.nedcc.org/resources/digitalhandbook/dman.pdf
This is an excellent source for tackling a digitization project. It provides a solid overview with good detail and aids (including questionnaires and checklists), as well as lists of other resources to help lead an organization through the difficult and long process of digitizing a collection. With additional r (like those mentioned in this annotated bibliography) that provide further detail on some of the topics discussed in the Handbook, it provides a well-rounded basis for completing a project successfully. Material covered in the Handbook includes discussions on project management, the selection process, copyright issues, technical concerns, vendor relations, and case studies.
Several authors have contributed to this book, all of whom are, or have been, involved in the digitization world, either in professional or educational contexts. All types of institutions that would most likely digitize a collection could use this manual. However, at times, the authors pay particular attention to museum collections, which only makes it more useful and appropriate for my research.
Selection
Decision Tree for Selection of Digital Materials for Long-Term Retention. (2006). Digital Preservation Coalition. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from http://www.dpconline.org/graphics/handbook/dec-tree.html
Within the context of policies regarding object selection for long-term preservation, the Decision Tree provides a series of questions to consider before deciding whether to digitize a work and then preserve it for the long haul. The tree starts by asking questions about the selection process, like whether the object relates to the collection policy. The next section of the tree refers to copyright issues, and then moves on to technical and cost issues like file formats, storage space, and whether funds are available. Finally, the tree ends with documentation, metadata, and costs. This section asks whether there is enough documentation/metadata for the object, whether it can be acquired and whether the staff is available to research it if it isn’t.
Because digitizing a collection is so complicated, having tools such as this tree, Peter Hirtle’s copyright chart (mentioned below), and other resources mentioned in this annotated bibliography, can simplify certain aspects of the process and add consistency and order to the project. The tree may also bring some issues and concerns to light that may not have been considered before, which will improve the project on a whole and prevent problems in the future. The tree is also generic, in that it will work for any collection, and it has been updated from its original version. There are two versions presented online – an interactive html version and a PDF version. Both versions provide help if questions are not clear, and provide advice for what to do at particular junctures.
Hazen, D., Horrell, J., & Merrill-Oldham, J. (1998, August). Selecting Research Collections for Digitization. Washington D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/hazen/pub74.html
In this article, concerns are discussed and assessed which are similar to those specifically referred in Section 4 of the Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access (discussed above), as well as elsewhere. The Handbook and this article both present useful information for selecting material, and both have their positives and negatives. They discuss many of the same concerns that must be considered when selecting material to be digitized. The Handbook lays it out it in a more user-friendly manner, with tables and forms to help complete the selection process, but this paper offers additional information not mentioned in the Handbook. It presents questions to be considered for each type of material in the collection and then provides examples to help explain how different types of materials can be affected by various concerns. These questions go into more detail and dig a bit deeper than those mentioned in the Handbook. Because the selection process is so crucial to the successful outcome of a project and because this article “anticipates all the major stages of project implementation,” it is a great source for gaining more in-depth knowledge of this important step.
The three authors all work in the Harvard library system in different capacities and in different specialties, so it is apparent that they can bring a well-rounded view and knowledge to the topics discussed in this article.
Copyright
Brewer, M. (2007). Digital Copyright Slider. American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from http://librarycopyright.net/digitalslider/
The Slider provides direction for determining what the copyright status of a work is, how long its copyright term lasts, and whether permission is needed for digitization. A red arrow to the right of the page can be moved with the computer mouse and pointed at any one of twelve copyright situations. Ten refer to the date of first publication, and the remaining two refer to whether or not the author is deceased and the work was ever published. As the red arrow is moved, the information pertaining to the topic is provided in two small windows to the left. One window answers the question, “Permission needed?” and the other explains the copyright status/term. When the window includes an asterisk, more information is available. The Slider’s results are not always concrete or entirely reliable, but the additional information provided when an asterisk appears can address some unresolved issues, and some links are provided for additional information or clarification, in order to at least point a user in the right direction.
The Slider applies only to copyright issues within the U.S. If a work was published outside of the U.S., the Slider would be invalid due to the laws varying from one country to another. As it says in the Disclaimer, the page is not meant to act in place of legal counsel. Each copyright issue is unique, so this tool can give direction, but it is not meant to be one’s single authoritative source for determining copyright status.
Copyright. (2009). American Library Association. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/copyright/index.cfm
This website offers comprehensive information about copyright issues, as well as the legislation behind copyright. As of the date viewed, not all pages of the site had been completed or reorganized, including a page regarding Copyright Education, which may be helpful once it is finished. Useful pages include discussions of Digital Rights Management (DRM), Fair Use, and Orphan Works, as well as articles about copyright and links to other helpful sites, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The site varies from presenting basic information, referred to as “101” (as in Copyright 101), to the language of legislation, so it serves as a good tool for starting to learn about copyright, as well as for diving into the subject more deeply. Assuming that the site will be updated with current legislation and topics, it can serve as a good resource for any organization.
Harris, L. E. (2009). Copyright Questions and Answers. Blogspot.com. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from http://www.copyrightanswers.blogspot.com/
This blog offers a place for anyone to ask a copyright question and have it answered by Lesley Ellen Harris, a lawyer, teacher, and author in the copyright field. She breaks the blog into categories, one specifically for museum-related questions. The posts that appear on the main page are those which she has answered in her Q&A column in The Copyright & New Media Law Newsletter. The comment sections allow viewers to read questions and answers pertaining to a category topic and to post comments of their own. Harris also offers information regarding online courses which anyone can take to learn more about copyright.
Harris is an expert and professional in the field of copyright law. She has written the Q&A section of The Copyright & New Media Law Newsletter since 2006, and four books on the subject. She teaches online courses and offers consultation and legal information. The blog offers project managers a resource for asking specific questions when they hit a bump in the road or a resource to subscribe to get updated information and to see concerns others have regarding copyright.
Hirtle, P. B. (2009). Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States. Cornell Copyright Information Center. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/
This document offers a quick reference for determining whether or not a work is in the public domain. There are still unanswered questions after referring to the document, but it does offer guidelines for what terms affect a work, in determining whether it is in the public domain. However, Hirtle’s footnotes and links to other sources can be very helpful for either answering questions that may arise after looking at the chart, or providing sources to help answer them. Copyright issues within the U.S. are the main focus. However, some international concerns are mentioned. The document also covers two different types of works: sound recordings and architectural works. It will be updated each year to account for changing terms and to provide their corresponding dates.
Hirtle’s chart is a great asset for determining whether a particular work or object is in the public domain, and for providing an easier way to understand all of the aspects of copyright issues. It is a great tool to have on hand for any digitization project.
Due to the interactive nature of the Slider (mentioned above), it could be seen as easier to use and interpret than Hirtle’s chart. The user takes known facts and gets direct results (in some cases – in others, there may not be a concrete answer provided because further research is required). However, Hirtle’s chart provides more detailed scenarios and refers to specific types of works, but in a format that involves more concentration. It may be best to consult both tools, but to consult the Slider first to get a basic premise and then look at Hirtle’s chart for further clarification.
Metadata
Conducting Research. (n.d). The J. Paul Getty Trust. Retrieved March 3, 2009, from http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/
The Research Institute at the Getty Center offers numerous activities and scholarly resources that are particularly helpful for digitizing collections in visual arts museums. This is the main page of their Conducting Research section. Under the heading of Standards and Vocabularies are links for three different types of vocabularies which are compliant with NISO and ISO standards. “They contain terms, names, and other information about people, places, things, and concepts relating to art, architecture, and material culture.” The vocabularies covered are: The Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT); The Union List of Artist Names (ULAN) – which includes biographical information, variant names, pseudonyms, etc.); and The Getty Thesaurus of Geographical Names (TGN) – which focuses on places important for the study of art and architecture. A fourth vocabulary list mentioned on the Learn About the Getty Vocabularies page is still under development but may be released in 2011: The Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA). The last link in the list—Data Standards and Guidelines—is covered in detail below.
These vocabularies and thesauruses are indispensable for arts museums in more ways than just creating consistency in developing metadata for a digitization project. For any project manager, these resources could provide consistency in, and control of, whatever their specific digitization project might involve.
Data Standards and Guidelines. (n.d.). J. Paul Getty Trust. Retrieved March 3, 2009, from http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/standards/
This page on the Research Institute at the Getty Center website focuses on data standards and guidelines. The subject areas include links to the Categories for the Description of Works of Art (covered at length below); Introduction to Archival Organization and Description (1998); Introduction to Art Image Access (2002) – an electronic version of a book which discusses the issues concerned when documenting a visual collection, so that it can be appropriately accessed by users; Introduction to Imaging (2003) – a publication about the process and issues to be concerned with when creating a digital image collection; Introduction to Metadata (2008) (briefly mentioned below); Metadata Standards Crosswalk (2009) – a chart which provides the mapping elements of twelve different metadata schemas for interoperability.
This website page provides a link to the Categories for the Description of Works of Art (CDWA). The CDWA website page offers an introduction to CDWA, an overview of the categories that make up the framework, definitions for those categories, and CDWA Lite, a subset of the CDWA elements. Links are then provided for specific categories under two different headings – Object, Architecture or Group and Authorities/Vocabulary Control – and an in-depth explanation is given of each, along with its subcategories. Sources are provided to find authoritative terminology to create museum-specific controlled lists (a couple of these sources can be found on this site and are covered above). And finally, Getty’s website explains how the categories of the work record relate to one another and how best to handle repetition and similar categories.
Because there are so many different types of schemas available, having one that is specific to cultural objects will greatly help a museum digitization project or program. The CDWA is an established framework, created from the Art Information Task Force (AITF) and funded by the reputable organizations of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the College Art Association (CAA). Using a format like the CDWA will bring consistency to a digitization project. Regardless of the collection, whether it’s an analogous collection or a diverse one, using a framework will make the results of a project more useful and successful to users. Furthermore, even if project managers do not have the knowledge to handle or direct the metadata process themselves and have someone else handle it, a resource like this will be valuable to the entire project team when they think about the scope of metadata and what outcome it makes possible. The page can be a bit overwhelming when you see how much information is presented there, but it is worth it in the end.
Understanding Metadata. (2004). National Information Standards Organization (NISO). Retrieved March 1, 2009, from http://www.niso.org/publications/press/UnderstandingMetadata.pdf
This article is a good source for getting a solid, basic knowledge of metadata. It breaks down the meaning of metadata by explaining the various aspects of its function and how it is structured. It then briefly describes the most common metadata schemes being used today. One scheme mentioned is the Categories for the Descriptions of Works of Art (CDWA), which will help with museum collections in particular (discussed above). Examples using metadata are provided to help the reader understand the steps involved and where the complexity comes from. Other topics include the creation of metadata, interoperability and crosswalks, as well as future directions for metadata. Finally, the article offers a bibliography for further information and a glossary of terms.
Even though Getty’s “Introduction to Metadata” (discussed above) may be a bit hard to digest, due to its being produced by the Getty organization – an organization dedicated to research, especially within the museum field – it does relate metadata to museums more, while “Understanding Metadata” sticks to libraries as its focus. Both sources have their positives and negatives, yet still act as good sources for learning about metadata. However, it may be best to read this article first in order to get an introductory look at metadata before taking a look at Getty’s. This article describes metadata in a more understandable manner by relating it to traditional library practices, and it gives clearer explanations of what terms mean.
Metadata is a complex part of digitization projects. Therefore, having more than one source to review will be best. This resource offers a good starting point, but doing further research or having someone who is more familiar with metadata on the project team would be required.
Digital Imaging/Digitization
BCR’s CDP Digital Imaging Best Practices Version 2.0. (2008, June). BCR. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.bcr.org/cdp/best/digital-imaging-bp.pdf
This document takes an extensive look at digital practices in cultural heritage organizations (CHOs). It takes into consideration the expectations for CHOs to have a primary concern for image quality and sustainability. The document covers topics such as starting a digitizing project, learning capturing basics, understanding hardware and software, creating digital images, controlling quality, using metadata, and storing material. There are also nine appendices, which include a bibliography, a glossary, a list of physical and environmental requirements for a data center, and additional information about color management.
The document was generated by the Bibliographical Center for Research (BCR), which consists of the Collaborative Digitization Program (CDP), formerly known as the Colorado Digitization Program. The BCR gathered its information for the document from BCR members, other digitization colleagues, and well-researched literature written by experts in the field. This ensures that the information presented is based on current projects that consider the most recent methods and technologies available.
Technology changes rapidly. Therefore, museums and other CHOs need to have resources that inform them of changing trends, new discoveries, software, hardware, and best digitizing practices. The document is a new edition of CDP’s first version, which was done in 2003. Over the course of five years, much can change. Hopefully, in another five years the BCR will revise this document once again, so CHOs can continue to be kept up to date on the best methods for carrying out their digitization projects and preserving such projects.
JISC Digital Media. (2009). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/
This website is based in the UK at the University of Bristol and used to be known as the Technical Advisory Service for Images (TASI). It offers great personal advice for certain organizations in the UK, but anyone can access their online documents. It has much to offer, including advice (in the form of written documents) and resources on how to bring digital media to users and how to educate using your collections. There are documents on various topics, including managing digitization projects, creating and delivering digital images, and finding and using digital images. A Frequently Asked Questions section is available for most of the main topics covered. Furthermore, a resource page offers direct links to websites and tools, covering such ideas as: metadata vocabularies; case studies; useful books, magazines, and online publications; and funding sources for digitization projects. A glossary is available for image terminology and digitization terms, as well as acronyms. Finally, there is a blog which discusses current “digital imaging news and views.”
The site is a user-friendly, comprehensive resource for all topics and steps regarding a digitization process and offers a location for the most up-to-date information in the field. Their team of approximately 12 staff members works to seek out helpful sites and services, to conduct interviews to bring back useful information about what other organizations have done for their own projects, and to act as professionals in their field who can also teach others about the digitization process. Therefore, the organization is made up of a team who is always knowledgeable about current issues of digitization and, consequently, presents that knowledge on their website.
The site is geared towards still images, moving images, and sound resources. However, much of the information provided is still useful for other media. Because the site is based in the UK, many of its case studies and links refer to other organizations and sites there, but it is still a good source of information, as digitization personnel all over the world deal with similar issues. This site would be helpful to a project manager because it offers a “one stop shopping” experience for finding out a great deal of information without having to do individual searches to find answers to various questions.
Outsourcing
Conversion Specifications. (n.d). Library of Congress American Memory. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/techdocs/conversion.html
This page provides links to three different requests for proposals (RFPs) published by the Library of Congress. The documents represent the final versions, up to the point where the contractor was chosen. Any modifications done thereafter in collaboration with the contractor are not included. The three RFPs are for these projects: “Digital Images from Original Documents, Text Conversion and SGML-Encoding” (1996); “Conversion of Microfilm to Digital Images” (1996); and “Conversion of Pictorial Materials to Digital Images (1997).”
The documents lay out every aspect of the projects, which can not only aid project managers and team members to create their own RFP documents, but also see the standards, specifications, scheduling, handling requirements, etc., for a project completed by the Library of Congress, which could help a team plan a project from the beginning. The documents are lengthy, due to the size of the projects that the Library of Congress performs and the detail they go into. However, they would still be worth the time to examine. The documents are also over ten years old, which has an impact on the technical aspects of the digitization, although the mere outline of the documents, the contract language, how information is presented, and what is included are still viable.
RLG Guidelines for Creating a Request for Proposal for Digital Imaging Services (Including Text Conversion and Encoding). (1998). OCLC. Retrieved April 5, 2009, from
http://www.oclc.org/programs/ourwork/past/digimgtools/RFPGuidelines.pdf
This document provides guidelines for creating a request for proposal (RFP). It breaks the proposal document up into sections, including an introduction and project overview, timelines, evaluation guidelines, responsibilities of the institution and vendor, etc. Each section is broken down further into the components that should be included in it.
There are no examples to go along with the document, so it can be difficult to truly get a feeling for what is required or how it should be worded. However, to help a project team with more of the specifics of writing an RFP, the sources above in Conversion Specifications are examples from Library of Congress projects.
Preservation
Cornell University Library. (2007). Digital Preservation Management: Implementing Short-term Strategies for Long-term Problems. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). Retrieved April 18, 2009, from http://www.library.cornell.edu/iris/tutorial/dpm/
This source is a tutorial on digital preservation. It is set within the context of the Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) and Attributes of a Trusted Digital Repository (TDR) (discussed individually below). The goal of the tutorial is to help the user establish a viable digital preservation program. After viewing a timeline that illustrates the key events in technology that pertain to digital preservation, the tutorial offers explanations and definitions for terms and concepts, along with a list of online glossaries for preservation terms. Obsolescence and physical threats to digital media, hardware, and software, as well as the challenges for such tasks as selecting assets, conquering legal issues, and funding, are also briefly covered. In the Foundations section, the main focus is a summarization of the documents for TDR and OAIS, but it ends with an explanation of how the TDR framework and the OAIS model can be combined. Finally, the Program Component section explains three elements that are needed to create and maintain a preservation program: an organizational policy framework, a technological plan, and a plan for continued support from necessary resources.
The tutorial takes the reader through the process of preservation, using easy-to-understand language and explanations. It provides a good introductory overview of the topic that can help explain what is involved in the task, yet offers further resources on the subject for future reading and research on specific topics.
The ICPSR maintains and hosts the tutorial, updating its content and improving its presentation based on user feedback. The tutorial is also presented and maintained in conjunction with a couple of five-day workshops offered each year at ICPSR’s location in Michigan.
Trusted Digital Repositories: Attributes and Responsibilities. (2002). OCLC. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from http://www.oclc.org/programs/ourwork/past/trustedrep/repositories.pdf
This is the final report created by RLG and OCLC for what constitutes a digital repository and what responsibilities they hold. The document is based on the Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) (discussed briefly below). The document first defines what a trusted digital repository is and what attributes it should possess in order to be seen as trustworthy. It then goes into recommendations for what needs to be done before a universally followed plan can be created to build and maintain trustworthy repositories based on standard practices.
Appendix A of the document is worth mentioning separately. It provides an overview of the open archival information system (OAIS) framework model for preserving and maintaining access to digital information for the long term. The components of the model are broken up and discussed individually to make them more comprehensible. Although this is just an overview, it can provide a context for what is discussed in the main portion of the document. The OAIS model continues to be used and referred to widely. Considering such a model right from the beginning of a project could not only give the project direction and consistency, but also help save money and make it more compatible with other institutions’ projects, because it is so widely used.
Digital preservation is an ongoing process that will continue to change. The document presents seven recommendations that RLG and OCLC, as well as repository organizations in general, will need to follow in order to make a comprehensive, internationally accepted digital preservation plan. In the future, one should be on the lookout for an updated version of this document or perhaps a more detailed account of what they propose for the future. Meanwhile, the current version provides necessary information for understanding what is essential for a trustworthy digital repository and, therefore, helps to make clear what is needed in order to bring that to fruition. This is a non-technological approach to preserving digital assets – meaning more of an administrative and organizational approach. Combined with the more technical plan presented in the OAIS model, an organization using this resource would be better equipped to comprehensively tackle digital preservation.
Costs
RLG Worksheet for Estimating Digital Reformatting Costs. (1997). RLG. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://worldcat.org/arcviewer/1/OCC/2007/08/08/0000070511/viewer/file2733.pdf
This worksheet is a guide for creating a digitization budget. It breaks up costs into eleven categories and provides a worksheet for each step. The majority of the elements involve personnel costs, so that table repeats in many categories. Other forms are provided for determining the size of the collection to be digitized; for determining image costs, text conversion costs, and SGML encoding costs; and for finding aid conversion costs, if appropriate.
An appendix at the end of the document gives information for determining what type of digital image capture equipment should be used, based on the physical attributes of the work. Seven different scanning devices are considered. For the most part, this information seems to still be relevant today; however, some of the technological enhancements and the obsolescence of scanning devices may be a consideration.
The worksheet would be a good tool for estimating costs for a project, or it could act as a template for creating a guide adapted to a specific project or organization. Regardless of cost concerns, the appendix offers useful information for the selection process, to determine what types of scanning devices will be required and whether new equipment, or perhaps an outside vendor, may be needed. If the latter be the case, the worksheet and the steps for selecting the scanning will provide useful information for creating vendor requests and contracts.
Miscellaneous
Agnew, G. (2006). Staffing Roles for Digital Collection Building. New Jersey Digital Highway. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from
http://www.njdigitalhighway.org/documents/staffing-roles-for-digital-collection-building.pdf
Agnew’s article provides a condensed discussion of staffing roles for a digitization project. She briefly mentions using in-house staff, outsourcing components of the project, and working collaboratively with other institutions. A concise table is provided with 19 different roles to be filled, a description of skills required for each role, and recommendations for how those roles can be filled internally or externally.
Grace Agnew is the Associate University Librarian for Digital Library Systems at Rutgers University Libraries and has written several articles posted on the New Jersey Digital Highway website.
Each organization is different, made up of a variety of positions, with staff that have different skill sets. Therefore, a project team must analyze the resources they already have available to them within their staff and what resources they may have easy access to, such as qualified volunteers. In order to use staff in the best way possible to get the best result, consulting a table such as the one included in this article can simplify the needs of the project and direct a team and project manager to finding the right staff member, vendors, and/or consultants to carry out the project.
Chun, S., & Jenkins, M. (2006, December 15). Why Digital Asset Management? A Case Study. RLG DigiNews. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from http://worldcat.org/arcviewer/1/OCC/2007/07/10/0000068924/viewer/file1.html#article1
This article focuses on steps the Metropolitan Museum of Art took to create its three-year digitization project called Met Images. It offers a good look at a major museum embarking – and at the time of the article, nearing completion – on one of the most comprehensive studies of a digitization plan for its organization, and at how its plans and goals changed through the process. Discussions cover the initial research they performed, how they gained financial approval from their board, their use of social tagging for describing collection objects, assessment of the collections and the digital assets they possessed, and who would manage the system. A brief discussion is also given of some key issues regarding technology, image creation, and cataloging.
The authors are mentioned as working at the MET, but it is not clear what roles exactly they had in the MET Images project.
The article is an excellent source for showing how museum projects can change throughout the process and how the concepts behind digitization have changed over the years. Since the article was written in late 2006, some of the information may be outdated, but the more a museum can examine the processes fellow museums go through for digitization projects, the more likely they are to accumulate important information that will help them make better decisions, which will lead to future organizations learning in turn.
Covey, D. T. (2002). Usage and Usability Assessment: Library Practices and Concerns. Digital Library Federation. Retrieved February 26, 2009, from http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub105abst.html
This report is based on numerous interviews conducted with library professionals regarding the assessment of the use and usability of online collections and services. Covey explains why certain methods are used, gives examples of what the method could be used for, evaluates what worked and what didn’t, and describes how to use the data collected from the assessments. She also describes challenges that are inherent in the assessments and gives examples from her interviews. The three main assessing methods she covers are survey questionnaires, focus groups, and user protocols. An additional electronic method is also discussed: transaction log analysis (TLA). This is a process where computer software is used to track what a user does while using a system. The data collected can then be analyzed to see how a program can be improved. Finally, an extensive bibliography is provided, with sources organized according to the methods discussed.
These methods have been, and can be, used to evaluate the effectiveness of websites and the user interfaces of digital collections or databases. They can help in designing a site from the ground up, providing improvements to an already established digital collection, or doing a complete overhaul in order to make a collection more functional for the user. Therefore, a report like this can provide much-needed information for a project manager to determine who their audience is and what they need and want, and it can assist in the development of digital collections and services that fit. However, these methods can be used for any field, not just libraries, and not just for online collections and service assessments. Museums could use these ideas in any area or department of the organization.
Digital Corner. (n.d). Institute of Museum and Library Services. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from
http://www.imls.gov/about/digitalcorner.asp
This web page provides several links to resources regarding different aspects of the topic of the Digital Revolution in museums, archives, and libraries. One notable resource is the “Status of Technology and Digitization in the Nation's Museums and Libraries” (2004). The article discusses the “kinds of technology in use, the extent of digitization activities, and the adoption, maintenance, funding of, and staffing for technology and digitization activities at museums and libraries.” An Afterword offers a summary of discussions conducted with participants, asking them to state what is coming next and what some of the major issues are in their realm of the digital world. The “Assessment of End-User Needs in IMLS-Funded Digitization Projects” (2003) is an article which stems from a study to determine how museums and libraries are assessing the needs of their users and what can be done to determine if they are meeting their users’ needs. A third source is “A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections” (2007). This article is meant for cultural heritage organizations and offers major components for creating good digital collections and locating resources to consult, and discusses how communities should participate in the development of digital practices. The page also provides links to information about digital-based conferences and digital project grants offered by IMLS.
This page is an ideal source of information because it offers such a variety of sources on different aspects of a digitization project. Many of the sources are either based on studies of numerous organizations working with digital projects or based on workshops or conferences which provide insights from a range of sources and experiences. The page can also be frequently consulted for more recent studies as they become available. The study Status of Technology and Digitization in the Nation's Museums and Libraries is a more recent version of a study conducted in 2001. Periodically, IMLS will feel that a past study should be conducted again to offer the most up-to-date information as possible.
Digitise My Collection. (n.d). Collections Link. Retrieved April 11, 2009, from
http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/digitise_my_collection
Collections Link is based in the UK but serves as an international collections management advisory service. The digitization page offers information and resources for various steps in the digitization process. The question “Why Digitize?” is considered, and in the Implementing Digitization section there are numerous links for topics like Project Management, Copyright, Preservation, and a Digitization Business Model for sustaining a project’s results into the future. This section also introduces the concept of the Digitization Life Cycle, which is an interesting way of viewing the process. It breaks the treatment into four parts – Planning, Processing, Preservation, and Presentation – and provides links for further information about each part. One section points the reader to the Technical Advisory Service for Images (TASI) (now known as JISC Digital Media), which is discussed above. Another important source this site provides is the Good Practice Guide for Developers of Cultural Heritage Web Services. Portions of the guide are referenced throughout the Collections Link website. This will be covered individually below, because it discusses a topic not already covered in this annotated bibliography – websites.
Collections Link provides advice and support to museums, libraries, and archives on the care and management of collections. Collections Link is managed by the Collections Trust, the UK's independent organization for collections, and works in collaboration with 20 professional groups.
All-inclusive sites such as this can be very useful for gaining a large amount of information in one location and knowing that it is all compatible and tested. Sources like these also include links to other helpful and related sites, to continue the learning curve or simply to offer further information. The UK is a leader in researching and developing best practices, so that staying connected to the resources they have to offer can only help a digitization project.
Erway, R. & Schaffner, J. (2007). Shifting Gears: Gearing Up to Get Into the Flow. OCLC Programs and Research. Retrieved February 22, 2007, from http://www.oclc.org/programs/publications/reports/2007-02.pdf
This essay was based on a forum called “Digitization Matters,” which challenged its speakers and audience to think on a different level, to “go out on a limb” and provoke discussion. It briefly discusses eight different approaches to, or elements of, the digitization process. Topics like the dilemma between quantity and quality, what works or objects are best to select for digitization, and methods of getting useful research for object descriptions are discussed. Finding new ways to get digitized works to the user and utilizing the entire staff throughout the process are also covered.
This article reminds project managers and digitization teams to get back to basics, to think about why they are digitizing. It takes the focus away from the technical side and allows readers to regroup and remind themselves why they are digitizing and for whom. At the same time, it brings up key questions, concerns, and elements of the process, and digitization results that should be heavily considered and debated about within an organization. The essay offers a different view of digitization to get program managers thinking about what is important to their organization and how they want to proceed.
Good Practice Guide for Developers of Cultural Heritage Web Services. (2008). UKOLN. Retrieved April 11, 2009, from http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/interop-focus/gpg/
In one form or another, this handbook covers each part of the Digitization Life Cycle mentioned above in the Collections Link resource. It discusses managing intellectual property rights, staffing, and projects as a whole, plus technical aspects of the digitization process, metadata, preservation, marketing, and publicity. However, a unique portion of the guide refers to web sites – the presentation of the digitized collection. There are sections for advice and guidance on best practices for setting up websites, and information on usability and accessibility, content management systems, collaborative technologies and more.
UKOLN is based in the University of Bath and strives “to inform practice and influence policy in the areas of: digital libraries, metadata and resource discovery, distributed library and information systems, bibliographic management, and web technologies.” This organization in general may be a worthwhile source to look into.
Starting in 2006, it was decided that the handbook would be updated regularly, thereby providing an ever-current source. Because websites continue to be the main tool for presenting a collection to the public, it is important to keep up-to-date on new developments, as well as to do the necessary legwork to make the initial presentation of the site to the public, the best it can be.
Reilly, B. (2000). Collections: Museum Collections Online. Retrieved February 22, 2009, from http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub88/coll-museum.html
Museums do not have the means to present all of their collections at the same time. However, now, with the capabilities of the Internet, museums can come close. This article explains some examples of how digitizing a museum collection and presenting it online can be more cost effective for “getting” the collection out there and for how “the experience and understanding of the original work can be enriched beyond what is possible in print.” It also briefly mentions the main disadvantage: now museums will also have to care for surrogate files and metadata as well as their originals. In addition, the article identifies factors that are affecting what objects museums are choosing to put on the web and why. Finally, the article offers three possibilities for how museums and libraries may use the Web in the future to present their collections.
This article is a good overview and introduction to the advantages and issues museums will have when developing an online digitization project. Because of its introductory level, it would be a good article to have on hand for those who are not familiar with such a task. Furthermore, a project manager could get an idea of some key aspects and ideas which could then be looked into further.
Conclusion
The list above merely scratches the surface of the resources that are available for digitizing projects. Along with other sources not mentioned, and resources that are being created right now, many of the articles, documents, or particular web pages discussed here come from sites that have other sources and helpful content. I may have only discussed one particular article from a website which has much more to offer, so exploring further will lead you to other helpful resources, allowing for more focused research on specific topics.
As a member of a listserv in the museum field, I know how helpful they can be. Therefore, I see a listserv like PADI’s as a resounding asset to any digitization project member.
Organizations and individuals all over the world are conducting studies, gathering information, and learning from practice, and are working to present that new-found knowledge to the rest of us. So always be on the look out for new, up-to-date resources.
While digitization projects are complex and involved, there are countless resources available to help guide staff members through every step. Below is an annotated bibliography of 26 sources I believe would be helpful in mounting and carrying out a digitization project. As a possible future project manager or team member, I believe some of these would give me and my co-workers an introduction to digitizing issues and concerns, while others would provide more of a thorough focus. Having that variety would help to address different levels of knowledge on the project team, and help the team members explain the project to others, in order to gain approval, and perhaps funds.
This annotated bibliography includes resources which focus on the digitization of a variety of collection types – mainly museum, archive and library collections. However, it was my intention to prepare this list more for a museum collection digitization project than any other. Of course, museum is a very broad term that can be associated with many sorts of collections. A synonymous term that could be used is cultural heritage organization (CHO). However, even works in an archive or library collection can still be characterized as CHO collections.
It will be noticed right away that this annotated bibliography is not formatted in the normal manner. Because digitizing is extensive, the list is broken up into categories, some of which are roughly in the order in which they would be used in the process of digitization. However, at the end, there is a larger collection of miscellaneous resources that fall into different areas of the digitizing process. The categories, in order, are: Broad Coverage; Selection; Copyright; Metadata; Digital Imaging/Digitization; Outsourcing; Preservation; Costs; and Miscellaneous. Within each category, the resources are listed in traditional alphabetical order.
As of 4/26/09, all of the resource links were functional.
Broad Coverage
PADI Thesaurus. (n.d). National Library of Australia Preserving Access to Digital Information (PADI). Retrieved April 18, 2009, from http://www.nla.gov.au/padi/topics/thesaurus.html
This particular page within the Preserving Access to Digital Information (PADI) website gives the user access to the main hub of information that PADI provides. It offers links to topics on almost every matter concerning a digitization project. Types of resources include articles; books; events; projects and case studies; policies, strategies and guidelines; bibliographies; organizations and websites; tools; journals and newsletters; online tutorials; glossaries; evaluations; surveys; and discussion lists. A discussion/definition of the topic is also provided before the list of resources. Many of the topics on individual pages could be presented in this annotated bibliography from categories such as Costs, Preservation, Metadata, and Copyright. However, the PADI website offers much more information, both on broad topics, as well as specific ones. The Discussion List is a good resource for finding discussions, blogs, or listserves to join, in order to keep in contact directly with other digitization project personnel.
PADI also has its own listserv, called padiforum-l, which discusses preservation issues. It is a moderated listserv that provides its users with a place to exchange news and ideas about digital preservation issues. The link can be found on the “About PADI” page.
Maintaining a website with up-to-date relevant information on digitization is a part of PADI’s mission. Therefore, the site is an ongoing resource for new developments on all current digitization topics and issues, and will include new concerns and developments in the future. Most likely, no one article, book or other resource, will be sufficient for answering all questions about any one topic of the digitization process. Therefore, it is ideal to have a resource like this that can provide easy access to many resources at once. Furthermore, individual resources mentioned on the page come from various countries, which can open up research into new developments and concerns from all around the world.
Sitts, M. K. (Ed.). (2000). Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access. Andover, MA: Northeast Document Conservation Center. Retrieved April 7, 2009, from http://www.nedcc.org/resources/digitalhandbook/dman.pdf
This is an excellent source for tackling a digitization project. It provides a solid overview with good detail and aids (including questionnaires and checklists), as well as lists of other resources to help lead an organization through the difficult and long process of digitizing a collection. With additional r (like those mentioned in this annotated bibliography) that provide further detail on some of the topics discussed in the Handbook, it provides a well-rounded basis for completing a project successfully. Material covered in the Handbook includes discussions on project management, the selection process, copyright issues, technical concerns, vendor relations, and case studies.
Several authors have contributed to this book, all of whom are, or have been, involved in the digitization world, either in professional or educational contexts. All types of institutions that would most likely digitize a collection could use this manual. However, at times, the authors pay particular attention to museum collections, which only makes it more useful and appropriate for my research.
Selection
Decision Tree for Selection of Digital Materials for Long-Term Retention. (2006). Digital Preservation Coalition. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from http://www.dpconline.org/graphics/handbook/dec-tree.html
Within the context of policies regarding object selection for long-term preservation, the Decision Tree provides a series of questions to consider before deciding whether to digitize a work and then preserve it for the long haul. The tree starts by asking questions about the selection process, like whether the object relates to the collection policy. The next section of the tree refers to copyright issues, and then moves on to technical and cost issues like file formats, storage space, and whether funds are available. Finally, the tree ends with documentation, metadata, and costs. This section asks whether there is enough documentation/metadata for the object, whether it can be acquired and whether the staff is available to research it if it isn’t.
Because digitizing a collection is so complicated, having tools such as this tree, Peter Hirtle’s copyright chart (mentioned below), and other resources mentioned in this annotated bibliography, can simplify certain aspects of the process and add consistency and order to the project. The tree may also bring some issues and concerns to light that may not have been considered before, which will improve the project on a whole and prevent problems in the future. The tree is also generic, in that it will work for any collection, and it has been updated from its original version. There are two versions presented online – an interactive html version and a PDF version. Both versions provide help if questions are not clear, and provide advice for what to do at particular junctures.
Hazen, D., Horrell, J., & Merrill-Oldham, J. (1998, August). Selecting Research Collections for Digitization. Washington D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/hazen/pub74.html
In this article, concerns are discussed and assessed which are similar to those specifically referred in Section 4 of the Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access (discussed above), as well as elsewhere. The Handbook and this article both present useful information for selecting material, and both have their positives and negatives. They discuss many of the same concerns that must be considered when selecting material to be digitized. The Handbook lays it out it in a more user-friendly manner, with tables and forms to help complete the selection process, but this paper offers additional information not mentioned in the Handbook. It presents questions to be considered for each type of material in the collection and then provides examples to help explain how different types of materials can be affected by various concerns. These questions go into more detail and dig a bit deeper than those mentioned in the Handbook. Because the selection process is so crucial to the successful outcome of a project and because this article “anticipates all the major stages of project implementation,” it is a great source for gaining more in-depth knowledge of this important step.
The three authors all work in the Harvard library system in different capacities and in different specialties, so it is apparent that they can bring a well-rounded view and knowledge to the topics discussed in this article.
Copyright
Brewer, M. (2007). Digital Copyright Slider. American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from http://librarycopyright.net/digitalslider/
The Slider provides direction for determining what the copyright status of a work is, how long its copyright term lasts, and whether permission is needed for digitization. A red arrow to the right of the page can be moved with the computer mouse and pointed at any one of twelve copyright situations. Ten refer to the date of first publication, and the remaining two refer to whether or not the author is deceased and the work was ever published. As the red arrow is moved, the information pertaining to the topic is provided in two small windows to the left. One window answers the question, “Permission needed?” and the other explains the copyright status/term. When the window includes an asterisk, more information is available. The Slider’s results are not always concrete or entirely reliable, but the additional information provided when an asterisk appears can address some unresolved issues, and some links are provided for additional information or clarification, in order to at least point a user in the right direction.
The Slider applies only to copyright issues within the U.S. If a work was published outside of the U.S., the Slider would be invalid due to the laws varying from one country to another. As it says in the Disclaimer, the page is not meant to act in place of legal counsel. Each copyright issue is unique, so this tool can give direction, but it is not meant to be one’s single authoritative source for determining copyright status.
Copyright. (2009). American Library Association. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/copyright/index.cfm
This website offers comprehensive information about copyright issues, as well as the legislation behind copyright. As of the date viewed, not all pages of the site had been completed or reorganized, including a page regarding Copyright Education, which may be helpful once it is finished. Useful pages include discussions of Digital Rights Management (DRM), Fair Use, and Orphan Works, as well as articles about copyright and links to other helpful sites, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The site varies from presenting basic information, referred to as “101” (as in Copyright 101), to the language of legislation, so it serves as a good tool for starting to learn about copyright, as well as for diving into the subject more deeply. Assuming that the site will be updated with current legislation and topics, it can serve as a good resource for any organization.
Harris, L. E. (2009). Copyright Questions and Answers. Blogspot.com. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from http://www.copyrightanswers.blogspot.com/
This blog offers a place for anyone to ask a copyright question and have it answered by Lesley Ellen Harris, a lawyer, teacher, and author in the copyright field. She breaks the blog into categories, one specifically for museum-related questions. The posts that appear on the main page are those which she has answered in her Q&A column in The Copyright & New Media Law Newsletter. The comment sections allow viewers to read questions and answers pertaining to a category topic and to post comments of their own. Harris also offers information regarding online courses which anyone can take to learn more about copyright.
Harris is an expert and professional in the field of copyright law. She has written the Q&A section of The Copyright & New Media Law Newsletter since 2006, and four books on the subject. She teaches online courses and offers consultation and legal information. The blog offers project managers a resource for asking specific questions when they hit a bump in the road or a resource to subscribe to get updated information and to see concerns others have regarding copyright.
Hirtle, P. B. (2009). Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States. Cornell Copyright Information Center. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/
This document offers a quick reference for determining whether or not a work is in the public domain. There are still unanswered questions after referring to the document, but it does offer guidelines for what terms affect a work, in determining whether it is in the public domain. However, Hirtle’s footnotes and links to other sources can be very helpful for either answering questions that may arise after looking at the chart, or providing sources to help answer them. Copyright issues within the U.S. are the main focus. However, some international concerns are mentioned. The document also covers two different types of works: sound recordings and architectural works. It will be updated each year to account for changing terms and to provide their corresponding dates.
Hirtle’s chart is a great asset for determining whether a particular work or object is in the public domain, and for providing an easier way to understand all of the aspects of copyright issues. It is a great tool to have on hand for any digitization project.
Due to the interactive nature of the Slider (mentioned above), it could be seen as easier to use and interpret than Hirtle’s chart. The user takes known facts and gets direct results (in some cases – in others, there may not be a concrete answer provided because further research is required). However, Hirtle’s chart provides more detailed scenarios and refers to specific types of works, but in a format that involves more concentration. It may be best to consult both tools, but to consult the Slider first to get a basic premise and then look at Hirtle’s chart for further clarification.
Metadata
Conducting Research. (n.d). The J. Paul Getty Trust. Retrieved March 3, 2009, from http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/
The Research Institute at the Getty Center offers numerous activities and scholarly resources that are particularly helpful for digitizing collections in visual arts museums. This is the main page of their Conducting Research section. Under the heading of Standards and Vocabularies are links for three different types of vocabularies which are compliant with NISO and ISO standards. “They contain terms, names, and other information about people, places, things, and concepts relating to art, architecture, and material culture.” The vocabularies covered are: The Art and Architecture Thesaurus (AAT); The Union List of Artist Names (ULAN) – which includes biographical information, variant names, pseudonyms, etc.); and The Getty Thesaurus of Geographical Names (TGN) – which focuses on places important for the study of art and architecture. A fourth vocabulary list mentioned on the Learn About the Getty Vocabularies page is still under development but may be released in 2011: The Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA). The last link in the list—Data Standards and Guidelines—is covered in detail below.
These vocabularies and thesauruses are indispensable for arts museums in more ways than just creating consistency in developing metadata for a digitization project. For any project manager, these resources could provide consistency in, and control of, whatever their specific digitization project might involve.
Data Standards and Guidelines. (n.d.). J. Paul Getty Trust. Retrieved March 3, 2009, from http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/standards/
This page on the Research Institute at the Getty Center website focuses on data standards and guidelines. The subject areas include links to the Categories for the Description of Works of Art (covered at length below); Introduction to Archival Organization and Description (1998); Introduction to Art Image Access (2002) – an electronic version of a book which discusses the issues concerned when documenting a visual collection, so that it can be appropriately accessed by users; Introduction to Imaging (2003) – a publication about the process and issues to be concerned with when creating a digital image collection; Introduction to Metadata (2008) (briefly mentioned below); Metadata Standards Crosswalk (2009) – a chart which provides the mapping elements of twelve different metadata schemas for interoperability.
This website page provides a link to the Categories for the Description of Works of Art (CDWA). The CDWA website page offers an introduction to CDWA, an overview of the categories that make up the framework, definitions for those categories, and CDWA Lite, a subset of the CDWA elements. Links are then provided for specific categories under two different headings – Object, Architecture or Group and Authorities/Vocabulary Control – and an in-depth explanation is given of each, along with its subcategories. Sources are provided to find authoritative terminology to create museum-specific controlled lists (a couple of these sources can be found on this site and are covered above). And finally, Getty’s website explains how the categories of the work record relate to one another and how best to handle repetition and similar categories.
Because there are so many different types of schemas available, having one that is specific to cultural objects will greatly help a museum digitization project or program. The CDWA is an established framework, created from the Art Information Task Force (AITF) and funded by the reputable organizations of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the College Art Association (CAA). Using a format like the CDWA will bring consistency to a digitization project. Regardless of the collection, whether it’s an analogous collection or a diverse one, using a framework will make the results of a project more useful and successful to users. Furthermore, even if project managers do not have the knowledge to handle or direct the metadata process themselves and have someone else handle it, a resource like this will be valuable to the entire project team when they think about the scope of metadata and what outcome it makes possible. The page can be a bit overwhelming when you see how much information is presented there, but it is worth it in the end.
Understanding Metadata. (2004). National Information Standards Organization (NISO). Retrieved March 1, 2009, from http://www.niso.org/publications/press/UnderstandingMetadata.pdf
This article is a good source for getting a solid, basic knowledge of metadata. It breaks down the meaning of metadata by explaining the various aspects of its function and how it is structured. It then briefly describes the most common metadata schemes being used today. One scheme mentioned is the Categories for the Descriptions of Works of Art (CDWA), which will help with museum collections in particular (discussed above). Examples using metadata are provided to help the reader understand the steps involved and where the complexity comes from. Other topics include the creation of metadata, interoperability and crosswalks, as well as future directions for metadata. Finally, the article offers a bibliography for further information and a glossary of terms.
Even though Getty’s “Introduction to Metadata” (discussed above) may be a bit hard to digest, due to its being produced by the Getty organization – an organization dedicated to research, especially within the museum field – it does relate metadata to museums more, while “Understanding Metadata” sticks to libraries as its focus. Both sources have their positives and negatives, yet still act as good sources for learning about metadata. However, it may be best to read this article first in order to get an introductory look at metadata before taking a look at Getty’s. This article describes metadata in a more understandable manner by relating it to traditional library practices, and it gives clearer explanations of what terms mean.
Metadata is a complex part of digitization projects. Therefore, having more than one source to review will be best. This resource offers a good starting point, but doing further research or having someone who is more familiar with metadata on the project team would be required.
Digital Imaging/Digitization
BCR’s CDP Digital Imaging Best Practices Version 2.0. (2008, June). BCR. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.bcr.org/cdp/best/digital-imaging-bp.pdf
This document takes an extensive look at digital practices in cultural heritage organizations (CHOs). It takes into consideration the expectations for CHOs to have a primary concern for image quality and sustainability. The document covers topics such as starting a digitizing project, learning capturing basics, understanding hardware and software, creating digital images, controlling quality, using metadata, and storing material. There are also nine appendices, which include a bibliography, a glossary, a list of physical and environmental requirements for a data center, and additional information about color management.
The document was generated by the Bibliographical Center for Research (BCR), which consists of the Collaborative Digitization Program (CDP), formerly known as the Colorado Digitization Program. The BCR gathered its information for the document from BCR members, other digitization colleagues, and well-researched literature written by experts in the field. This ensures that the information presented is based on current projects that consider the most recent methods and technologies available.
Technology changes rapidly. Therefore, museums and other CHOs need to have resources that inform them of changing trends, new discoveries, software, hardware, and best digitizing practices. The document is a new edition of CDP’s first version, which was done in 2003. Over the course of five years, much can change. Hopefully, in another five years the BCR will revise this document once again, so CHOs can continue to be kept up to date on the best methods for carrying out their digitization projects and preserving such projects.
JISC Digital Media. (2009). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/
This website is based in the UK at the University of Bristol and used to be known as the Technical Advisory Service for Images (TASI). It offers great personal advice for certain organizations in the UK, but anyone can access their online documents. It has much to offer, including advice (in the form of written documents) and resources on how to bring digital media to users and how to educate using your collections. There are documents on various topics, including managing digitization projects, creating and delivering digital images, and finding and using digital images. A Frequently Asked Questions section is available for most of the main topics covered. Furthermore, a resource page offers direct links to websites and tools, covering such ideas as: metadata vocabularies; case studies; useful books, magazines, and online publications; and funding sources for digitization projects. A glossary is available for image terminology and digitization terms, as well as acronyms. Finally, there is a blog which discusses current “digital imaging news and views.”
The site is a user-friendly, comprehensive resource for all topics and steps regarding a digitization process and offers a location for the most up-to-date information in the field. Their team of approximately 12 staff members works to seek out helpful sites and services, to conduct interviews to bring back useful information about what other organizations have done for their own projects, and to act as professionals in their field who can also teach others about the digitization process. Therefore, the organization is made up of a team who is always knowledgeable about current issues of digitization and, consequently, presents that knowledge on their website.
The site is geared towards still images, moving images, and sound resources. However, much of the information provided is still useful for other media. Because the site is based in the UK, many of its case studies and links refer to other organizations and sites there, but it is still a good source of information, as digitization personnel all over the world deal with similar issues. This site would be helpful to a project manager because it offers a “one stop shopping” experience for finding out a great deal of information without having to do individual searches to find answers to various questions.
Outsourcing
Conversion Specifications. (n.d). Library of Congress American Memory. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/techdocs/conversion.html
This page provides links to three different requests for proposals (RFPs) published by the Library of Congress. The documents represent the final versions, up to the point where the contractor was chosen. Any modifications done thereafter in collaboration with the contractor are not included. The three RFPs are for these projects: “Digital Images from Original Documents, Text Conversion and SGML-Encoding” (1996); “Conversion of Microfilm to Digital Images” (1996); and “Conversion of Pictorial Materials to Digital Images (1997).”
The documents lay out every aspect of the projects, which can not only aid project managers and team members to create their own RFP documents, but also see the standards, specifications, scheduling, handling requirements, etc., for a project completed by the Library of Congress, which could help a team plan a project from the beginning. The documents are lengthy, due to the size of the projects that the Library of Congress performs and the detail they go into. However, they would still be worth the time to examine. The documents are also over ten years old, which has an impact on the technical aspects of the digitization, although the mere outline of the documents, the contract language, how information is presented, and what is included are still viable.
RLG Guidelines for Creating a Request for Proposal for Digital Imaging Services (Including Text Conversion and Encoding). (1998). OCLC. Retrieved April 5, 2009, from
http://www.oclc.org/programs/ourwork/past/digimgtools/RFPGuidelines.pdf
This document provides guidelines for creating a request for proposal (RFP). It breaks the proposal document up into sections, including an introduction and project overview, timelines, evaluation guidelines, responsibilities of the institution and vendor, etc. Each section is broken down further into the components that should be included in it.
There are no examples to go along with the document, so it can be difficult to truly get a feeling for what is required or how it should be worded. However, to help a project team with more of the specifics of writing an RFP, the sources above in Conversion Specifications are examples from Library of Congress projects.
Preservation
Cornell University Library. (2007). Digital Preservation Management: Implementing Short-term Strategies for Long-term Problems. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). Retrieved April 18, 2009, from http://www.library.cornell.edu/iris/tutorial/dpm/
This source is a tutorial on digital preservation. It is set within the context of the Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) and Attributes of a Trusted Digital Repository (TDR) (discussed individually below). The goal of the tutorial is to help the user establish a viable digital preservation program. After viewing a timeline that illustrates the key events in technology that pertain to digital preservation, the tutorial offers explanations and definitions for terms and concepts, along with a list of online glossaries for preservation terms. Obsolescence and physical threats to digital media, hardware, and software, as well as the challenges for such tasks as selecting assets, conquering legal issues, and funding, are also briefly covered. In the Foundations section, the main focus is a summarization of the documents for TDR and OAIS, but it ends with an explanation of how the TDR framework and the OAIS model can be combined. Finally, the Program Component section explains three elements that are needed to create and maintain a preservation program: an organizational policy framework, a technological plan, and a plan for continued support from necessary resources.
The tutorial takes the reader through the process of preservation, using easy-to-understand language and explanations. It provides a good introductory overview of the topic that can help explain what is involved in the task, yet offers further resources on the subject for future reading and research on specific topics.
The ICPSR maintains and hosts the tutorial, updating its content and improving its presentation based on user feedback. The tutorial is also presented and maintained in conjunction with a couple of five-day workshops offered each year at ICPSR’s location in Michigan.
Trusted Digital Repositories: Attributes and Responsibilities. (2002). OCLC. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from http://www.oclc.org/programs/ourwork/past/trustedrep/repositories.pdf
This is the final report created by RLG and OCLC for what constitutes a digital repository and what responsibilities they hold. The document is based on the Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS) (discussed briefly below). The document first defines what a trusted digital repository is and what attributes it should possess in order to be seen as trustworthy. It then goes into recommendations for what needs to be done before a universally followed plan can be created to build and maintain trustworthy repositories based on standard practices.
Appendix A of the document is worth mentioning separately. It provides an overview of the open archival information system (OAIS) framework model for preserving and maintaining access to digital information for the long term. The components of the model are broken up and discussed individually to make them more comprehensible. Although this is just an overview, it can provide a context for what is discussed in the main portion of the document. The OAIS model continues to be used and referred to widely. Considering such a model right from the beginning of a project could not only give the project direction and consistency, but also help save money and make it more compatible with other institutions’ projects, because it is so widely used.
Digital preservation is an ongoing process that will continue to change. The document presents seven recommendations that RLG and OCLC, as well as repository organizations in general, will need to follow in order to make a comprehensive, internationally accepted digital preservation plan. In the future, one should be on the lookout for an updated version of this document or perhaps a more detailed account of what they propose for the future. Meanwhile, the current version provides necessary information for understanding what is essential for a trustworthy digital repository and, therefore, helps to make clear what is needed in order to bring that to fruition. This is a non-technological approach to preserving digital assets – meaning more of an administrative and organizational approach. Combined with the more technical plan presented in the OAIS model, an organization using this resource would be better equipped to comprehensively tackle digital preservation.
Costs
RLG Worksheet for Estimating Digital Reformatting Costs. (1997). RLG. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://worldcat.org/arcviewer/1/OCC/2007/08/08/0000070511/viewer/file2733.pdf
This worksheet is a guide for creating a digitization budget. It breaks up costs into eleven categories and provides a worksheet for each step. The majority of the elements involve personnel costs, so that table repeats in many categories. Other forms are provided for determining the size of the collection to be digitized; for determining image costs, text conversion costs, and SGML encoding costs; and for finding aid conversion costs, if appropriate.
An appendix at the end of the document gives information for determining what type of digital image capture equipment should be used, based on the physical attributes of the work. Seven different scanning devices are considered. For the most part, this information seems to still be relevant today; however, some of the technological enhancements and the obsolescence of scanning devices may be a consideration.
The worksheet would be a good tool for estimating costs for a project, or it could act as a template for creating a guide adapted to a specific project or organization. Regardless of cost concerns, the appendix offers useful information for the selection process, to determine what types of scanning devices will be required and whether new equipment, or perhaps an outside vendor, may be needed. If the latter be the case, the worksheet and the steps for selecting the scanning will provide useful information for creating vendor requests and contracts.
Miscellaneous
Agnew, G. (2006). Staffing Roles for Digital Collection Building. New Jersey Digital Highway. Retrieved February 5, 2009, from
http://www.njdigitalhighway.org/documents/staffing-roles-for-digital-collection-building.pdf
Agnew’s article provides a condensed discussion of staffing roles for a digitization project. She briefly mentions using in-house staff, outsourcing components of the project, and working collaboratively with other institutions. A concise table is provided with 19 different roles to be filled, a description of skills required for each role, and recommendations for how those roles can be filled internally or externally.
Grace Agnew is the Associate University Librarian for Digital Library Systems at Rutgers University Libraries and has written several articles posted on the New Jersey Digital Highway website.
Each organization is different, made up of a variety of positions, with staff that have different skill sets. Therefore, a project team must analyze the resources they already have available to them within their staff and what resources they may have easy access to, such as qualified volunteers. In order to use staff in the best way possible to get the best result, consulting a table such as the one included in this article can simplify the needs of the project and direct a team and project manager to finding the right staff member, vendors, and/or consultants to carry out the project.
Chun, S., & Jenkins, M. (2006, December 15). Why Digital Asset Management? A Case Study. RLG DigiNews. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from http://worldcat.org/arcviewer/1/OCC/2007/07/10/0000068924/viewer/file1.html#article1
This article focuses on steps the Metropolitan Museum of Art took to create its three-year digitization project called Met Images. It offers a good look at a major museum embarking – and at the time of the article, nearing completion – on one of the most comprehensive studies of a digitization plan for its organization, and at how its plans and goals changed through the process. Discussions cover the initial research they performed, how they gained financial approval from their board, their use of social tagging for describing collection objects, assessment of the collections and the digital assets they possessed, and who would manage the system. A brief discussion is also given of some key issues regarding technology, image creation, and cataloging.
The authors are mentioned as working at the MET, but it is not clear what roles exactly they had in the MET Images project.
The article is an excellent source for showing how museum projects can change throughout the process and how the concepts behind digitization have changed over the years. Since the article was written in late 2006, some of the information may be outdated, but the more a museum can examine the processes fellow museums go through for digitization projects, the more likely they are to accumulate important information that will help them make better decisions, which will lead to future organizations learning in turn.
Covey, D. T. (2002). Usage and Usability Assessment: Library Practices and Concerns. Digital Library Federation. Retrieved February 26, 2009, from http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub105abst.html
This report is based on numerous interviews conducted with library professionals regarding the assessment of the use and usability of online collections and services. Covey explains why certain methods are used, gives examples of what the method could be used for, evaluates what worked and what didn’t, and describes how to use the data collected from the assessments. She also describes challenges that are inherent in the assessments and gives examples from her interviews. The three main assessing methods she covers are survey questionnaires, focus groups, and user protocols. An additional electronic method is also discussed: transaction log analysis (TLA). This is a process where computer software is used to track what a user does while using a system. The data collected can then be analyzed to see how a program can be improved. Finally, an extensive bibliography is provided, with sources organized according to the methods discussed.
These methods have been, and can be, used to evaluate the effectiveness of websites and the user interfaces of digital collections or databases. They can help in designing a site from the ground up, providing improvements to an already established digital collection, or doing a complete overhaul in order to make a collection more functional for the user. Therefore, a report like this can provide much-needed information for a project manager to determine who their audience is and what they need and want, and it can assist in the development of digital collections and services that fit. However, these methods can be used for any field, not just libraries, and not just for online collections and service assessments. Museums could use these ideas in any area or department of the organization.
Digital Corner. (n.d). Institute of Museum and Library Services. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from
http://www.imls.gov/about/digitalcorner.asp
This web page provides several links to resources regarding different aspects of the topic of the Digital Revolution in museums, archives, and libraries. One notable resource is the “Status of Technology and Digitization in the Nation's Museums and Libraries” (2004). The article discusses the “kinds of technology in use, the extent of digitization activities, and the adoption, maintenance, funding of, and staffing for technology and digitization activities at museums and libraries.” An Afterword offers a summary of discussions conducted with participants, asking them to state what is coming next and what some of the major issues are in their realm of the digital world. The “Assessment of End-User Needs in IMLS-Funded Digitization Projects” (2003) is an article which stems from a study to determine how museums and libraries are assessing the needs of their users and what can be done to determine if they are meeting their users’ needs. A third source is “A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections” (2007). This article is meant for cultural heritage organizations and offers major components for creating good digital collections and locating resources to consult, and discusses how communities should participate in the development of digital practices. The page also provides links to information about digital-based conferences and digital project grants offered by IMLS.
This page is an ideal source of information because it offers such a variety of sources on different aspects of a digitization project. Many of the sources are either based on studies of numerous organizations working with digital projects or based on workshops or conferences which provide insights from a range of sources and experiences. The page can also be frequently consulted for more recent studies as they become available. The study Status of Technology and Digitization in the Nation's Museums and Libraries is a more recent version of a study conducted in 2001. Periodically, IMLS will feel that a past study should be conducted again to offer the most up-to-date information as possible.
Digitise My Collection. (n.d). Collections Link. Retrieved April 11, 2009, from
http://www.collectionslink.org.uk/digitise_my_collection
Collections Link is based in the UK but serves as an international collections management advisory service. The digitization page offers information and resources for various steps in the digitization process. The question “Why Digitize?” is considered, and in the Implementing Digitization section there are numerous links for topics like Project Management, Copyright, Preservation, and a Digitization Business Model for sustaining a project’s results into the future. This section also introduces the concept of the Digitization Life Cycle, which is an interesting way of viewing the process. It breaks the treatment into four parts – Planning, Processing, Preservation, and Presentation – and provides links for further information about each part. One section points the reader to the Technical Advisory Service for Images (TASI) (now known as JISC Digital Media), which is discussed above. Another important source this site provides is the Good Practice Guide for Developers of Cultural Heritage Web Services. Portions of the guide are referenced throughout the Collections Link website. This will be covered individually below, because it discusses a topic not already covered in this annotated bibliography – websites.
Collections Link provides advice and support to museums, libraries, and archives on the care and management of collections. Collections Link is managed by the Collections Trust, the UK's independent organization for collections, and works in collaboration with 20 professional groups.
All-inclusive sites such as this can be very useful for gaining a large amount of information in one location and knowing that it is all compatible and tested. Sources like these also include links to other helpful and related sites, to continue the learning curve or simply to offer further information. The UK is a leader in researching and developing best practices, so that staying connected to the resources they have to offer can only help a digitization project.
Erway, R. & Schaffner, J. (2007). Shifting Gears: Gearing Up to Get Into the Flow. OCLC Programs and Research. Retrieved February 22, 2007, from http://www.oclc.org/programs/publications/reports/2007-02.pdf
This essay was based on a forum called “Digitization Matters,” which challenged its speakers and audience to think on a different level, to “go out on a limb” and provoke discussion. It briefly discusses eight different approaches to, or elements of, the digitization process. Topics like the dilemma between quantity and quality, what works or objects are best to select for digitization, and methods of getting useful research for object descriptions are discussed. Finding new ways to get digitized works to the user and utilizing the entire staff throughout the process are also covered.
This article reminds project managers and digitization teams to get back to basics, to think about why they are digitizing. It takes the focus away from the technical side and allows readers to regroup and remind themselves why they are digitizing and for whom. At the same time, it brings up key questions, concerns, and elements of the process, and digitization results that should be heavily considered and debated about within an organization. The essay offers a different view of digitization to get program managers thinking about what is important to their organization and how they want to proceed.
Good Practice Guide for Developers of Cultural Heritage Web Services. (2008). UKOLN. Retrieved April 11, 2009, from http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/interop-focus/gpg/
In one form or another, this handbook covers each part of the Digitization Life Cycle mentioned above in the Collections Link resource. It discusses managing intellectual property rights, staffing, and projects as a whole, plus technical aspects of the digitization process, metadata, preservation, marketing, and publicity. However, a unique portion of the guide refers to web sites – the presentation of the digitized collection. There are sections for advice and guidance on best practices for setting up websites, and information on usability and accessibility, content management systems, collaborative technologies and more.
UKOLN is based in the University of Bath and strives “to inform practice and influence policy in the areas of: digital libraries, metadata and resource discovery, distributed library and information systems, bibliographic management, and web technologies.” This organization in general may be a worthwhile source to look into.
Starting in 2006, it was decided that the handbook would be updated regularly, thereby providing an ever-current source. Because websites continue to be the main tool for presenting a collection to the public, it is important to keep up-to-date on new developments, as well as to do the necessary legwork to make the initial presentation of the site to the public, the best it can be.
Reilly, B. (2000). Collections: Museum Collections Online. Retrieved February 22, 2009, from http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub88/coll-museum.html
Museums do not have the means to present all of their collections at the same time. However, now, with the capabilities of the Internet, museums can come close. This article explains some examples of how digitizing a museum collection and presenting it online can be more cost effective for “getting” the collection out there and for how “the experience and understanding of the original work can be enriched beyond what is possible in print.” It also briefly mentions the main disadvantage: now museums will also have to care for surrogate files and metadata as well as their originals. In addition, the article identifies factors that are affecting what objects museums are choosing to put on the web and why. Finally, the article offers three possibilities for how museums and libraries may use the Web in the future to present their collections.
This article is a good overview and introduction to the advantages and issues museums will have when developing an online digitization project. Because of its introductory level, it would be a good article to have on hand for those who are not familiar with such a task. Furthermore, a project manager could get an idea of some key aspects and ideas which could then be looked into further.
Conclusion
The list above merely scratches the surface of the resources that are available for digitizing projects. Along with other sources not mentioned, and resources that are being created right now, many of the articles, documents, or particular web pages discussed here come from sites that have other sources and helpful content. I may have only discussed one particular article from a website which has much more to offer, so exploring further will lead you to other helpful resources, allowing for more focused research on specific topics.
As a member of a listserv in the museum field, I know how helpful they can be. Therefore, I see a listserv like PADI’s as a resounding asset to any digitization project member.
Organizations and individuals all over the world are conducting studies, gathering information, and learning from practice, and are working to present that new-found knowledge to the rest of us. So always be on the look out for new, up-to-date resources.
Annotated Bibliography
I have been working in a library since I was sixteen years old, when I started out at the Canastota Public Library, as a Page. There, I would shelf books, check them in and out, and help patrons. Eventually I became a Librarian Assistant, but went on to college at Le Moyne, where I studied Biochemistry. On the weekends I still worked at Canastota. The decision for graduate school came around, and it was either more Biochemistry or Library Science. Today, I’m in my last semester at Syracuse University and am currently the Assistant Director at the Cazenovia Public Library. I am sure that my carrier will take me in many different paths, but for now, I’d like to stay in the field of public librarianship.
At Cazenovia, we are currently planning to digitize old photographs of the library, and older newspapers. The local paper, the Cazenovia Republican, is very important to the town. We have microfilmed them, and they date back to the 1800’s. Otherwise, I am not sure what I will be digitizing in the future.
About.com. (2009). Scanning tutorials for image and document scanning. Retrieved April 1,
2009, from http://desktoppub.about.com/od/scanning/Scanning_Tutorials_
for_Image_and_Document_Scanning.htm
About.com’s page is full of links to other About.com sites all about scanning images. Included is information about calibrating your scanner, how to scan a print or negative, how to scan a slide, and scanning in color. There is even a tutorial on how to scan line art. The related links at the bottom of each tutorial may lead to more helpful information.
American Association for State and Local History. (2008). Retrieved April 1, 2009, from
http://www.aaslh.org/
Cazenovia Public Library has used this site many times in the past and applied for their grants and bookshelves. The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is the only national organization devoted to state and local history conservation. AASLH serves small, volunteer staffed organizations. They have technical resources including free videos, and leaflets. There is also an award program. They publish books on technical services as well as history conservation. The bookshelves that we have applied for contain materials about preservation and resources for museums.
Besser, Howard. (n.d.) Introduction to imaging. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/standards/introimages/index.html
This is a great tutorial, which gives a detailed overview of everything involving digital imaging. I can see recommending this to board members as an introduction to the subject, especially if the library is having trouble starting a project. It simplifies things, and gives great examples using actual images. In the section on The Image, there are great examples of what different bit and megabytes look like using a picture. This same technique is also used to demonstrate resolution and file type. Why Digitize goes over key reasons for doing a project, although it does remind you that you must weigh this against cost, time, and other factors. Key words are highlighted in black and available defined in the glossary for easy browsing.
Combustibility characteristics of information media in Libraries and Archives. (n.d.) Retrieved
April 19, 2009, from http://www.unesco.org/webworld/ramp/html/r9214e/r9214e04.htm
This document explains how best to preserve and protect all types of archived material. It does an exceptional job of explaining humidity, and temperature storage conditions for paper, photos, and other types of archival materials. The section on fire safety is very helpful, explaining everything from building design to lighting. The archival area of the Cazenovia Public Library contains documents, books, microfilm, family files, and pictures. This document will enable me to look at the storage area from a different perspective.
Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States. (January 1, 2009). Retrieved
March 21, 2009, from http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/
This chart, current as of January 5, 2009, was put together by Peter Hirtle, from Cornell University. It makes figuring out whether a work is still under copyright as clear as possible using current copyright law in the United States. Given what I know or can find out about what I want to digitize, I should be able to determine using the chart whether or not I legally can make that item available. The chart makes it clear whether or not that item is still under copyright of the owner.
Council on Library and Information Resources. (2009). Retrieved April 25, 2009, from
www.clir.org
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to expand access to information, however recorded and preserved, as a public good.” They help to make access to this information easier by hosting assorted projects and programs, and publishing. CLIR publishes reports throughout the year on all topics relating to digital libraries and access to information on a long term basis. They also have a bimonthly newsletter and an annual report. The Papers, Presentations and Articles section (http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/spiro2009.html) has links to many of their significant publications available for free download. Many of these publications, including those on copyright and preservation, are very informative and will be great resources for a library wanting to digitize.
Digital Imaging and Media Technology Initiative. (2001). Guidelines for digital imaging
projects. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from
http://images.library.uiuc.edu/resources/digitalguidev3.pdf
This is a guide regarding planning and completing digital image projects. It is written for those who are beginning a digital project. Many of the links throughout this document are no longer available, but the information within is very valuable. It goes over general information about why we should digitize, but more importantly, it goes over setting specific goals and explains image quality. Furthermore, there is a table for easy use explaining basic image quality requirements. Preservation, storage, and metadata are also covered.
Gill, T., Gilliland, A., Whalen, M., & Woodley, M. (2008). Introduction to metadata, online
version, version 3.0. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/standards/intrometadata/index.html
This online tutorial is all about metadata, which is constantly changing, therefore this tutorial keeps changing. An overview about what metadata is, and its current trends are included, such as social tagging. An explanation of how a search engine works is included to better explain how metadata works along with relevance ranking. The differences between the deep web and the visible web and also Google are discussed. Some of the later chapters are a little dense from a digitization perspective. The Setting the Stage chapter has a great table that has examples of vocabulary and examples, called A Topology of Data Standards. There were other helpful tables explaining the different types of metadata and their uses. To gain a good understanding of what metadata is, the first few chapters of this are very useful.
Hazen, D., Horrell, J., & Merrill-Oldham, J. (1998). Selecting research collections for
digitization. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from
http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/hazen/pub74.html
Selecting works for digitization can be complicated. You must take into account cost, conversion, archiving, format, its description, and many other factors. This process begins with copyright since whether or not a work is copyrighted and whether or not you have permission to use the item if it is, defines whether the work can be digitized. Following a discussion of copyright, there are questions that one should ask about the items that you want to digitize. The most important questions are about the intellectual value of the items because they will determine if it is worthwhile to convert them. There are also questions to ask about the users and the anticipated use of the objects. Questions about the technical aspect are included, such as format, delivery, and storage. Lastly, costs are considered including cost benefit analysis assessments and figures. The lists of questions are the most valuable part of this article, forcing the user to think about what they want to digitize. Will they actually be used? Is it worth the cost in the end?
Hurst-Wahl, Jill. (2009). Digitization 101. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from
http://hurstassociates.blogspot.com/search/label/Privacy
This blog contains up-to-date information on issues relating to digitization. It is written by Jill Hurst-Wahl, MLS. She is a digitization consultant and owner of Hurst Associates, Ltd, and also teaches at Syracuse University. A few of the discussion topics that interested me here were on the rights of privacy and publicity, and preservation. There are also many helpful links available. In general, for information that’s current, this is a great blog for explaining things and making you think. I’d use it if I were having an issue with a material and needed a place to start to look up information and for staying current.
Image Quality Working Group of ArchivesCom. (1997). Technical recommendations for digital
imaging projects. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/dl/imagespec.html
When digitizing anything, the quality of the image is very important. If the person looking at the digital image cannot tell what it is, or it isn’t accurately represented because of a poor picture, then the digitization wasn’t done to proper standards. This document has a Quick Guide chart which offers different types of media that you could be digitizing, and then states the best recommended conversion method, resolution, file format, presentation format, and print format for that media. The Explanations and Definitions section offers advice for what to do when using a film intermediary, or handling a fragile item. The explanations and recommendations for when to use what types of tonality will be very helpful when scanning certain types of items, such as using bi-tonal for printed books. File formats and storage problems are also covered, including a small chart for storage size needed for the file format and resolution.
JISC Digital Media. (2009). Advice on still images. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/stillimages/
JISC Digital Media is designed to help the UK use digital media. On this webpage there are headings and subheadings on advice covering all topics of still digital imaging. Some include managing a project, choosing a file name, digital preservation, and metadata vocabulary. There are also case studies available. I found the overview on blogs and wikis interesting because of the potential for using images from our collection in one. This went in depth about explaining how to embed a picture in one. Also, many sections on digital cameras and their maintenance could be useful if that is how some of the digitization is done. It should be noted that if you return to the main site, there are other advice pages for moving images and audio.
Jones, Trevor. (2009). An introduction to digital projects for libraries, museums and archives.
University Library: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Retrieved April 23, 2009,
from http://images.library.uiuc.edu/resources/introduction.htm
This gives a short overview of what digitizing encompasses. This information could be used for people who aren’t familiar with all that is involved in the process. It gives a general definition, reasons why we should be doing this including preservation, and an overview of what is involved in the planning process. Copyright is also mentioned, including a link to Peter Hirtle’s table.
Kenney, Anne R. (1996). Digital to microfilm conversion: A demonstration project. Retrieved
March 15, 2009, from http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/com/comfin.html
This study was done as a report to the National Endowment for the Humanities. Cornell University and Yale both studied the use of microfilm in digitizing projects, but in opposite ways. Cornell scanned 1270 volumes and then recorded them onto microfilm to assess the quality of the film, the process, and the cost. Yale took microfilmed books and converted them to digital image files. The results were that the quality of the documents scanned directly and then microfilmed where better (Cornell) but you could save money if you already had microfilmed materials and digitized from them. Also, digital images can be created from the microfilmed materials if the original is lost. Since Cazenovia has already microfilmed its newspapers, it would be worthwhile to see if a viable digital image could be created from this. We also have hard copies of the newspapers that could be used.
Kenney, A., Rieger, O., Entlich, R. (2003). Moving theory into practice: Digital imaging
tutorial. Cornel University Research Department. Retrieved April 25, 2009, from
http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/tutorial/preface.html
This tutorial gives basic information on how to convert historic information to readily accessible digital information. The Key Concepts section gives a basic overview of vocabulary such as ‘resolution,’ ‘pixels,’ and ‘compression.’ Legal restrictions such as copyright, and donor privacy are covered in the Selection section. Throughout the tutorial, ‘reality check’ boxes appear, where you can answer a question to test your knowledge during your reading. The Conversion section covers the more technical aspects of digitization, talking about the document types and scanning possibilities. Metadata and its creation are explained, using examples to make clear their explanations. I found the Digital Preservation section most helpful for future use, because I can see having digital copies of information and needing to make sure they are also kept safe in the changing world.
Liblicense: Licensing Digital Information, A Resource for Librarians. (2009). Retrieved April
25, 2009, from http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/index.shtml
Liblicense recognizes that libraries have a new challenge when it comes to digital information. They are responsible for dealing with agreements between them and the owners of the digital information the library is providing. The agreements for paper collections don’t cover adequately digital information because digital information is sometimes licensed, not purchased by the library. License agreements can be very confusing and complex; therefore Liblicense prepared a document that analyzes them. This document has common terms used explained, and examples of provisions used. The License Vocabulary section is particularly worth noting because it has a list of words and definitions that you may find in a license. The online digital resources Cazenovia has all require license agreements, so a definition of vocabulary will be useful.
Library of Congress. (2009). Digital Preservation. (2009). Retrieved April 26, 2009, from
http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/
The mission of the Library of Congress’ Digital Preservation Program is to collect and preserve the massive amount of digital content that is available. They have a special focus of material that is created digital. They have many tools and services available, including Archive-It, which is a subscription service that allows users to manage their online collections. There is also the Digital Archive for storage of master files, and many more. Digital preservation is necessary because more and more of what is done today is done only online, and this includes some of what libraries are doing.
Library Preservation and Conservation Tutorial. (2005). Retrieved April 25, 2009, from
http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/librarypreservation/meolda/index.html
While this is a tutorial directed primarily at developing countries without the resources available to preserve, it still has very interesting ideas. It’s broken up into four parts including management and planning, preservation, building capacity, and supporting the effort. In the Management and Planning section, the tutorial goes into detail about cleaning books, types of shelving, and the safe handling of books. It also talked about environmental conditions such as heat and humidity, mold (causes and how to remove it from assorted items), and insects. Security and disaster planning was also covered. In the Preservation section, many different types of materials are covered, including paper, clay, photographs, and films. Book repair is covered and there is a section on vendors. The Building Capacity section covers staff training, education and resources. In the staff section, it gave additional sites for posters and information for education on preservation.
New York State Archives. (2006). Imaging production guidelines. Retrieved April 26, 2009,
from http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_erecords_imgguides.pdf
New York State Archives Guidelines provide a minimum standard for the production of a digital image. The document gives format specifics for master images in color documents, line art documents, and black and white photographs. Requirements are also given for images that the user will access, and backup images. How to package and store the storage devices is also covered.
NISO Framework Advisory Group. (2007). A Framework of Guidance for Building Good
Digital Collections, 3rd Edition. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from
http://framework.niso.org/
This gives a great general overview of all of the processes involved in creating digital collections. The Framework focuses on collections, objects, metadata and initiatives (programs which create/manage collections). I found the ideas of what a ‘good’ collection is particularly interesting and useful for a comparison to Cazenovia’s archival collection. Thinking about a good collection in relation to what I hope to be our future digital collection was also eye opening. Next was the idea of what a ‘good’ object meant. Good objects had metadata, a unique name, are preservable, and more. There were also corresponding metadata principles, stressing that as much metadata as possible for the object should be created before the object is shared. Lastly, digital initiatives, where everything is pulled together, was spoken about. Overall, this is a very useful work that I will refer to when thinking about a collection.
Ockerbloom, John Mark. (n.d.) Online book page: Frequently asked questions. Retrieved April
19, 2009, from http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/okbooks.html
I liked this source because it contains a list of various countries with links for their copyright information. Someday my boyfriends’ job may take him abroad so I believe that this will be a very useful list. I also liked the suggestions about how to get permission from the copyright holder. If I were going to digitize something still under copyright, this would have to be done, especially in the case of the newspapers.
Regional Alliance for Preservation. (2009). Retrieved April 25, 2009, from
http://www.preservecollections.org/
The Regional Alliance for Preservation (RAP) is actually a network of nonprofit organizations throughout the nation. They have an interest in the conservation and preservation of resources. RAP is responsible for coordinating outreach programs which promote awareness concerning the preservation of our history. Members of this organization provide services such as training programs, conservation services, and writing publications. They also assist places in caring for their collection and provide free advice. Different centers around the country offer different types of services. There is a helpful list of their provided services offered and the places where you can get help. There is a wealth of information about the place they direct you to, and contact information. The site directed me to the Northeast Document Conservation Center when I clicked on Services and Photograph Conservation. There were a few other choices but they were located further away, which was also a drawback for the Northeast Document Conservation Center (Massachusetts).
United States Copyright Office. (2006). How to investigate the copyright status of a work
(Circular 22). Washington, D.C.
If I were to use the United States Copyright Office in order to determine whether or not a work had been or was still under copyright, this pamphlet would give me an idea of where to start. The pamphlet goes over what information is needed if I was to have the Copyright Office do the search for me, and warns that there is a fee involved. There is information on where to look for the notice of copyright and much of the same information that’s in Peter Hirtle’s table can also be found. I could use this information if I were to search the Copyright Office alone or if I were to pay them to do it for me.
University Library: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (2009). Image Quality
Calculator. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://images.library.uiuc.edu/calculator/index.htm
This calculator is used in order to help determine the best resolution for scanning documents and other visual materials. The user provides information about the original, such as dimensions, and the smallest significant visual element’s height, and it then calculates resolution in dpi. It also returns file size in megabytes and pixel dimensions. The calculator doesn’t require the user to calculate the information for every document you want to scan. Its use lies in that you only need to choose a range of items in your collection and then evaluate their physical characteristics. There is a note section with an explanation of each step, making it clear and concise.
Washington State Library Digital Best Practices. (2009). Planning a digital project. Retrieved
April 22, 2009, from http://digitalwa.statelib.wa.gov/newsite/best.htm
Washington State’s website lets you either do one of two things: choose a topic or follow a digitizing scenario. Both are very helpful. Topics you can choose from include the headings of Project Management, Collection, Technology, and Funding. Under each are subtopics to help guide the search. The user can look at vendors, marketing, preservation, hardware and software, or resources on how to get funding. For example, clicking on hardware and software, I found explanations of requirements, what you may need for how much you are doing, a list of options to consider, such as obsolete equipment, and a project checklist. Choosing to follow a scenario instead, I get a story about a boy who wants to digitize local pictures. This starts from the very beginning of a project and presents questions and answers. The scenario reminded me about how I sometimes feel about digitizing the photos at Cazenovia. There are bulleted points and explanations for how they then go about digitizing the material. It is very simply put and I can see it giving people a place to start.
At Cazenovia, we are currently planning to digitize old photographs of the library, and older newspapers. The local paper, the Cazenovia Republican, is very important to the town. We have microfilmed them, and they date back to the 1800’s. Otherwise, I am not sure what I will be digitizing in the future.
About.com. (2009). Scanning tutorials for image and document scanning. Retrieved April 1,
2009, from http://desktoppub.about.com/od/scanning/Scanning_Tutorials_
for_Image_and_Document_Scanning.htm
About.com’s page is full of links to other About.com sites all about scanning images. Included is information about calibrating your scanner, how to scan a print or negative, how to scan a slide, and scanning in color. There is even a tutorial on how to scan line art. The related links at the bottom of each tutorial may lead to more helpful information.
American Association for State and Local History. (2008). Retrieved April 1, 2009, from
http://www.aaslh.org/
Cazenovia Public Library has used this site many times in the past and applied for their grants and bookshelves. The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is the only national organization devoted to state and local history conservation. AASLH serves small, volunteer staffed organizations. They have technical resources including free videos, and leaflets. There is also an award program. They publish books on technical services as well as history conservation. The bookshelves that we have applied for contain materials about preservation and resources for museums.
Besser, Howard. (n.d.) Introduction to imaging. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/standards/introimages/index.html
This is a great tutorial, which gives a detailed overview of everything involving digital imaging. I can see recommending this to board members as an introduction to the subject, especially if the library is having trouble starting a project. It simplifies things, and gives great examples using actual images. In the section on The Image, there are great examples of what different bit and megabytes look like using a picture. This same technique is also used to demonstrate resolution and file type. Why Digitize goes over key reasons for doing a project, although it does remind you that you must weigh this against cost, time, and other factors. Key words are highlighted in black and available defined in the glossary for easy browsing.
Combustibility characteristics of information media in Libraries and Archives. (n.d.) Retrieved
April 19, 2009, from http://www.unesco.org/webworld/ramp/html/r9214e/r9214e04.htm
This document explains how best to preserve and protect all types of archived material. It does an exceptional job of explaining humidity, and temperature storage conditions for paper, photos, and other types of archival materials. The section on fire safety is very helpful, explaining everything from building design to lighting. The archival area of the Cazenovia Public Library contains documents, books, microfilm, family files, and pictures. This document will enable me to look at the storage area from a different perspective.
Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States. (January 1, 2009). Retrieved
March 21, 2009, from http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/
This chart, current as of January 5, 2009, was put together by Peter Hirtle, from Cornell University. It makes figuring out whether a work is still under copyright as clear as possible using current copyright law in the United States. Given what I know or can find out about what I want to digitize, I should be able to determine using the chart whether or not I legally can make that item available. The chart makes it clear whether or not that item is still under copyright of the owner.
Council on Library and Information Resources. (2009). Retrieved April 25, 2009, from
www.clir.org
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to expand access to information, however recorded and preserved, as a public good.” They help to make access to this information easier by hosting assorted projects and programs, and publishing. CLIR publishes reports throughout the year on all topics relating to digital libraries and access to information on a long term basis. They also have a bimonthly newsletter and an annual report. The Papers, Presentations and Articles section (http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/spiro2009.html) has links to many of their significant publications available for free download. Many of these publications, including those on copyright and preservation, are very informative and will be great resources for a library wanting to digitize.
Digital Imaging and Media Technology Initiative. (2001). Guidelines for digital imaging
projects. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from
http://images.library.uiuc.edu/resources/digitalguidev3.pdf
This is a guide regarding planning and completing digital image projects. It is written for those who are beginning a digital project. Many of the links throughout this document are no longer available, but the information within is very valuable. It goes over general information about why we should digitize, but more importantly, it goes over setting specific goals and explains image quality. Furthermore, there is a table for easy use explaining basic image quality requirements. Preservation, storage, and metadata are also covered.
Gill, T., Gilliland, A., Whalen, M., & Woodley, M. (2008). Introduction to metadata, online
version, version 3.0. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/standards/intrometadata/index.html
This online tutorial is all about metadata, which is constantly changing, therefore this tutorial keeps changing. An overview about what metadata is, and its current trends are included, such as social tagging. An explanation of how a search engine works is included to better explain how metadata works along with relevance ranking. The differences between the deep web and the visible web and also Google are discussed. Some of the later chapters are a little dense from a digitization perspective. The Setting the Stage chapter has a great table that has examples of vocabulary and examples, called A Topology of Data Standards. There were other helpful tables explaining the different types of metadata and their uses. To gain a good understanding of what metadata is, the first few chapters of this are very useful.
Hazen, D., Horrell, J., & Merrill-Oldham, J. (1998). Selecting research collections for
digitization. Retrieved April 26, 2009, from
http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/hazen/pub74.html
Selecting works for digitization can be complicated. You must take into account cost, conversion, archiving, format, its description, and many other factors. This process begins with copyright since whether or not a work is copyrighted and whether or not you have permission to use the item if it is, defines whether the work can be digitized. Following a discussion of copyright, there are questions that one should ask about the items that you want to digitize. The most important questions are about the intellectual value of the items because they will determine if it is worthwhile to convert them. There are also questions to ask about the users and the anticipated use of the objects. Questions about the technical aspect are included, such as format, delivery, and storage. Lastly, costs are considered including cost benefit analysis assessments and figures. The lists of questions are the most valuable part of this article, forcing the user to think about what they want to digitize. Will they actually be used? Is it worth the cost in the end?
Hurst-Wahl, Jill. (2009). Digitization 101. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from
http://hurstassociates.blogspot.com/search/label/Privacy
This blog contains up-to-date information on issues relating to digitization. It is written by Jill Hurst-Wahl, MLS. She is a digitization consultant and owner of Hurst Associates, Ltd, and also teaches at Syracuse University. A few of the discussion topics that interested me here were on the rights of privacy and publicity, and preservation. There are also many helpful links available. In general, for information that’s current, this is a great blog for explaining things and making you think. I’d use it if I were having an issue with a material and needed a place to start to look up information and for staying current.
Image Quality Working Group of ArchivesCom. (1997). Technical recommendations for digital
imaging projects. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/dl/imagespec.html
When digitizing anything, the quality of the image is very important. If the person looking at the digital image cannot tell what it is, or it isn’t accurately represented because of a poor picture, then the digitization wasn’t done to proper standards. This document has a Quick Guide chart which offers different types of media that you could be digitizing, and then states the best recommended conversion method, resolution, file format, presentation format, and print format for that media. The Explanations and Definitions section offers advice for what to do when using a film intermediary, or handling a fragile item. The explanations and recommendations for when to use what types of tonality will be very helpful when scanning certain types of items, such as using bi-tonal for printed books. File formats and storage problems are also covered, including a small chart for storage size needed for the file format and resolution.
JISC Digital Media. (2009). Advice on still images. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/stillimages/
JISC Digital Media is designed to help the UK use digital media. On this webpage there are headings and subheadings on advice covering all topics of still digital imaging. Some include managing a project, choosing a file name, digital preservation, and metadata vocabulary. There are also case studies available. I found the overview on blogs and wikis interesting because of the potential for using images from our collection in one. This went in depth about explaining how to embed a picture in one. Also, many sections on digital cameras and their maintenance could be useful if that is how some of the digitization is done. It should be noted that if you return to the main site, there are other advice pages for moving images and audio.
Jones, Trevor. (2009). An introduction to digital projects for libraries, museums and archives.
University Library: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Retrieved April 23, 2009,
from http://images.library.uiuc.edu/resources/introduction.htm
This gives a short overview of what digitizing encompasses. This information could be used for people who aren’t familiar with all that is involved in the process. It gives a general definition, reasons why we should be doing this including preservation, and an overview of what is involved in the planning process. Copyright is also mentioned, including a link to Peter Hirtle’s table.
Kenney, Anne R. (1996). Digital to microfilm conversion: A demonstration project. Retrieved
March 15, 2009, from http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/com/comfin.html
This study was done as a report to the National Endowment for the Humanities. Cornell University and Yale both studied the use of microfilm in digitizing projects, but in opposite ways. Cornell scanned 1270 volumes and then recorded them onto microfilm to assess the quality of the film, the process, and the cost. Yale took microfilmed books and converted them to digital image files. The results were that the quality of the documents scanned directly and then microfilmed where better (Cornell) but you could save money if you already had microfilmed materials and digitized from them. Also, digital images can be created from the microfilmed materials if the original is lost. Since Cazenovia has already microfilmed its newspapers, it would be worthwhile to see if a viable digital image could be created from this. We also have hard copies of the newspapers that could be used.
Kenney, A., Rieger, O., Entlich, R. (2003). Moving theory into practice: Digital imaging
tutorial. Cornel University Research Department. Retrieved April 25, 2009, from
http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/tutorial/preface.html
This tutorial gives basic information on how to convert historic information to readily accessible digital information. The Key Concepts section gives a basic overview of vocabulary such as ‘resolution,’ ‘pixels,’ and ‘compression.’ Legal restrictions such as copyright, and donor privacy are covered in the Selection section. Throughout the tutorial, ‘reality check’ boxes appear, where you can answer a question to test your knowledge during your reading. The Conversion section covers the more technical aspects of digitization, talking about the document types and scanning possibilities. Metadata and its creation are explained, using examples to make clear their explanations. I found the Digital Preservation section most helpful for future use, because I can see having digital copies of information and needing to make sure they are also kept safe in the changing world.
Liblicense: Licensing Digital Information, A Resource for Librarians. (2009). Retrieved April
25, 2009, from http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/index.shtml
Liblicense recognizes that libraries have a new challenge when it comes to digital information. They are responsible for dealing with agreements between them and the owners of the digital information the library is providing. The agreements for paper collections don’t cover adequately digital information because digital information is sometimes licensed, not purchased by the library. License agreements can be very confusing and complex; therefore Liblicense prepared a document that analyzes them. This document has common terms used explained, and examples of provisions used. The License Vocabulary section is particularly worth noting because it has a list of words and definitions that you may find in a license. The online digital resources Cazenovia has all require license agreements, so a definition of vocabulary will be useful.
Library of Congress. (2009). Digital Preservation. (2009). Retrieved April 26, 2009, from
http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/
The mission of the Library of Congress’ Digital Preservation Program is to collect and preserve the massive amount of digital content that is available. They have a special focus of material that is created digital. They have many tools and services available, including Archive-It, which is a subscription service that allows users to manage their online collections. There is also the Digital Archive for storage of master files, and many more. Digital preservation is necessary because more and more of what is done today is done only online, and this includes some of what libraries are doing.
Library Preservation and Conservation Tutorial. (2005). Retrieved April 25, 2009, from
http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/librarypreservation/meolda/index.html
While this is a tutorial directed primarily at developing countries without the resources available to preserve, it still has very interesting ideas. It’s broken up into four parts including management and planning, preservation, building capacity, and supporting the effort. In the Management and Planning section, the tutorial goes into detail about cleaning books, types of shelving, and the safe handling of books. It also talked about environmental conditions such as heat and humidity, mold (causes and how to remove it from assorted items), and insects. Security and disaster planning was also covered. In the Preservation section, many different types of materials are covered, including paper, clay, photographs, and films. Book repair is covered and there is a section on vendors. The Building Capacity section covers staff training, education and resources. In the staff section, it gave additional sites for posters and information for education on preservation.
New York State Archives. (2006). Imaging production guidelines. Retrieved April 26, 2009,
from http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_erecords_imgguides.pdf
New York State Archives Guidelines provide a minimum standard for the production of a digital image. The document gives format specifics for master images in color documents, line art documents, and black and white photographs. Requirements are also given for images that the user will access, and backup images. How to package and store the storage devices is also covered.
NISO Framework Advisory Group. (2007). A Framework of Guidance for Building Good
Digital Collections, 3rd Edition. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from
http://framework.niso.org/
This gives a great general overview of all of the processes involved in creating digital collections. The Framework focuses on collections, objects, metadata and initiatives (programs which create/manage collections). I found the ideas of what a ‘good’ collection is particularly interesting and useful for a comparison to Cazenovia’s archival collection. Thinking about a good collection in relation to what I hope to be our future digital collection was also eye opening. Next was the idea of what a ‘good’ object meant. Good objects had metadata, a unique name, are preservable, and more. There were also corresponding metadata principles, stressing that as much metadata as possible for the object should be created before the object is shared. Lastly, digital initiatives, where everything is pulled together, was spoken about. Overall, this is a very useful work that I will refer to when thinking about a collection.
Ockerbloom, John Mark. (n.d.) Online book page: Frequently asked questions. Retrieved April
19, 2009, from http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/okbooks.html
I liked this source because it contains a list of various countries with links for their copyright information. Someday my boyfriends’ job may take him abroad so I believe that this will be a very useful list. I also liked the suggestions about how to get permission from the copyright holder. If I were going to digitize something still under copyright, this would have to be done, especially in the case of the newspapers.
Regional Alliance for Preservation. (2009). Retrieved April 25, 2009, from
http://www.preservecollections.org/
The Regional Alliance for Preservation (RAP) is actually a network of nonprofit organizations throughout the nation. They have an interest in the conservation and preservation of resources. RAP is responsible for coordinating outreach programs which promote awareness concerning the preservation of our history. Members of this organization provide services such as training programs, conservation services, and writing publications. They also assist places in caring for their collection and provide free advice. Different centers around the country offer different types of services. There is a helpful list of their provided services offered and the places where you can get help. There is a wealth of information about the place they direct you to, and contact information. The site directed me to the Northeast Document Conservation Center when I clicked on Services and Photograph Conservation. There were a few other choices but they were located further away, which was also a drawback for the Northeast Document Conservation Center (Massachusetts).
United States Copyright Office. (2006). How to investigate the copyright status of a work
(Circular 22). Washington, D.C.
If I were to use the United States Copyright Office in order to determine whether or not a work had been or was still under copyright, this pamphlet would give me an idea of where to start. The pamphlet goes over what information is needed if I was to have the Copyright Office do the search for me, and warns that there is a fee involved. There is information on where to look for the notice of copyright and much of the same information that’s in Peter Hirtle’s table can also be found. I could use this information if I were to search the Copyright Office alone or if I were to pay them to do it for me.
University Library: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (2009). Image Quality
Calculator. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from
http://images.library.uiuc.edu/calculator/index.htm
This calculator is used in order to help determine the best resolution for scanning documents and other visual materials. The user provides information about the original, such as dimensions, and the smallest significant visual element’s height, and it then calculates resolution in dpi. It also returns file size in megabytes and pixel dimensions. The calculator doesn’t require the user to calculate the information for every document you want to scan. Its use lies in that you only need to choose a range of items in your collection and then evaluate their physical characteristics. There is a note section with an explanation of each step, making it clear and concise.
Washington State Library Digital Best Practices. (2009). Planning a digital project. Retrieved
April 22, 2009, from http://digitalwa.statelib.wa.gov/newsite/best.htm
Washington State’s website lets you either do one of two things: choose a topic or follow a digitizing scenario. Both are very helpful. Topics you can choose from include the headings of Project Management, Collection, Technology, and Funding. Under each are subtopics to help guide the search. The user can look at vendors, marketing, preservation, hardware and software, or resources on how to get funding. For example, clicking on hardware and software, I found explanations of requirements, what you may need for how much you are doing, a list of options to consider, such as obsolete equipment, and a project checklist. Choosing to follow a scenario instead, I get a story about a boy who wants to digitize local pictures. This starts from the very beginning of a project and presents questions and answers. The scenario reminded me about how I sometimes feel about digitizing the photos at Cazenovia. There are bulleted points and explanations for how they then go about digitizing the material. It is very simply put and I can see it giving people a place to start.
Annotated Bibliography
As I conclude my participation in this class I look forward to applying what I’ve learned to my work as Web & Digital Projects Manager at Cornell University’s Catherwood Library. The resources detailed below are those that I believe will be most useful to me in the weeks and months to come: many are generally applicable to the maintenance of digital collections, some will prove more specifically useful at my library, and others are simply examples and inspiration for those who manage digital works.
The resources have been separated into categories: blogs, content reference, design reference, folksonomies (something I’m very interested in implementing at Catherwood), project planning and marketing reference, and websites. While there is some overlap between categories – some project planning resources also have implications in the area of design – each resource’s categorization best fits what I see as its primary use to me and to others.
BLOGS
Dempsey, L. (n.d.) Lorcan Dempsey’s Weblog. Retrieved April 19, 2009 from OCLC site: http://orweblog.oclc.org/index.html
Lorcan Dempsey is OCLC’s Vice President of Programs and Research, as well as being their chief strategist. He posts extensively on issues of digital assets management, metadata, and library technology, and his role within OCLC means that his blog can give insights in the directions that the entire profession may be heading technologically.
Hurst-Wahl, J. (n.d.) Digitization 101. Retrieved April 19, 2009 from Blogspot site: http://hurstassociates.blogspot.com/
Your blog as an excellent source of information on digitization issues, digital preservation, and new and exciting digital projects. For those who may not have the time to attend conferences or search news sources for the latest happenings in the field, this blog will provide a snapshot of such information along with insights and commentary.
PK. (n.d.) BibliOdyssey. Retrieved April 19, 2009 from Blogspot site: http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/
What this blog lacks in discussion it makes up for with glorious illustration of the wide range of resources that are being digitized every day. Each post provides multiple images taken from digital collections, and provides descriptions and links back to those collections. A great example of the potential of digitization, and a constant source of inspiration.
Rusbridge, C. (n.d.) Digital Curation Blog. Retrieved April 19, 2009 from Blogspot site: http://digitalcuration.blogspot.com/
Another excellent resource on issues of digital curation and digitization. This blog is notable for digging into the backend work that digitization often requires, and not shying away from dealing directly with questions of code and information architecture. This makes following the blog both challenging and rewarding.
CONTENT REFERENCE
American Psychological Association. (2005). Concise rules of APA style. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
When putting scholarly work into a digital repository in the hopes that such an action will increase the number of times such work gets cited, it’s important to provide solid suggested citations. This book provides clear guidelines for that, and is indispensable when producing description of papers, reports, and presentations in an institutional repository.
Hirtle, P. B. (2009). Copyright term and the public domain in the United States. Retrieved February 7, 2009, from Cornell University, Cornell Copyright Information Center site: http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/
As helpful a resource in dealing with the vagaries of copyright law as will be found anywhere. This guide organizes copyright law by characteristics of the item in question, which is the most common starting point for librarians and other information professionals dealing with copyright issues. Truly invaluable for any digitization project.
Legal Information Institute. (n.d.) U.S. Code collection. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from Cornell University Law School site: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/
And sometimes, you need to go to the source itself. While a resource like Hirtle’s will be more generally useful, the Legal Information Institute’s collection of U.S. Code is up to date and remarkably user-friendly. Finding and bookmarking the sections dealing with copyright and digitization is highly recommended.
Lesk, M. (2005). Understanding digital libraries (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Elsevier.
This book is a great primer on a wide variety of issues dealing with digital libraries, ranging from their place in the historical context of libraries to digitization strategies for various resources to user needs. While it sometimes lacks the depth to be the final consulted source on these subjects, it is almost always a great choice for the first consulted source. In fact, checking this book first can often obviate further searching for the answers you need.
Minow, M. (2002). Library digitization projects and copyright. Retrieved February 7, 2009, from LLRX.com site: http://www.llrx.com/node/1417
While certain portions of this article are outdated, it generally proves to be an excellent complement to Hirtle’s 2009 guide. It covers many of the same areas as that guide, but its use of a prose format and Minow’s engaging style provides an often-needed context to the copyright laws and regulations being discussed. Any disagreements as to the content of the law should probably be settled in favor of Hirtle – or even better, the Legal Information Institute’s U.S. Code collection – but any confusion that may arise from the Hirtle guide can often be cleared up by looking to Minow.
Minow, M., & Lipinski, T. A. (2003). The library's legal answer book. Chicago: American Library Association.
While providing excellent reference material on the subject of copyright – this one organized in a question-and-answer format the utility of which approaches Hirtle’s object-based approach – this book also gives advice on a variety of issues, many of which are applicable to those who manage digital assets. Such sections cover designing a library web page, providing legally adequate digital resource access to patrons with disabilities, and handling library records with appropriate attention to privacy. There is also a great section on the immunities enjoyed – and not enjoyed – by public entities and public employees.
DESIGN REFERENCE
Anderson, J. D., & Perez-Carballo, J. (2005). Information retrieval design: Principles and options for information description, organization, display, and access in information retrieval databases, digital libraries, catalogs, and indexes. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~carballo/ird2005.html
This long article focuses on issues of retrieval and accessibility. While later resources are included because they focus on the necessary work of digital preservation, we also cannot forget that one of the main reasons we endeavor to preserve digital materials is so that patrons can look at them later. Thus retrieval is a key part of digital assets management, and referencing works like Anderson and Perez-Carballo can help make the retrieval systems we design more user-friendly and effective.
Digital Preservation in Libraries Part 1. (2004). Bradford, England: Emerald Group. Retrieved April 21, 2009, from Cornell University site: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/albertaac/Doc?id=10058640
Digital Preservation in Libraries Part 2. (2004). Bradford, England: Emerald Group. Retrieved April 21, 2009, from Cornell University site: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/albertaac/Doc?id=10064569
This two-part work contains a dozen articles dealing with digital preservation, from a wide range of authors. Its most notable feature is the strong focus on digital preservation as a core function of digital assets management, and the articles tackle the issues facing digital collections within the context. As digital collections expand in scope and influence, it becomes clearer that attempting to provide access without a focus on preservation is short-sighted and almost certainly unsustainable; thus the information provided by this resource will prove necessary for anyone managing digital assets.
Harold, E. R. (2004). XML 1.1 bible. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Pub.
XML is often the lingua franca of online resources, especially as systems like RSS gain prominence. This hefty tome provides background, explanations, and examples of a huge range of XML code. This book is indispensable for those who dig into the back end of digital collections, especially if interoperability is one of your project’s goals.
Puglia, S., Reed, J., & Rhodes, E. (2004). Technical guidelines for digitizing archival materials for electronic access. Washington, DC: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
This document details standards and practices for a variety of digitization processes, including image capture, the creation of basic metadata, and quality control. While not tackling issues of planning, selection, user needs assessment, and the like, it does address some of the minutiae of the digitization which can easily be ignored, but must not be. While the document’s age does raise concern about the currency of its information, it still represents an excellent starting point when exploring the “grunt work” involved in digitization.
Rieger, O. (2008). Preservation in the age of large-scale digitization: A white paper. Washington, DC: Council on Library and Information Resources.
This white paper places the issues of digital preservation within the context of recent movements in large-scale digitization. As such programs increase in frequency and breadth, the paper’s overview of extant programs, as well as the details it provides regarding their implementation and implications becomes even more important to information professions whose digital collections are likely to include digital assets produced by large-scale digitization.
FOLKSONOMIES
Morrison, P. J. (2007). Why are they tagging, and why do we want them to? [Electronic version]. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 34(1), 12-15.
User-created tags, or folksonomies, are becoming a bigger part of the digital assets management world; it is also a direction I hope to take the digital collections that I am currently working with. The articles in this section represent some of the more interesting recent literature on the subject. This article in particular focuses on six reasons users tag items: to facilitate subsequent retrieval, to help the items gain exposure and traffic, to express their opinions, as an incidental consequence of other information retrieval tasks, to benefit from functionalities that depend upon the folksonomy, or to play a game created around the action of tagging. When incorporating a folksonomy system into a digital collection, information professionals need to keep their user’s desires and goals in mind.
Morrison, P. J. (2008). Tagging and searching: Search retrieval effectiveness of folksonomies on the World Wide Web [Electronic version]. Information Processing and Management, 44, 1562-1579.
In this article, Morrison finds that folksonomies can prove extremely useful in facilitating searches: while tag-based searches lack the precision of more traditional search engines, they achieved similar levels of recall and their incorporation into search tended to yield more relevant results. This article, in addition to being informative, can serve as an excellent resource for convincing skeptical colleagues of the utility of user-generated tagging.
Peterson, E. (2008, April). Parallel systems: The coexistence of subject cataloging and folksonomy. Library Philosophy and Practice 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/lpp2008.htm
Peterson’s take on the folksonomy issue is less optimistic that other authors listed in this section: she finds the data insufficient to pass judgment on the usefulness of folksonomies, and wonders if there might not be a fundamental incompatibility between user-created tags and traditional controlled vocabularies. While she does conclude that implementation costs are low enough such that any utility gained by the patrons could justify the inclusion of a folksonomy system, the inclusion of this article is at least in part a reminder that we must examine all sides of an issue thoroughly before making a decision. (Though, specifically, the “low cost of implementation” point is a good one to remember.)
Sinclair, J., & Cardew-Hall, M. (2008). The folksonomy tag cloud: When is it useful? [Electronic version]. Journal of Information Science, 34(1), 15-29.
Another good resource for persuading those who doubt the usefulness of folksonomies within library resources, this article examines systems that incorporate both traditional controlled vocabularies and user-created tags. Most notably, it finds that while users prefer traditional search engines for specific searches, they found folksonomy-based searching more useful for general searches and browsing. Studies like this one are vital for keeping an eye on what our users want from the systems we’re ostensibly designing for them.
Spiteri, L. F. (2007). The structure and form of folksonomy tags: The road to the public library catalog [Electronic version]. Information Technology and Libraries, 26(3), 13-25.
One final resource on the subject of folksonomies, which also has both a specific and a general purpose. The specific purpose is providing evidence that the tag clouds created by users often correspond to the standards our profession has set for descriptive metadata (though there are some areas of weakness), which can help ease the fears some librarians have of implementing folksonomies. The general purpose is to remind us to find ways to place new ideas into the context of old thoughts, so as to help increase the buy-in of project stakeholders. Folksonomies in general are a great example of this idea: information professionals are often skeptical of them, but many of the evaluative tools that our profession has used for years can still be applied to what initially seems like a completely new idea.
PROJECT PLANNING & MARKETING REFERENCE
Aoki, K., Boyle, J., & Jenkins, J. (2006). Bound by law? Tales from the public domain. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Center for the Study of the Public Domain.
While this book is an excellent primer on the current state of copyright law in the United States, it lacks the depth of the works of Hirtle (2009), Minow (2002), and Lipinski (with Minow, 2003). As such, its best use is not as a legal reference, but as an education and marketing tool, aimed both at users of digital collections (such as faculty members who wish to place their work in an institutional repository) and those who may oversee such projects without being directly involved (such as library directors, board members, or deans). The fact that it is freely available only increases its utility; information professionals involved in a digitization process should keep a copy – or a link to a copy – on hand to help educate project stakeholders.
Council on Library and Information Resources. (2001). Building and sustaining digital collections: Models for libraries and museums. Washington, DC: Council on Library and Information Resources.
While we must take into account this paper’s age compared to other resources in the bibliography, it would be foolish to dismiss its content merely because it was written eight years ago. Its discussion of the potential sustainability of various business models for digital collections, as well as the scalability of infrastructure, the appropriateness of collaboration, and the necessity of user focus, are all still extremely relevant to the current state of digital assets management. CLIR’s output on these topics tends to be top-notch, and this paper is a good example.
Fisher, P. H., & Pride, M. M. (2006). Blueprint for a library marketing plan: A guide to help you survive and thrive. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
While marketing may not seem directly related to digitization, digital collections are not immune from the need for users. Potential patrons are stakeholders in digital projects, and librarians must be able to connect with those patrons. This book covers the gamut of library marketing issues: planning, discerning trends, assessing user needs, and communicating effectively with your target market. Those who would undertake a digitization project without considering their end-users in this context risk creating a collection no one’s interested in or – perhaps worse – a collection people would be interested in, except they’ve never heard of it.
Hughes, L. M. (2004). Digitizing collections: Strategic issues for the information manager. Digital futures series. London: Facet.
A thorough, step-by-step examination of the process of establishing and managing a digital collection. This book tackles everything from analyzing the appropriateness of undertaking a digitization process to selecting and digitizing materials to establishing best practices for long term collection management. While the book is probably most useful before a digitization project is begun, its lessons are applicable at any stage of development.
Rubin, R. J. (2006). Demonstrating results: Using outcome measurement in your library. PLA results series. Chicago: American Library Association.
This is another resource that, while not specifically addressing digitization, contains a wealth of useful information for digitization projects. Defining outcome measurement as a focus on the user, and on changing users’ experiences with library services in verifiable and positive ways, this book provides advice and strategies that are directly applicable to digitization projects. Using this book as a guide can facilitate the creation of a digital collection that helps users in clear and identifiable ways; this is good for the users and good for librarians who need to justify such projects at budget meetings.
Sitts, M. K. (2000). Handbook for digital projects: A management tool for preservation and access. Andover, MA: Northeast Document Conservation Center.
Another great reference that examines all stages of planning and managing a digital collection. Begins by establishing the reasons for digitization and the issues that librarians considering such a project need to account for, the handbook walks readers through all the steps of such a project, and ends with commentary from a representative of what may be the most common group of end-users of such projects: the scholar.
Smith, A. (2001). Strategies for building digitized collections. Washington, DC: Digital Library Federation, Council on Library and Information Resources.
Another work that focuses on planning and implementing a sustainable digital assets management program, this paper covers strategies of identifying, evaluating, and selecting materials for inclusion, and also explores the implications that digital collections have for the institutions that support them. It provides another useful overview and perspective that those undertaking a digital assets management project should consider; it’s included here to emphasize that with so much research being done in this area, information professionals would be remiss if they did not thoroughly review the extant literature.
WEBSITES
DigitalCommons@ILR. (2008). Retrieved March 21, 2009, from Cornell University, ILR School site: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/
Maintaining and populating DigitalCommons@ILR is my primary responsibility as the Catherwood Library’s Web & Digital Project Manager; the repository makes the list because looking at what’s already been done and what areas need to be expanded or explored will likely be the core of my future endeavors with digital assets management. This will include looking for ways to improve the quality of the digital items in DC@ILR, increase the breadth of both the sources and formats of the assets stored there, and expand DC@ILR’s mission to incorporate preservation in addition to access.
NYPL Digital Collections. (2009). Retrieved April 20, 2009, from New York Public Library site: http://www.nypl.org/digital/
Like the BibliOdyssey blog above, the NYPL Digital Collections provide amazing examples of the range of library resources that can be provided digitally. Following their projects, which include collaboration with Google Book Search, digital image collections, audio and video collections, and subject-focused collections, can supply anyone working with digital assets ample inspiration for their own efforts.
Powerhouse Museum. (n.d.). Powerhouse Museum Collection Search 2.5. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from Powerhouse Museum site: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/
Another site worth watching due to the example being set, the Powerhouse Museum’s search engine incorporates a traditional controlled vocabulary that works alongside user-created tags. As noted by Peterson (2008) above, such an arrangement has the potential to reap great benefits in usability and search efficacy. Following the developments at the Powerhouse can provide invaluable information for information professionals who are considering adding user-created tags and folksonomies to their own digital collections.
Triangle Factory Fire Online Exhibit. (2003). Retrieved April 20, 2009, from Cornell University, ILR School site: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/
A final bit of inspiration, the Triangle Factory Fire Exhibit has received hundreds of thousands of visitors, many of whom have been grateful enough for the site that they left testimonials on the visitor’s page. When undertaking a digital project, it is vital to remember that such endeavors can have the kind of positive outcomes on user experience that Rubin (2006) discusses, and that those planning and implementing such a project should not underestimate the great potential that such work holds.
The resources have been separated into categories: blogs, content reference, design reference, folksonomies (something I’m very interested in implementing at Catherwood), project planning and marketing reference, and websites. While there is some overlap between categories – some project planning resources also have implications in the area of design – each resource’s categorization best fits what I see as its primary use to me and to others.
BLOGS
Dempsey, L. (n.d.) Lorcan Dempsey’s Weblog. Retrieved April 19, 2009 from OCLC site: http://orweblog.oclc.org/index.html
Lorcan Dempsey is OCLC’s Vice President of Programs and Research, as well as being their chief strategist. He posts extensively on issues of digital assets management, metadata, and library technology, and his role within OCLC means that his blog can give insights in the directions that the entire profession may be heading technologically.
Hurst-Wahl, J. (n.d.) Digitization 101. Retrieved April 19, 2009 from Blogspot site: http://hurstassociates.blogspot.com/
Your blog as an excellent source of information on digitization issues, digital preservation, and new and exciting digital projects. For those who may not have the time to attend conferences or search news sources for the latest happenings in the field, this blog will provide a snapshot of such information along with insights and commentary.
PK. (n.d.) BibliOdyssey. Retrieved April 19, 2009 from Blogspot site: http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/
What this blog lacks in discussion it makes up for with glorious illustration of the wide range of resources that are being digitized every day. Each post provides multiple images taken from digital collections, and provides descriptions and links back to those collections. A great example of the potential of digitization, and a constant source of inspiration.
Rusbridge, C. (n.d.) Digital Curation Blog. Retrieved April 19, 2009 from Blogspot site: http://digitalcuration.blogspot.com/
Another excellent resource on issues of digital curation and digitization. This blog is notable for digging into the backend work that digitization often requires, and not shying away from dealing directly with questions of code and information architecture. This makes following the blog both challenging and rewarding.
CONTENT REFERENCE
American Psychological Association. (2005). Concise rules of APA style. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
When putting scholarly work into a digital repository in the hopes that such an action will increase the number of times such work gets cited, it’s important to provide solid suggested citations. This book provides clear guidelines for that, and is indispensable when producing description of papers, reports, and presentations in an institutional repository.
Hirtle, P. B. (2009). Copyright term and the public domain in the United States. Retrieved February 7, 2009, from Cornell University, Cornell Copyright Information Center site: http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/
As helpful a resource in dealing with the vagaries of copyright law as will be found anywhere. This guide organizes copyright law by characteristics of the item in question, which is the most common starting point for librarians and other information professionals dealing with copyright issues. Truly invaluable for any digitization project.
Legal Information Institute. (n.d.) U.S. Code collection. Retrieved March 21, 2009, from Cornell University Law School site: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/
And sometimes, you need to go to the source itself. While a resource like Hirtle’s will be more generally useful, the Legal Information Institute’s collection of U.S. Code is up to date and remarkably user-friendly. Finding and bookmarking the sections dealing with copyright and digitization is highly recommended.
Lesk, M. (2005). Understanding digital libraries (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Elsevier.
This book is a great primer on a wide variety of issues dealing with digital libraries, ranging from their place in the historical context of libraries to digitization strategies for various resources to user needs. While it sometimes lacks the depth to be the final consulted source on these subjects, it is almost always a great choice for the first consulted source. In fact, checking this book first can often obviate further searching for the answers you need.
Minow, M. (2002). Library digitization projects and copyright. Retrieved February 7, 2009, from LLRX.com site: http://www.llrx.com/node/1417
While certain portions of this article are outdated, it generally proves to be an excellent complement to Hirtle’s 2009 guide. It covers many of the same areas as that guide, but its use of a prose format and Minow’s engaging style provides an often-needed context to the copyright laws and regulations being discussed. Any disagreements as to the content of the law should probably be settled in favor of Hirtle – or even better, the Legal Information Institute’s U.S. Code collection – but any confusion that may arise from the Hirtle guide can often be cleared up by looking to Minow.
Minow, M., & Lipinski, T. A. (2003). The library's legal answer book. Chicago: American Library Association.
While providing excellent reference material on the subject of copyright – this one organized in a question-and-answer format the utility of which approaches Hirtle’s object-based approach – this book also gives advice on a variety of issues, many of which are applicable to those who manage digital assets. Such sections cover designing a library web page, providing legally adequate digital resource access to patrons with disabilities, and handling library records with appropriate attention to privacy. There is also a great section on the immunities enjoyed – and not enjoyed – by public entities and public employees.
DESIGN REFERENCE
Anderson, J. D., & Perez-Carballo, J. (2005). Information retrieval design: Principles and options for information description, organization, display, and access in information retrieval databases, digital libraries, catalogs, and indexes. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~carballo/ird2005.html
This long article focuses on issues of retrieval and accessibility. While later resources are included because they focus on the necessary work of digital preservation, we also cannot forget that one of the main reasons we endeavor to preserve digital materials is so that patrons can look at them later. Thus retrieval is a key part of digital assets management, and referencing works like Anderson and Perez-Carballo can help make the retrieval systems we design more user-friendly and effective.
Digital Preservation in Libraries Part 1. (2004). Bradford, England: Emerald Group. Retrieved April 21, 2009, from Cornell University site: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/albertaac/Doc?id=10058640
Digital Preservation in Libraries Part 2. (2004). Bradford, England: Emerald Group. Retrieved April 21, 2009, from Cornell University site: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/albertaac/Doc?id=10064569
This two-part work contains a dozen articles dealing with digital preservation, from a wide range of authors. Its most notable feature is the strong focus on digital preservation as a core function of digital assets management, and the articles tackle the issues facing digital collections within the context. As digital collections expand in scope and influence, it becomes clearer that attempting to provide access without a focus on preservation is short-sighted and almost certainly unsustainable; thus the information provided by this resource will prove necessary for anyone managing digital assets.
Harold, E. R. (2004). XML 1.1 bible. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Pub.
XML is often the lingua franca of online resources, especially as systems like RSS gain prominence. This hefty tome provides background, explanations, and examples of a huge range of XML code. This book is indispensable for those who dig into the back end of digital collections, especially if interoperability is one of your project’s goals.
Puglia, S., Reed, J., & Rhodes, E. (2004). Technical guidelines for digitizing archival materials for electronic access. Washington, DC: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.
This document details standards and practices for a variety of digitization processes, including image capture, the creation of basic metadata, and quality control. While not tackling issues of planning, selection, user needs assessment, and the like, it does address some of the minutiae of the digitization which can easily be ignored, but must not be. While the document’s age does raise concern about the currency of its information, it still represents an excellent starting point when exploring the “grunt work” involved in digitization.
Rieger, O. (2008). Preservation in the age of large-scale digitization: A white paper. Washington, DC: Council on Library and Information Resources.
This white paper places the issues of digital preservation within the context of recent movements in large-scale digitization. As such programs increase in frequency and breadth, the paper’s overview of extant programs, as well as the details it provides regarding their implementation and implications becomes even more important to information professions whose digital collections are likely to include digital assets produced by large-scale digitization.
FOLKSONOMIES
Morrison, P. J. (2007). Why are they tagging, and why do we want them to? [Electronic version]. Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 34(1), 12-15.
User-created tags, or folksonomies, are becoming a bigger part of the digital assets management world; it is also a direction I hope to take the digital collections that I am currently working with. The articles in this section represent some of the more interesting recent literature on the subject. This article in particular focuses on six reasons users tag items: to facilitate subsequent retrieval, to help the items gain exposure and traffic, to express their opinions, as an incidental consequence of other information retrieval tasks, to benefit from functionalities that depend upon the folksonomy, or to play a game created around the action of tagging. When incorporating a folksonomy system into a digital collection, information professionals need to keep their user’s desires and goals in mind.
Morrison, P. J. (2008). Tagging and searching: Search retrieval effectiveness of folksonomies on the World Wide Web [Electronic version]. Information Processing and Management, 44, 1562-1579.
In this article, Morrison finds that folksonomies can prove extremely useful in facilitating searches: while tag-based searches lack the precision of more traditional search engines, they achieved similar levels of recall and their incorporation into search tended to yield more relevant results. This article, in addition to being informative, can serve as an excellent resource for convincing skeptical colleagues of the utility of user-generated tagging.
Peterson, E. (2008, April). Parallel systems: The coexistence of subject cataloging and folksonomy. Library Philosophy and Practice 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2008, from http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/lpp2008.htm
Peterson’s take on the folksonomy issue is less optimistic that other authors listed in this section: she finds the data insufficient to pass judgment on the usefulness of folksonomies, and wonders if there might not be a fundamental incompatibility between user-created tags and traditional controlled vocabularies. While she does conclude that implementation costs are low enough such that any utility gained by the patrons could justify the inclusion of a folksonomy system, the inclusion of this article is at least in part a reminder that we must examine all sides of an issue thoroughly before making a decision. (Though, specifically, the “low cost of implementation” point is a good one to remember.)
Sinclair, J., & Cardew-Hall, M. (2008). The folksonomy tag cloud: When is it useful? [Electronic version]. Journal of Information Science, 34(1), 15-29.
Another good resource for persuading those who doubt the usefulness of folksonomies within library resources, this article examines systems that incorporate both traditional controlled vocabularies and user-created tags. Most notably, it finds that while users prefer traditional search engines for specific searches, they found folksonomy-based searching more useful for general searches and browsing. Studies like this one are vital for keeping an eye on what our users want from the systems we’re ostensibly designing for them.
Spiteri, L. F. (2007). The structure and form of folksonomy tags: The road to the public library catalog [Electronic version]. Information Technology and Libraries, 26(3), 13-25.
One final resource on the subject of folksonomies, which also has both a specific and a general purpose. The specific purpose is providing evidence that the tag clouds created by users often correspond to the standards our profession has set for descriptive metadata (though there are some areas of weakness), which can help ease the fears some librarians have of implementing folksonomies. The general purpose is to remind us to find ways to place new ideas into the context of old thoughts, so as to help increase the buy-in of project stakeholders. Folksonomies in general are a great example of this idea: information professionals are often skeptical of them, but many of the evaluative tools that our profession has used for years can still be applied to what initially seems like a completely new idea.
PROJECT PLANNING & MARKETING REFERENCE
Aoki, K., Boyle, J., & Jenkins, J. (2006). Bound by law? Tales from the public domain. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Center for the Study of the Public Domain.
While this book is an excellent primer on the current state of copyright law in the United States, it lacks the depth of the works of Hirtle (2009), Minow (2002), and Lipinski (with Minow, 2003). As such, its best use is not as a legal reference, but as an education and marketing tool, aimed both at users of digital collections (such as faculty members who wish to place their work in an institutional repository) and those who may oversee such projects without being directly involved (such as library directors, board members, or deans). The fact that it is freely available only increases its utility; information professionals involved in a digitization process should keep a copy – or a link to a copy – on hand to help educate project stakeholders.
Council on Library and Information Resources. (2001). Building and sustaining digital collections: Models for libraries and museums. Washington, DC: Council on Library and Information Resources.
While we must take into account this paper’s age compared to other resources in the bibliography, it would be foolish to dismiss its content merely because it was written eight years ago. Its discussion of the potential sustainability of various business models for digital collections, as well as the scalability of infrastructure, the appropriateness of collaboration, and the necessity of user focus, are all still extremely relevant to the current state of digital assets management. CLIR’s output on these topics tends to be top-notch, and this paper is a good example.
Fisher, P. H., & Pride, M. M. (2006). Blueprint for a library marketing plan: A guide to help you survive and thrive. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.
While marketing may not seem directly related to digitization, digital collections are not immune from the need for users. Potential patrons are stakeholders in digital projects, and librarians must be able to connect with those patrons. This book covers the gamut of library marketing issues: planning, discerning trends, assessing user needs, and communicating effectively with your target market. Those who would undertake a digitization project without considering their end-users in this context risk creating a collection no one’s interested in or – perhaps worse – a collection people would be interested in, except they’ve never heard of it.
Hughes, L. M. (2004). Digitizing collections: Strategic issues for the information manager. Digital futures series. London: Facet.
A thorough, step-by-step examination of the process of establishing and managing a digital collection. This book tackles everything from analyzing the appropriateness of undertaking a digitization process to selecting and digitizing materials to establishing best practices for long term collection management. While the book is probably most useful before a digitization project is begun, its lessons are applicable at any stage of development.
Rubin, R. J. (2006). Demonstrating results: Using outcome measurement in your library. PLA results series. Chicago: American Library Association.
This is another resource that, while not specifically addressing digitization, contains a wealth of useful information for digitization projects. Defining outcome measurement as a focus on the user, and on changing users’ experiences with library services in verifiable and positive ways, this book provides advice and strategies that are directly applicable to digitization projects. Using this book as a guide can facilitate the creation of a digital collection that helps users in clear and identifiable ways; this is good for the users and good for librarians who need to justify such projects at budget meetings.
Sitts, M. K. (2000). Handbook for digital projects: A management tool for preservation and access. Andover, MA: Northeast Document Conservation Center.
Another great reference that examines all stages of planning and managing a digital collection. Begins by establishing the reasons for digitization and the issues that librarians considering such a project need to account for, the handbook walks readers through all the steps of such a project, and ends with commentary from a representative of what may be the most common group of end-users of such projects: the scholar.
Smith, A. (2001). Strategies for building digitized collections. Washington, DC: Digital Library Federation, Council on Library and Information Resources.
Another work that focuses on planning and implementing a sustainable digital assets management program, this paper covers strategies of identifying, evaluating, and selecting materials for inclusion, and also explores the implications that digital collections have for the institutions that support them. It provides another useful overview and perspective that those undertaking a digital assets management project should consider; it’s included here to emphasize that with so much research being done in this area, information professionals would be remiss if they did not thoroughly review the extant literature.
WEBSITES
DigitalCommons@ILR. (2008). Retrieved March 21, 2009, from Cornell University, ILR School site: http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/
Maintaining and populating DigitalCommons@ILR is my primary responsibility as the Catherwood Library’s Web & Digital Project Manager; the repository makes the list because looking at what’s already been done and what areas need to be expanded or explored will likely be the core of my future endeavors with digital assets management. This will include looking for ways to improve the quality of the digital items in DC@ILR, increase the breadth of both the sources and formats of the assets stored there, and expand DC@ILR’s mission to incorporate preservation in addition to access.
NYPL Digital Collections. (2009). Retrieved April 20, 2009, from New York Public Library site: http://www.nypl.org/digital/
Like the BibliOdyssey blog above, the NYPL Digital Collections provide amazing examples of the range of library resources that can be provided digitally. Following their projects, which include collaboration with Google Book Search, digital image collections, audio and video collections, and subject-focused collections, can supply anyone working with digital assets ample inspiration for their own efforts.
Powerhouse Museum. (n.d.). Powerhouse Museum Collection Search 2.5. Retrieved April 20, 2009, from Powerhouse Museum site: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/
Another site worth watching due to the example being set, the Powerhouse Museum’s search engine incorporates a traditional controlled vocabulary that works alongside user-created tags. As noted by Peterson (2008) above, such an arrangement has the potential to reap great benefits in usability and search efficacy. Following the developments at the Powerhouse can provide invaluable information for information professionals who are considering adding user-created tags and folksonomies to their own digital collections.
Triangle Factory Fire Online Exhibit. (2003). Retrieved April 20, 2009, from Cornell University, ILR School site: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/
A final bit of inspiration, the Triangle Factory Fire Exhibit has received hundreds of thousands of visitors, many of whom have been grateful enough for the site that they left testimonials on the visitor’s page. When undertaking a digital project, it is vital to remember that such endeavors can have the kind of positive outcomes on user experience that Rubin (2006) discusses, and that those planning and implementing such a project should not underestimate the great potential that such work holds.
Annotated Bibliography
Books
Besek, J. M. and National Recording Preservation Board (U.S.) (2005). Copyright issues relevant to digital preservation and dissemination of pre-1972 commercial sound recordings by libraries and archives. Washington, D.C., Council on Library and Information Resources : Library of Congress.
The purpose of this study is to analyze copyright and related rights issues involved in the digital preservation and dissemination of pre-1972 commercial sound recordings by libraries and archives, focusing on the scope of protection for those recordings and on allowable uses, particularly for research and scholarship.
Copyright law as it relates to sound recordings and musical compositions is extremely complex. This complexity results both from historical and political factors and from the particular challenges presented by new technological means of disseminating music.
Ciula, A. and F. Stella (2007). Digital philology and medieval texts. Ospedaletto (Pisa), Pacini.
CCH organized a forum for medievalists to discuss the principles and purposes of the critical edition produced with the support of humanities computing tools, methods, and aids. The seminar formed part of the academic program of the class of Computing for the study of the ancient and medieval world.
Hazen, D. C., Commission on Preservation and Access., et al. (1998).
Selecting research collections for digitization. Washington, D.C., Council on Library and Information Resources.
Council of Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an independent, nonprofit organization. Through publications, projects, and programs, CLIR works to maintain and improve access to information for generations to come. In partnership with other institutions, CLIR helps create services that expand the concept of "library" and supports the providers and preservers of information.
Their mission is to pursue three primary goals:
Besek, J. M. and National Recording Preservation Board (U.S.) (2005). Copyright issues relevant to digital preservation and dissemination of pre-1972 commercial sound recordings by libraries and archives. Washington, D.C., Council on Library and Information Resources : Library of Congress.
The purpose of this study is to analyze copyright and related rights issues involved in the digital preservation and dissemination of pre-1972 commercial sound recordings by libraries and archives, focusing on the scope of protection for those recordings and on allowable uses, particularly for research and scholarship.
Copyright law as it relates to sound recordings and musical compositions is extremely complex. This complexity results both from historical and political factors and from the particular challenges presented by new technological means of disseminating music.
Ciula, A. and F. Stella (2007). Digital philology and medieval texts. Ospedaletto (Pisa), Pacini.
CCH organized a forum for medievalists to discuss the principles and purposes of the critical edition produced with the support of humanities computing tools, methods, and aids. The seminar formed part of the academic program of the class of Computing for the study of the ancient and medieval world.
Hazen, D. C., Commission on Preservation and Access., et al. (1998).
Selecting research collections for digitization. Washington, D.C., Council on Library and Information Resources.
Council of Library and Information Resources (CLIR) is an independent, nonprofit organization. Through publications, projects, and programs, CLIR works to maintain and improve access to information for generations to come. In partnership with other institutions, CLIR helps create services that expand the concept of "library" and supports the providers and preservers of information.
Their mission is to pursue three primary goals:
- To foster new approaches to the management of digital and non-digital information resources so that they will be available in the future
- To expand leadership capacity in the information professions
- To analyze changes in the information landscape and help practitioners prepare for them.
Lee, S. D. (2001). Digital imaging: a practical handbook. New York, Neal-Schuman Publishers in association with Library Association Pub.
Digital Imaging: A Practical Handbook is very much a 'how to' guide for those about to embark on a digitization project, and it offers a complete picture of the workflow process of a digital imaging project from its inception to the final maintenance and archiving of the end product. It is aimed at information professionals and librarians managing such a venture, but is also of value to researchers and students.
Mugridge, R. and Association of Research Libraries. (2006). Managing digitization activities. Washington, DC, Association of Research Libraries.
The SPEC survey was designed to identify the purposes of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) libraries’s digitization efforts, the organizational structures use to manage their digital initiatives, whether and how the staff has been reassigned to support digitization activites. It outlines how to develop plans of how to obtain funding to develop and sustain digital activites and provides guidelines of how to prioritizes potential projects.
Rieger, O. Y. (2008). Preservation in the age of large-scale digitization : a white paper. Washington, D.C., Council on Library and Information Resources.
The paper describes four large-scale projects—Google Book Search, Microsoft Live Search Books, Open Content Alliance, and the Million Book Project—and their digitization strategies. It then discusses a range of issues affecting the stewardship of the digital collections they create: selection, quality in content creation, technical infrastructure, and organizational infrastructure. The paper also attempts to foresee the likely impacts of large-scale digitization on book collections
Wilson, T. L. (2003). The twenty-first century art librarian. New York, Haworth Information Press.
This publication highlight some of the administrative issues that are at the forefront of the art librarianship today. The book examines art Librarians working in a variety of settings (art, academics, architecture, visual resources, and museums) and addresses some on the most demanding challenges from a professional and technological point of view. Issues such as inadequate staffing and coping with day-to-day requirements are address. It also allows the reader a lens into proven practices in this
unique field, including operational management, staff recruitment, and training, managing collections, public service and patron’s management.
Rieger, O. Y. (2008). Preservation in the age of large-scale digitization : a white paper. Washington, D.C., Council on Library and Information Resources.
The paper describes four large-scale projects—Google Book Search, Microsoft Live Search Books, Open Content Alliance, and the Million Book Project—and their digitization strategies. It then discusses a range of issues affecting the stewardship of the digital collections they create: selection, quality in content creation, technical infrastructure, and organizational infrastructure. The paper also attempts to foresee the likely impacts of large-scale digitization on book collections
Electronic Books
Barnett, J. S. and U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Simulator Systems Research Unit. (2003).
How formal training affects soldier attitudes and behaviors towards digitization. [Orlando, Fla.], Simulator Systems Research Unit, U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences: xii, 28, [18] p.
This research measured how formal training affects Soldier patterns of behavior and attitudes towards digitization. A set of questionnaires was administered to 24 enlisted Soldiers and 12 officers attending formal classroom training for the Force XXI Battle Command, Brigade and Below (FBCB2) digital system. Results showed Soldiers generally feel FBCB2 is useful and worth the additional effort required to learn the systems. It also indicated that formal training in digital systems has a significant positive effect on Soldiers' attitudes and behaviors towards digital systems.
Institute of Museum and Library Services (U.S.) (2002). A framework of guidance for building good digital collections. [Washington, D.C.], Institute of Museum and Library Services.
This Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections has three purposes:
To provide an overview of some of the major components and activities involved in creating good digital collections.
To identify existing resources that support the development of sound local practices for creating and managing good digital collections.
To encourage community participation in the ongoing development of best practices for digital collection building.
Institute of Museum and Library Services (U.S.) (2002). Status of technology and digitization in the nation's museums and libraries 2002 report. [Washington, D.C.], Institute of Museum and Library Services.
His report references how to establish a framework for completing grant applications in order to obtain federal funding for digitization projects. In addtion, it provides a set of guidelines for identifying, organizing and applying existing knowledge
and resources that can be used as an aid in the development local guidelines and procedures in setting up a local collection and digitization projects.
Institute of Museum and Library Services (U.S.) (2006). Status of technology and digitization in the nation's museums and libraries. [Washington, D.C.], Institute of Museum and Library Services: 125 p.
This report references the state of automation and digitization projects throughout the United States now that the internet using has expanded to become the predominant resource for information sharing. The report goes on to discribe that 87% of all libriaries and museaums are currently engaged in some so sort of automation projects to increase public access to their information.
K.G. Saur Verlag. (2004). World biographical information system. [Munich], K. G. Saur.
Contains biographical profiles of people from all centuries as well as all countries and regions worldwide. Compiles biographical articles from printed reference works published from the 16th to the 20th century, and reproduces these original documents as facsimile images.
Library of Congress. (1999). Library of Congress, National Digital Library Program and the Conservation Division conservation implications of digitization projects. [Washington, D.C., Library of Congress,.
This site is a collaborative effort by federal agencies formed as a group in 2007 to define common guidelines, methods, and practices to digitize historical content in a sustainable manner. Recognizing that the effort would require specialized expertise, two separate working groups were formed with the possibility that more tightly focused groups might be necessary as the work progressed. The Federal Agencies Still Image Digitization Working Group will concentrate its efforts on image content such as books, manuscripts, maps, and photographic prints and negatives. The Federal Agencies Audio-Visual Working Group is focusing its work on sound, video, and motion picture film.
Moses, F. L. and U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Advanced Training Methods Research Unit. (2001). Training challenges for digitization. ARI special report 47. Alexandria, VA, Advanced Training Methods Research Unit, U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences: 32 p.
This is a special report from the U.S. Army Research Institute for Behaviorial and Social Sciences (ARI) used to examine how best to train computer bases skill required for future battlefield operations. It explains the foundation of the Army needs, the state of current knowledge, suggest research to address the most pressing needs, and outlines the potential benefits to the Army. The goal is to communicate these challenges to training mangers and leaders who have to make informed decisions about how to support training for the current and future Army forces.
National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (U.S.) (2002). Preserving our digital heritage plan for the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program : a collaborative initiative of the Library of Congress. [Washington, D.C.,
The 2002 report outlines some of the basic the challenge of digitizing rare and unique materials. As a result, of Congressional funding of the National Digital Library Program, the Library of Congress has accumulated substantial experience in the operational requirements necessary to develop and build digital collections.
But conversion of works largely in the public domain pales in comparison with the challenge of dealing with the "born digital" media. New storage processes for those items have yet to be created to preserve all of the current items in a digital form, which range from Web sites to databases of scientific data, to streaming content. Additional research is required to resolve the various issues surrounding digital media and additional funding is going to be required.
United States. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. (2006). Mass digitization implications for information policy. Washington, DC, U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Sciences: 24 p.
Digital libraries, whether commercial, public or personal, lie at the heart of the information society. Yet, research into their long‐term viability and the meaningful accessibility of their contents remains in its infancy. In general, after more than twenty years of research in digital curation and preservation the actual theories, methods and technologies that can either foster or ensure digital longevity remain startlingly limited.’
University of Georgia Libraries. and GALILEO Databases Collection (GALILEO (Georgia statewide project)) Georgia newspaper database. [Athens, Ga.], University of Georgia Libraries,.
Digitization of newspapers originally microfilmed as part of the Georgia Newspaper Project.
Journal Articles
Tomaiuolo, N. "The Web Library: Building a World Class Personal Library With Free Web Resources." located at http://www.ccsu.edu/library/tomaiuolon/theweblibrary.htm
Nicholas G. (Nick) Tomaiuolo shows how anyone can create a comprehensive personal library using no-cost Web resources.
He allows the reader to discover a vast, collection of data, documents, and images that--if you follow his instructions to the letter--can rival the holdings of many traditional libraries. This is an easy-to-use guide, with chapters organized into sections corresponding to departments in a physical library. The Web Library provides a wealth of URLs and examples of free material you can start using right away, but best of all it offers techniques for finding and collecting new content as the Web evolves.
Tsukkerman, I. I. (1987). "Digital Methods in Astronomy." Publication: SOOBSHCHENIYA. SPETSIALNOI ASTROF.OBS. NO.56, P. 40, 1987.
The great importance of digital TV, especially image processing, for accuracy and sensitivity increasing of astronomical methods are discussed. Possibilities of the new developments of TV methods for astronomy are described.
Building on this work and taking the theoretical framework of archival science as bedrock, this paper investigates digital preservation and its foundational role if digital libraries are to have long‐term viability at the centre of the global information society.
World digital library http://www.worlddigitallibrary.org/project/english/
The World digital library will make available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from cultures around the world, including manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, architectural drawings, and other significant cultural materials. The objectives of the World digital library are to promote international and inter-cultural understanding and awareness, provide resources to educators, expand non-English and non-Western content on the Internet, and to contribute to scholarly research.
West, L. and T. Hess (2002). "Metadata as a knowledge management tool: supporting intelligent agent and end user access to spatial data." Decision Support Systems 32(3): 247-264.
This paper describes a decision support system (DSS) design approach that embeds much of this knowledge in well-structured metadata and presents it to the decision maker through an appropriate interface or software agents, thereby decreasing system learning costs and improving effectiveness. The metadata design from a spatial decision support system (SDSS) is presented along with illustrations showing how the design addresses specific knowledge management (KM) problems. The paper then discusses how the knowledge management design approach can be generalized to other SDSS, to DSS in general, and to data warehouses.
Chen, H. and C. Chen (2001). Metadata Development for Digital Libraries and Museums–Taiwan’s Experience.
This paper introduces the background information of Taiwan’s Digital Museum Project, and discusses issues related to the development of metadata used in this project. Taiwanese and traditional Chinese cultures until recently were not open to the public due to preservation considerations. Now, with the Internet, the curators have been able to present these valuable resources on the WWW. Besides increasing public exposures, it has preserved the physical resource from deteriorating. Major institutions that have digitized their rare collections include the National Taiwan University, Academic Sinica, National Central Library, and National Palace Museum.
Gill, T. (1998). "Metadata and the World wide web." Introduction to metadata: pathways to digital information, Los Angeles, Calif.: Getty Information Institute: 9–18.
This article describes the process and decisions required to develop catalogs in order to manage collections. A catalog is a concise, well-structured description of the items within a collection. It points out that computers are well-suited for managing catalogs; in fact, storing and manipulating large collections and database management systems have been used to store every conceivable type of catalog, from mailing lists to stock inventories to museum collections to library holdings, since they were first developed. This type of data catalog stored by the computer as data, has come to be known as “metadata.”
Thesis
Sethia, M. L. and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dept. of Computer and Systems Engineering. (1984). Digitization of analog sources, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, May, 1984.: 198 p.
This document reports progress on Simply Instrumental and Optimal Digitization of Analog Information Sources. New techniques for encoding sources with and without memory are described in Section 1 and the papers, presentations, and theses supported by the research are listed in Section 2. Three new optimal coding methods, generalizing previous ones, have been discovered for stationary Gaussian sources and the squared-error distortion measure.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
The Timothy Leary Video Archive
The Timothy Leary Futique Trust in collaboration with The Internet Archive is releasing digitized video about the life of Timothy Leary. The collection is owned by the TLFT and is being released under a creative commons license. It is part of the TLFT's project to digitize all of Timothy Leary's archives and make it available on the Internet.
The Video site at The Internet Archive includes footage from interviews with Timothy Leary, a documentary about the film short titled “The Psychedelic Experience” (introduction by Timothy Leary) and other similar footage. There are some quite interesting bits in here if you're a fan of Tim or are interested in learning about his views.
The videos are browseable by keyword, but the hierarchical keyword feature is broken, so it's absolutely horrible to navigate. A search provides much better results as each video has multiple keywords assigned to it.
The goal of the project is clear, but very little information is given about how it is being accomplished or what their current status and funding level are. There is a blog which gives news of the status of the project as well as other commentary.
The Video site at The Internet Archive includes footage from interviews with Timothy Leary, a documentary about the film short titled “The Psychedelic Experience” (introduction by Timothy Leary) and other similar footage. There are some quite interesting bits in here if you're a fan of Tim or are interested in learning about his views.
The videos are browseable by keyword, but the hierarchical keyword feature is broken, so it's absolutely horrible to navigate. A search provides much better results as each video has multiple keywords assigned to it.
The goal of the project is clear, but very little information is given about how it is being accomplished or what their current status and funding level are. There is a blog which gives news of the status of the project as well as other commentary.
Lunar Orbiter Digitization Project
The site was funded by the NASA Planetary Geologic Mapping and Cartographic Working Group of the Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program. It is hosted by the United States Geological Service Astrogeology Research Program.
What was digitized / process:
Medium to high resolution photographs from the five Lunar Orbiter missions. Initially, each Lunar Orbiter took photographs of areas of the lunar surface, they were scanned onboard the Orbiter as a series of numbered frames and the analog image was transmitted to Earth and recreated on film. Hand mosaicked prints were created and widely distributed. This project digitizes the film strips using a CreoScitex Eversmart Pro II scanner and proprietary software outputting high resolution TIFF images, each of which is examined and rescanned if an improvement in quality can be made. Noise reduction, cosmetic cleanup, geometric rectification and mosaicking, and adding cartographic metadata are performed. Details are provided in publications at the bottom of the home page.
Navigation:
Primarily provided through the Status & Data Download Maps. Select one of the maps (North Polar Region, South Polar Region, Near Side, Far Side) to enlarge the image, then click on a specific area of interest.
Metadata:
Mission Number, Frame Number, Subframe (if applicable)
Audience:
Anyone needing cartographically accurate maps of the moon (NASA!).
It is a very compact site, being integrated into the rest of the USGS Astrogeology site. Navigation is straightforward once you realize you need to click on "Global Status & Download" then scroll down. The information is presented in an uninteresting manner that does not do justice to many of the images available. While the map interface is logical and easy to use, the overall site lacks ease of use.
What was digitized / process:
Medium to high resolution photographs from the five Lunar Orbiter missions. Initially, each Lunar Orbiter took photographs of areas of the lunar surface, they were scanned onboard the Orbiter as a series of numbered frames and the analog image was transmitted to Earth and recreated on film. Hand mosaicked prints were created and widely distributed. This project digitizes the film strips using a CreoScitex Eversmart Pro II scanner and proprietary software outputting high resolution TIFF images, each of which is examined and rescanned if an improvement in quality can be made. Noise reduction, cosmetic cleanup, geometric rectification and mosaicking, and adding cartographic metadata are performed. Details are provided in publications at the bottom of the home page.
Navigation:
Primarily provided through the Status & Data Download Maps. Select one of the maps (North Polar Region, South Polar Region, Near Side, Far Side) to enlarge the image, then click on a specific area of interest.
Metadata:
Mission Number, Frame Number, Subframe (if applicable)
Audience:
Anyone needing cartographically accurate maps of the moon (NASA!).
It is a very compact site, being integrated into the rest of the USGS Astrogeology site. Navigation is straightforward once you realize you need to click on "Global Status & Download" then scroll down. The information is presented in an uninteresting manner that does not do justice to many of the images available. While the map interface is logical and easy to use, the overall site lacks ease of use.
Lincoln/Net
Lincoln/Net was created by the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project at Northern Illinois University. According to its project overview, it was made in collaboration with the University of Chicago, the Newberry Library, the Chicago Historical Society, Illinoi State University, the Illinois State Archives, Lewis University and Knox College.
The collection consists primarily of historical materials (books, manuscripts, images, maps) relating to Abraham Lincoln's years in Illinois between 1830 – 1861 and supplemental resources from 1818 – 1829. There are also interpretive materials consisting of a biography and major historical themes to help guide users toward areas of interest. These themes include:
The primary source materials are made available for scholars who do not have the ability to travel to view the original material. Through the use of the site's interpretive materials and thematic categorization, Lincoln/Net is aimed at the general population and school children. Teachers will find a series of lesson plans they can use in class including audio and video recordings.
Through the "About this Site" link, you can get a list of staff, sponsors, overview, participating institutions, and news relevant to the project. Unfortunately, no information or papers regarding the selection, digitization, or other technical details are presented.
Metadata includes title, date and creator of work; source of the work; publication information; owning institution.
The site makes it clear (via a click-through page) that "certain portions of the materials" are copyrighted and are available for research, teaching and study only. Anything that does not fall under fair use, you must seek permission from the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project.
I like the way that the content is thematically categorized. It is an interesting way to make a wealth of information available to people of all walks of life without requiring them to know exactly what they are searching for (or resorting to a potentially fruitless random browsing session). When a document is presented, you immediately see the typed text and (often) have access to an image of the original document. The images are in jpeg format intended for web viewing with no facility to download higher resolution images. Overall, I'd say this is a great site that presents itself well with an easy to use interface.
The collection consists primarily of historical materials (books, manuscripts, images, maps) relating to Abraham Lincoln's years in Illinois between 1830 – 1861 and supplemental resources from 1818 – 1829. There are also interpretive materials consisting of a biography and major historical themes to help guide users toward areas of interest. These themes include:
- African American Experience and American Racial Attitudes
- Economic Development and Labor
- Frontier Settlement
- Law and Society
- Native American Relations
- Politics
- Religion and Culture
- Women's Experience and Gender Roles
The primary source materials are made available for scholars who do not have the ability to travel to view the original material. Through the use of the site's interpretive materials and thematic categorization, Lincoln/Net is aimed at the general population and school children. Teachers will find a series of lesson plans they can use in class including audio and video recordings.
Through the "About this Site" link, you can get a list of staff, sponsors, overview, participating institutions, and news relevant to the project. Unfortunately, no information or papers regarding the selection, digitization, or other technical details are presented.
Metadata includes title, date and creator of work; source of the work; publication information; owning institution.
The site makes it clear (via a click-through page) that "certain portions of the materials" are copyrighted and are available for research, teaching and study only. Anything that does not fall under fair use, you must seek permission from the Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project.
I like the way that the content is thematically categorized. It is an interesting way to make a wealth of information available to people of all walks of life without requiring them to know exactly what they are searching for (or resorting to a potentially fruitless random browsing session). When a document is presented, you immediately see the typed text and (often) have access to an image of the original document. The images are in jpeg format intended for web viewing with no facility to download higher resolution images. Overall, I'd say this is a great site that presents itself well with an easy to use interface.
The Cornell Daily Sun Keith R. Johnson '56 Digital Archive
A digital archive of the Cornell Daily Sun independently run student newspaper from the years 1880 to 2000 (currently, only material up to 1979 has been made available). The project is a collaboration between the Cornell University Library and the Cornell Daily Sun. It has been named in honor of Keith R. Johnson, former editor-in-chief of the Cornell Daily Sun and alumnus of Cornell University, after he made a gift funding the digitization of 50 years worth of the newspaper for the project.
The assumed audience for the project is persons interested in the history of Cornell University and commentary on events from the perspective of Cornell's undergraduate students.
There are very few details about the project, what is available can be found on the About page. The cost to digitize an academic year's worth of issues is $5,000 through the mid-70s and increases to $7,500 – 10,000 after that period due to the increase in size.
The archive has been indexed and can be full-text searched or you can browse the collection. Each page is presented as a PDF, therefore, no navigation directly from one page to another is possible (this is disappointing!). The interface is straightforward and unambiguous in its navigation. There is an advanced search link which allows you to search by full text, headline, or byline, with all or some words found in a given year (or all years). I would have liked to be able to enter a date range, to better focus my searches.
It is uncomplicated, and it (mostly) works, with the exception of the limitation in the advanced search feature. There is a beta of the next version of the site (see here) as well as a PDF presenting the new features (see here).
The new advanced search tool will allow a date range selection (hooray!), fuzzy search (helps with misspellings and OCR errors), content type limits (articles, advertisements, illustration captions), and other minor controls. Browsing in the beta site is atrocious. Rather than a simple drill-down menu as in the current site, the new site requires you to select a ten year date range, then a month within the year you want, then it presents a calendar with a link for each issue for the month on the calendar. One nice feature is the ability to download an entire day's newspaper in one PDF for easier browsing.
The assumed audience for the project is persons interested in the history of Cornell University and commentary on events from the perspective of Cornell's undergraduate students.
There are very few details about the project, what is available can be found on the About page. The cost to digitize an academic year's worth of issues is $5,000 through the mid-70s and increases to $7,500 – 10,000 after that period due to the increase in size.
The archive has been indexed and can be full-text searched or you can browse the collection. Each page is presented as a PDF, therefore, no navigation directly from one page to another is possible (this is disappointing!). The interface is straightforward and unambiguous in its navigation. There is an advanced search link which allows you to search by full text, headline, or byline, with all or some words found in a given year (or all years). I would have liked to be able to enter a date range, to better focus my searches.
It is uncomplicated, and it (mostly) works, with the exception of the limitation in the advanced search feature. There is a beta of the next version of the site (see here) as well as a PDF presenting the new features (see here).
The new advanced search tool will allow a date range selection (hooray!), fuzzy search (helps with misspellings and OCR errors), content type limits (articles, advertisements, illustration captions), and other minor controls. Browsing in the beta site is atrocious. Rather than a simple drill-down menu as in the current site, the new site requires you to select a ten year date range, then a month within the year you want, then it presents a calendar with a link for each issue for the month on the calendar. One nice feature is the ability to download an entire day's newspaper in one PDF for easier browsing.
Internet Library of Early Journals
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ilej/
Internet Library of Early Journals
Overview:
This was an eLib (Electronic Libraries Programme) Project by the Universities of Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Oxford. Its collection consists of 20+ consecutive years each of three 18th century and three 19th century journals. The goal of the project was to make the digitized images and bibliographic data available on the Internet.
Selection of the journals was based on the following criteria:
- covering a wide range of subjects
- UK higher education user demand
- typeface and print diversity
- article length, page format and page size
- containing both line art and half tone illustrations in addition to text
- availability of journal in consortium libraries
Audience:
The intended audience for the project is the United Kingdom higher education sector. Through survey data collected, the audience consisted of persons with research and teaching interests in 18th and 19th century language and literature, history, genealogy, and sociology. The nationality of registered users was roughly 49% UK, 33% USA, 5% Europe, and the remainder were listed as Other.
Background information available:
There is a final report available on the project website which discusses the methods used to scan and process the journals, creating indexes via OCR, metadata format, computer hardware, workflow, user evaluation/surveying, costs and maintaining access.
Thoughts:
Navigating the digital content is fairly limited. Two of the journals can be searched via Full text, Title, or Author; three of the journals can only be searched by subject; one journal (The Builder) cannot be searched at all. Search is only available within each journal separately. Browsing is accomplished by drilling down through a menu to a specific page of a specific volume of a specific journal. Navigation buttons appear at the top and bottom of the webpage that allow you to zoom in, view the previous page or next page in the volume, and to return to the main webpage. It would be helpful if additional information were presented in the drilldown menu, such as subject, author and title where applicable. This is somewhere that social tagging would be helpful in adding value to the project.
Inside Teaching: A Living Archive of Practice
"At the heart of Inside Teaching is the challenge to capture the wisdom of practice."This digital archive is jointly funded by the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund and by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The collection is geared toward practicing K-12 teachers. It contains videos of class discussions, sample lesson plans, teacher reflections and work produced by students of varying age groups, in varying subjects.
It has a unique discovery system that allows for browsing by grade level and subject matter of interest. A grid of thumbnail images comprises the body of the homepage. Each image depicts the subject of the class it links to.
When the user ticks their choice of grade level, subject matter or teacher name from an interface on the right...
...the grid responds by highlighting case studies that fit the chosen criteria and graying out those that do not.
When the user hovers over an active link, the name of the case study appears above the grid. I found this discovery interface easy to use and visually compelling. It also makes excellent use the collection's limited, but well-selected metadata.
In a section called "Workspace" the site encourages educators to create their own "records of practice" using the "KEEP Toolkit" which helps users build a webpage with multimedia content. The "Reading Room" presents educators with links to books, papers and websites by site contributors.
My one crtiticism is that the case studies are presented in a number of different formats with slightly different content. It would be easier to comprehend if they had uniform layouts, headings and color schemes.
This archive presents useful content in a very usable, compelling way. I would definitely recommend it to any aspiring or current K-12 educator as tool to learn from the experience of others teachers and contribute what their own experience has taught them.
Digital Storytelling Multimedia Archive
"Digital stories have proven to be a powerful medium for students to represent a theoretically-informed understanding of texts and contexts in a form other than “traditional” writing."The Digital Storytelling Multimedia Archive presents the findings of a study performed by Michael Coventry of Georgetown University and Matthias Oppermann of Humboldt University in Berlin. The two researchers conducted a five-year survey across several college campuses. The resulting archive is geared toward academic researchers and educators.
They studied how assigning students to create multimedia presentations on coursework (as opposed tradition paper-writing assignments) affects their learning. The results of the study prove overwhelmingly that through digital storytelling students become much more engaged with course matieral, are able to develop an academic voice and connect theory to its real-world application.
This remarkable study relied on recorded interviews with students to establish these findings. It is these interviews that comprise the bulk of this archive. You can browse the student interviews by interviewee name and also veiw a few of them under the findings their content support. There are also three sample student projects that are available on the homepage.
All these videos are available for streaming only via embeded Flowplayer multimedia players which is a Flash application. This technology works well in this context. Videos load quickly and are of a high quality. I would recommend it.
I found this archive to be ultimately disappointing. The researchers' findings and the interviews themselves quite interesting, but the sole intention of the site's authors was to support the findings of their study. There is no provision in the design for future growth. I see much more potential, here.
There are only three sample videos of student projects. I see a whole archive of these videos growing by the semester via an online submission tool. As it is, the archive is a completely static collection with a very narrow scope.
The discovery process reveals scarce metadata restricted to the name of the interviewee and the number of the interview. No subject taxonomy, tagging, searching or grouping of any kind (expect a few, 6 to be exact, by finding). This makes the collection seem very one dimensional when, in reality, it has very dynamic and interesting content.
This archive is worth checking out once, but unfortunately there is nothing to keep users coming back as content is static. With this fact, in addition to its sub-par discovery tools, I give this collection low marks.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Landscape Change Program
URL
http://www.uvm.edu/landscape/menu.php
(I’ve already submitted six blog postings, but this is one I just learned about today. It has interesting features I wanted to let people know about.)
Organization Name
University of Vermont, Geology Department
Description and Audience
"The Landscape Change Program is an on-line archive of historic landscape imagery. The thousands of images in the archive provide an interdisciplinary look at the past and present of the Vermont landscape."
"Our MISSION is to preserve and present images of Vermont landscapes as they were and as they are. Vermonters use the site to see their history. Geologists use the site to see the impact of storms and logging. Historical societies and museums use the site to make their collections available to anyone, anywhere, anytime."
"Currently, there are 22,984 images in the archive, created between the years 1690 and 2009."
Project Background
The site's "About the Landscape Change Program" section contained information about the history of the project, including the evolution of the web site, the staff involved in its development, and the organizations and people who contributed images.
How Are the Digital Assets Presented?
The collection is accessible in various ways, and the site offers a helpful "Search" page (http://www.uvm.edu/landscape/search/) which contains several options. I appreciated the options offered under its "Welcome" section on the search page:
"Overwhelmed? You might start by looking at ...
* ... all 22,984 images in the archive.
* ... the images added most recently (100 images).
* ... the images viewed most frequently (100 images).
* ... mystery images - we don't know the town (help us!)"
The search page also offered a Sample image from the collection, and Advance Search and Quick Search options.
After selecting All, I was intrigued with the options that became available with the resulting set. Those options were: Distribution, Image Details, List, and Thumbnails. Each of those options offered other options. Even with all these options, I never felt lost or overwhelmed.
Metadata
Once you select an image, the following metadata was associated with the image:
Title, Town, County, Date, Description, Filename, Size, Original Filename, Keywords, Source, Photographer, Submitted By, Submitted On (date), and Original Media.
The metadata changed a little for various images and also sometimes included other pieces of information such as
Scanning/Digitization/Creation Notes: Canon LIDE60, G4 Powerbook
Image Scanned By: Paul Bierman
Relative Dating Rationale: Date on magazine cover
The site also included a page covering "Copyright Issues".
What I Found Intriguing
There were several things that caught my attention with this site.
First, was its invitation with the public to share its photos with the collection, ranging from invitations to the individual to museums and historical societies.
"Historical societies and museums use the site to make their collections available to anyone, anywhere, anytime."
They also encouraged people to submit current photos:
"Townspeople can also help by taking current photos that match historic ones for which we don’t yet have a pair, or by commenting online, adding information about photos that we already have."
The second was the variety of options offered in finding an image.
The third were the options that were associated with each image, such as:
"Submit a Reshot Image". This would be to submit a current photo of the topic covered in the image already in the collection.
"See Slide image"
"Zoomify"
"Add to Album"
"Comment on image"
"Send e-postcard"
Potential Deficiency
The only thing I could foresee as a problem would be the lack of authority control. I didn't try submitting an image, so I'm not sure how immediately the image is uploaded, or if the submission and its metadata is reviewed before posting. But, this is a criticism similar to the ones used against Wikipedia, and yet it is a popular and effective resource.
http://www.uvm.edu/landscape/menu.php
(I’ve already submitted six blog postings, but this is one I just learned about today. It has interesting features I wanted to let people know about.)
Organization Name
University of Vermont, Geology Department
Description and Audience
"The Landscape Change Program is an on-line archive of historic landscape imagery. The thousands of images in the archive provide an interdisciplinary look at the past and present of the Vermont landscape."
"Our MISSION is to preserve and present images of Vermont landscapes as they were and as they are. Vermonters use the site to see their history. Geologists use the site to see the impact of storms and logging. Historical societies and museums use the site to make their collections available to anyone, anywhere, anytime."
"Currently, there are 22,984 images in the archive, created between the years 1690 and 2009."
Project Background
The site's "About the Landscape Change Program" section contained information about the history of the project, including the evolution of the web site, the staff involved in its development, and the organizations and people who contributed images.
How Are the Digital Assets Presented?
The collection is accessible in various ways, and the site offers a helpful "Search" page (http://www.uvm.edu/landscape/search/) which contains several options. I appreciated the options offered under its "Welcome" section on the search page:
"Overwhelmed? You might start by looking at ...
* ... all 22,984 images in the archive.
* ... the images added most recently (100 images).
* ... the images viewed most frequently (100 images).
* ... mystery images - we don't know the town (help us!)"
The search page also offered a Sample image from the collection, and Advance Search and Quick Search options.
After selecting All, I was intrigued with the options that became available with the resulting set. Those options were: Distribution, Image Details, List, and Thumbnails. Each of those options offered other options. Even with all these options, I never felt lost or overwhelmed.
Metadata
Once you select an image, the following metadata was associated with the image:
Title, Town, County, Date, Description, Filename, Size, Original Filename, Keywords, Source, Photographer, Submitted By, Submitted On (date), and Original Media.
The metadata changed a little for various images and also sometimes included other pieces of information such as
Scanning/Digitization/Creation Notes: Canon LIDE60, G4 Powerbook
Image Scanned By: Paul Bierman
Relative Dating Rationale: Date on magazine cover
The site also included a page covering "Copyright Issues".
What I Found Intriguing
There were several things that caught my attention with this site.
First, was its invitation with the public to share its photos with the collection, ranging from invitations to the individual to museums and historical societies.
"Historical societies and museums use the site to make their collections available to anyone, anywhere, anytime."
They also encouraged people to submit current photos:
"Townspeople can also help by taking current photos that match historic ones for which we don’t yet have a pair, or by commenting online, adding information about photos that we already have."
The second was the variety of options offered in finding an image.
The third were the options that were associated with each image, such as:
"Submit a Reshot Image". This would be to submit a current photo of the topic covered in the image already in the collection.
"See Slide image"
"Zoomify"
"Add to Album"
"Comment on image"
"Send e-postcard"
Potential Deficiency
The only thing I could foresee as a problem would be the lack of authority control. I didn't try submitting an image, so I'm not sure how immediately the image is uploaded, or if the submission and its metadata is reviewed before posting. But, this is a criticism similar to the ones used against Wikipedia, and yet it is a popular and effective resource.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Free Muisc Archive
"...the FMA provides a legal and technological framework for curators, artists, and listeners to harness the potential of music sharing."
The Free Music Archive was recently launched by my favorite listener-supported free-form radio station, WFMU out of Jersey City, NJ. The project also has the help of several content curators from KEXP in Seattle, dublab, and the ISSUE Project Room among others.
It is a archive of mp3 audio files that are completely free and legal to download or stream. According to their Terms of Use all site content is licensed under a "Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share-alike 3.0" license. They market the site to podcasters, DJs, remixers and radio stations who are looking for a quality source of free music that can be rebroadcast without fear of violating an artist's or record label's copyright (or paying royalties).
WFMU DJs have compiled 2 volumes of FMA samplers to get people started, but once you register as a listener you can make your own mixes, as well as post and comment on the site's blogs and befriend other listeners.
To discover new music, the user is encouraged to explore the collection by genre and sub-genre using these nice big color block buttons.
Each curator also has a page with their most recent additions, picks of the week and highlighted collections. Users can search by keyword and limit by Artist, Curator, when the track was added to the archive and also, most interestingly, by license type.
This archive is a bold undertaking. Their model utilizes mature and proven social networking technologies to grow the archive into the future and attract & retain new listeners. I think it has a lot of promise and will be worth keeping an eye on.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Alabama Postcard Collection
Overview
The Alabama Postcard Collection is part of the Auburn University Digital Library and consists of digitized images of items available in the Auburn University Special Collections and Archives Department. The collection contains digital images of over 300 postcards depicting scenes in Alabama cities and towns during the early 20th century. Although the target audience is not explicitly stated, the site appears to be targeted toward the Auburn University community, as well as the general public.
Searchability, and Metadata
Although the digital library originally used Greenstone Digital Library Software, the postcard collection currently uses CONTENTdm as its data management system. As such, the search features for the collection are what one would expect from CONTENTdm: users can run proximity and date searches as well as enter keyword queries. In addition, the system allows users to search in a specified metadata field (e.g. title, subject, creator, format, etc).
Users can also browse the 311 items in the collection, viewing a thumbnail, title, LC subject headings, and brief description for each entry. Most of the metadata associated with each image is linked, allowing for further browsing. For example, a user can click on the "place" of one postcard to view other items associated with this location (e.g. Mobile, Al.).
While the metadata for each item does increase access, it seems unnecessary for some of the fields to be "linked." For instance, the "original item id" is linked for each item, however, this number is associated with only one specific item in the collection - clicking the link does not yield any additional results.
The creators of the collection assigned a variety of subject headings including LC Subject Headings, LC TGM Headings, and AAT Headings giving users a variety of subject-based access points.
Copyright
Rights management information is provided for each item in the collection. In addition to explaining restrictions, the "Rights" field of the record provides contact information for further details.
Digital representation
The digital representations available through the digital library are of the image side of each postcard. Users are able to use the standard CONTENTdm tools to manipulate and save the available images for further viewing. While I was initially surprised that the backs of the postcards were not also available (I'm use to online shopping sites that allow you to view multiple angles of an object), after considering the fact I realized that this was not necessary to the project - the project is intended to provide access to scenes depicting "buildings, natural settings, events," etc, not information on the individual associated with each postcard.
Discussion
The Alabama Postcard Collection was what I would expect from a CONTENTdm digital library - high searchability, linked metadata, etc. Given the content of the collection, I do think that increased browsability would be beneficial. For instance, users might wish to browse postcards by geographic location, historical events, etc. While this is possible through the subject search or once viewing an image, the system requires users to be specific (e.g. Mobile, Al.). I think some users might be interested in browsing postcards a little more broadly, such as all postcards from the Northwest portion of the state.
While having only the "front" of each postcard available for viewing makes sense with regards to the purpose of the project, I do think digitizing the "back" of the postcards would add an interesting component to the collection. In viewing items I had to fight the urge to turn the postcard over to see what was on the other side. Unfortunately, adding such details would lead to complicated copyright considerations. Yet, the personal reflections on the back of each postcard would certainly add to the collection.
*****
References
Greenstone Digital Library Software. (n.d.). Examples: Greenstone Digital Library Software. Retrieved April 14, 2008, from Greenstone Digital Library Software's Web site: http://www.greenstone.org/examples
Alcohol, Temperance & Prohibition
Alcohol, Temperance & Prohibition Digital Collection at Brown University
http://dl.lib.brown.edu/temperance/
Overview
Brown University has been collecting broadsides, sheet music, pamphlets and government publications concerning alcohol, temperance and prohibition for more than 300 years! The collection provides researchers and interested users a view of how America, the media and artists viewed alcohol and its use since the 1832.
Intended Audience
Brown University Center for Digital Initiatives states that the purpose of the Alcohol, temperance & Prohibition Collection is "to give researchers and interested indiviuals a glimpse into the rich and diverse resources at Brown's library" (Ab0ut this collection). Although it is true that the collection reflects a diversity of resources at Brown University, it seems that scholars and researchers would appreciate this glimpse into American life and American values throughout the past 300 years.
About the Collection
There are 1655 items in the Alcohol, Temperance & Prohibition Digital Collection. The collection ranges from one page documents to 20-page booklets. The items can be viewed as thumbnails, full size, cataloging description, and the metadata information.
Searching the Collection
The collection can also be searched through a basic and advanced search as well as through a browse function. The basic search function searches by keyword and uses Boolean strategies. The advanced search searches using keyword, Boolean strategies, and limiters such as field and date. The browse function searches by creators, publisher and titles. One can also select to browse all records. There is not a method to sort the results, they are sorted alphabetically by title, and there are times when sorting by date or creator would be the preferred sort.
Metadata
The metadata can be viewed by selecting the view document map option and then choosing the metadata. The metadata uses Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS) formats.
Copyright
All of the items in the Alcohol, Temperance & Prohibition digital collection are in the public domain and therefore, there are no copyright concerns.
Conclusion
This digital collection offers an interesting look at a slice of American life since the 1800s. Alcohol and legal issues surrounding its use are still part of our American discourse which helps to make this collection very interesting.
http://dl.lib.brown.edu/temperance/
Overview
Brown University has been collecting broadsides, sheet music, pamphlets and government publications concerning alcohol, temperance and prohibition for more than 300 years! The collection provides researchers and interested users a view of how America, the media and artists viewed alcohol and its use since the 1832.
Intended Audience
Brown University Center for Digital Initiatives states that the purpose of the Alcohol, temperance & Prohibition Collection is "to give researchers and interested indiviuals a glimpse into the rich and diverse resources at Brown's library" (Ab0ut this collection). Although it is true that the collection reflects a diversity of resources at Brown University, it seems that scholars and researchers would appreciate this glimpse into American life and American values throughout the past 300 years.
About the Collection
There are 1655 items in the Alcohol, Temperance & Prohibition Digital Collection. The collection ranges from one page documents to 20-page booklets. The items can be viewed as thumbnails, full size, cataloging description, and the metadata information.
Searching the Collection
The collection can also be searched through a basic and advanced search as well as through a browse function. The basic search function searches by keyword and uses Boolean strategies. The advanced search searches using keyword, Boolean strategies, and limiters such as field and date. The browse function searches by creators, publisher and titles. One can also select to browse all records. There is not a method to sort the results, they are sorted alphabetically by title, and there are times when sorting by date or creator would be the preferred sort.
Metadata
The metadata can be viewed by selecting the view document map option and then choosing the metadata. The metadata uses Encoded Archival Description (EAD) and Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS) formats.
Copyright
All of the items in the Alcohol, Temperance & Prohibition digital collection are in the public domain and therefore, there are no copyright concerns.
Conclusion
This digital collection offers an interesting look at a slice of American life since the 1800s. Alcohol and legal issues surrounding its use are still part of our American discourse which helps to make this collection very interesting.
Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative
Overview
The Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative (CDLI) is a joint project between the University of California at Los Angeles and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. According to their website, CDLI "represents the efforts of an international group of Assyriologists, museum curators and historians of science to make available through the internet the form and content of cuneiform tablets dating from the beginning of writing, ca. 3350 BC, until the end of the pre-Christian era." At the present, CDLI provides access to 15 collections from throughout the world including the Hermitage (St. Petersburg, Russia), the Iraq Museum, the Catholic Institute of Paris, the Musées royaux d’Art et d’Histoire (Brussels, Belgium), and the New York Public Library.
Currently, CDLI has almost 225,000 items digitally cataloged of the 500,000+ existing items within the collection scope. When the project began in 2000, the focus was primarily on cuneiform from the late 4th and the entire 3rd millenium BCE - "the least understood archives of ancient cuneiform." The information provided through CDLI was meant to appeal to cuneiform scholars and museum personnel working with cuneiform tablets. However, as the project continued to grow, its target audience expanded. The site states that "CDLI continues to implement scalable access systems for a wide array of users, including researchers, museum staff, internet users, and even law enforcement officials."
Searchability and Metadata
Users of the digital collection have several search options. First, visitors can browse an individual library's collection. These collections are often sorted in various ways such as by museum number, publication, period, text genre, or provenience.
The primary search function is provided through CDLI's main website and searches all of the participating collections. The basic search feature has a variety of search options which makes the "basic" search appear somewhat overwhelming.
Within the basic search users can search by primary publication, author, date, museum number, excavation number, alternate publication, provenience, genre, period, collection, dates referenced, and CDLI number. Additionally, the interface contains a keyword function. Each of these fields corresponds to a metadata field in the item record. Although the records contain additional fields of metadata such as measurements and subgenres, it is unlikely that these fields would add much value to the search feature. Unfortunately, none of the metadata is linked so users cannot browse the collection through selected fields.
The advanced search feature adds even more options, each falling under one of six main headings: publication, physical information, collection information, text content, provenience, and chronology.
While the site provides a variety of search features, most are geared toward scholars already familiar with the field. A novice user wishing to learn more about cuneiform through the digital collections would be best served by using the browse function for individual collections.
Copyright
Each item is linked to the site's copyright statement along with the appropriate contact information should an individual require more details. According to the statement, images are intended for "personal, non-profit use of students, scholars, and the public" - the collection's target audience.
Line art
Some images in the collection also contain a link to "line art." Since cuneiform is a form of written expression, the tablets contain symbols; however, these symbols are not always clear in the digital image. Therefore, images are linked to "line art," where the markings on each tablet are reproduced by hand for scholars to study more closely.
Standards
CDLI has established standard conventions for digitization to ensure uniformity throughout the project. According to their website, "Data formats, including Extensible Markup Language (XML) text descriptions, with vector-based image specifications of computer-assisted tablet copies, will be chosen to insure high conformance with ongoing digital library projects." In remaining closely linked to standard digital library practices, CDLI will be able to develop alongside other digital library sites as new technologies and processes emerge.
Discussion
CDLI is an interesting digital library project in that it encompasses collections from 15 distinct institutions. Although the site claims to be for a rather broad audience, I found the search features and site language to be geared more toward individuals already familiar with the field. Novices could certainly browse through individual collections, but the site search functions appear to be more for scholars.
I did think it was interesting that "law enforcement officials" were listed as part of the target audience - presumably this refers to those in the field of antiquities theft. This is an interesting application of a digital initiative that may be worth considering in the future.
*****
References
Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative. (n.d.). About CDLI. Retrieved April 14, 2008, from the Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative's Web site: http://cdli.ucla.edu/about_cdli.html
UNT Libraries Miniature Book Collection
Overview
The Miniature Book Collection is part of the University of North Texas Libraries Digital Collections. The miniature book collection at UNT is housed in the Rare Book and Texana Collections and "grew out of a collection of children's books that were donated in the 1930's." While the physical collection consists of nearly 3,000 items, the digital collection contains 150 digital surrogates. According to the collection's website, a miniature book can be "no taller than 4" (10 mm)." Because the collection is formed based on size rather than content, the miniature book collection contains a variety of materials. However, the site states that collection strengths include: 20th century Hungarian miniatures, 19th century children's Sunday school literature, Somesuch Press publications, and REM miniatures, among others.
Although the website does not explicitly state a target audience, it is most likely meant for the general public since the site is freely available online. According to the library's website, the physical miniature book collection is "one of the most popular collections with visitors," suggesting that the collection has appeal to academic researchers and casual visitors alike.
Searchability
As with many digital libraries, users may use basic or advanced search features. The basic search feature uses a keyword format that can search the full text, metadata, title, subject, or creator. The advanced search enables users to place limits on searches such as language, type, and date, although the "type" limit is not useful in this instance since all 150 digital surrogates are classified as "text."
Metadata
The initial record for an item includes a variety of metadata including creator, publisher, creation date, description, notes, subject(s), language, and rights management information. Unfortunately, most of these fields are not searchable, rather are searched as part of the whole record. In the instance of this collection, one of the most important pieces of metadata is the physical description because the item's size is what has earned it the "miniature" designation. While users can browse by some fields (e.g. Subject(s)), it would be interesting if several more fields were linked for browsing, such as the size stated in the "physical description" field.
Digital representation
After viewing the item record, users can click to view the digitized object. In most instances, both the front and back cover of the books have been digitized, providing a more complete representation. While it would be nice to see "inside" some of the books, this would be difficult given the size of the material - the digitization process would undoubtedly be difficult. Because in this instance "size matters," each digital image shows the item next to a ruler so that researchers can better appreciate the scale - digital representations often lead to a loss of perspective so clearly showing the small size of each item is important.
Copyright/Rights management
Some of the items in the collection contain specific rights management information, such as "Copyright held by Robert E. Massmann. Material may not be reproduced without permission," while others list no rights management information. Other than this, no clear copyright statement is listed on the website, leaving users to assume that images are subject to all copyright restrictions.
Comment option
Users are given the option "Comment on this entry" for each item in the digital collection. These comments appear to be emailed to the site administrator as part of a "feedback" system. This enables users to provide personal reflections or additional information on individual pieces, while allowing the site administrator to monitor the comments coming through. Although a more "open forum" for comments would significantly increase a user's ability to interact with the image and other users, this method does allow for a limited level of interactivity.
Conclusion
By digitizing its miniature book collection, UNT Library has been able to increase access to one of its more popular collections. One of the best features of the collection is that each item is placed in perspective by being photographed alongside a measuring device. While I would like to see more browsability through linked metadata, the collection does allow a fair level of searchability. Overall I found the miniature book collection to be an asset to UNT's Library as it provides access to a unique and interesting collection.
*****
References
Hoyenski, E. (2008, July 28). Miniature book collection. Retrieved April 14, 2009, from University of North Texas Libraries Web site: http://www.library.unt.edu/rarebooks/about-the-collections/miniatures/
Monday, April 13, 2009
Barbara McClintock Collection
Barbara Mc Clintock
In 1983, Barbara Mc Clintock won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or medicine for her "jumping gene" research. She worked at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory from 1941 until her death in 1992. I had the honor of meeting Barbara Mc Clintock several times while living on Long Island. We once even discussed recipes using the chestnuts that she was collecting. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has converted some of her personal letters and photographs into a digital collection:
http://archives.cshl.edu/R/G11HD6DVHED4PB8S33D79MFAE6EKISNU5J9DQGAPYUVTMY1ERD-00695?func=collections&collection_id=1002
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory received a grant from the Josiah Macy Foundation in 2005 to digitize several collections including photographs, personal papers, symposia proceedings and oral memories of the scientists who have worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The lab, which is located in Long Island has been a cutting-edge scientific community since 1904. Eight Nobel laureates have worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reports that the digitization project has two goals: preservation and access. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory acknowledges that although digitization does not preserve the original document, it does preserve the "informational value" and reduce the handling of the original works which will help to preserve the original documents. By posting the digital copies, access will be universal. The intended audience of the digital collection is scholarly; researchers interested in the history of science or the history of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Copyright Concerns
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has permission to post the documents to the digital collection. However, many of the documents are still protected by copyright and cannot be used for commercial purposes. Researchers planning on using items from the digital collection should check the cataloging information to check the status of the copyright. If the item is still protected by copyright, the user must contact the copyright holder to use the item.
Search Strategies
The digital collection allows for simple and advanced searching. The simple search searches for keywords or phrases, utilizing Boolean and truncation strategies. The advanced search searches through different fields and through specific XML tags.
Metadata
The researcher can view the metadata records of the documents that have been digitized within the collection, unless the record was created prior to this 2005 digitization initiative.
The Mc Clintock Collection
This collection covers her research from 1923 -1992. The collection includes photographs, correspondence, reprints and slides of her work.
Correspondence Collection
There are 23 letters which are with or about Barbara Mc Clintock. Among the interesting letters is a letter from Vannevar Bush regarding the 1942 budget for the Department of Genetics with an enclosed budget for Barbara Mc Clintock. Some of the letters reflect the life of a Nobel-prize winning scientist who was also a woman. This was my experience in the few times that I met Barbara Mc Clintock -- although a brilliant and dedicated scientist, she was also a woman who enjoyed baking and making small talk.
Viewing the Collection
The collection can be viewed through a brief view, table view or full view. The brief view includes icons with descriptive information, the table view is a listing of the item with descriptive information and the full view provides an icon of the item with detailed descriptors.
Photograph Collection
There are 467 photos included in this collection. The photos can be sorted by title, creator, subject, date, collection, identifier and ranking. The photos can also be viewed by brief, table or full view. Each view contains descriptive information including a title, date, and the subject. The photos included in the collection span from a photo of a canoe in 1923 Panama to other Nobel Laureates celebrating her 90th birthday. The photographs tend to be snapshots taken by amateur photographers and the quality is not great. The photos also do not seem to tell a story about the scientist, Barbara Mc Clintock, but they may tell a story about the person. Most of the pictures do not seem meaningful unless one were researching Barbara Mc Clintock or had met her and was interested in the private person.
The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory digital collection had collections other than the Barbara Mc Clintock collection, and they may have contained better resources, but I was disappointed in the documents chosen for the Mc Clintock collection. This collection did not further the goal of preservation and access of documents with informational value as Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reported as the goal of the digitization project.
In 1983, Barbara Mc Clintock won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or medicine for her "jumping gene" research. She worked at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory from 1941 until her death in 1992. I had the honor of meeting Barbara Mc Clintock several times while living on Long Island. We once even discussed recipes using the chestnuts that she was collecting. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has converted some of her personal letters and photographs into a digital collection:
http://archives.cshl.edu/R/G11HD6DVHED4PB8S33D79MFAE6EKISNU5J9DQGAPYUVTMY1ERD-00695?func=collections&collection_id=1002
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory received a grant from the Josiah Macy Foundation in 2005 to digitize several collections including photographs, personal papers, symposia proceedings and oral memories of the scientists who have worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The lab, which is located in Long Island has been a cutting-edge scientific community since 1904. Eight Nobel laureates have worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reports that the digitization project has two goals: preservation and access. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory acknowledges that although digitization does not preserve the original document, it does preserve the "informational value" and reduce the handling of the original works which will help to preserve the original documents. By posting the digital copies, access will be universal. The intended audience of the digital collection is scholarly; researchers interested in the history of science or the history of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Copyright Concerns
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has permission to post the documents to the digital collection. However, many of the documents are still protected by copyright and cannot be used for commercial purposes. Researchers planning on using items from the digital collection should check the cataloging information to check the status of the copyright. If the item is still protected by copyright, the user must contact the copyright holder to use the item.
Search Strategies
The digital collection allows for simple and advanced searching. The simple search searches for keywords or phrases, utilizing Boolean and truncation strategies. The advanced search searches through different fields and through specific XML tags.
Metadata
The researcher can view the metadata records of the documents that have been digitized within the collection, unless the record was created prior to this 2005 digitization initiative.
The Mc Clintock Collection
This collection covers her research from 1923 -1992. The collection includes photographs, correspondence, reprints and slides of her work.
Correspondence Collection
There are 23 letters which are with or about Barbara Mc Clintock. Among the interesting letters is a letter from Vannevar Bush regarding the 1942 budget for the Department of Genetics with an enclosed budget for Barbara Mc Clintock. Some of the letters reflect the life of a Nobel-prize winning scientist who was also a woman. This was my experience in the few times that I met Barbara Mc Clintock -- although a brilliant and dedicated scientist, she was also a woman who enjoyed baking and making small talk.
Viewing the Collection
The collection can be viewed through a brief view, table view or full view. The brief view includes icons with descriptive information, the table view is a listing of the item with descriptive information and the full view provides an icon of the item with detailed descriptors.
Photograph Collection
There are 467 photos included in this collection. The photos can be sorted by title, creator, subject, date, collection, identifier and ranking. The photos can also be viewed by brief, table or full view. Each view contains descriptive information including a title, date, and the subject. The photos included in the collection span from a photo of a canoe in 1923 Panama to other Nobel Laureates celebrating her 90th birthday. The photographs tend to be snapshots taken by amateur photographers and the quality is not great. The photos also do not seem to tell a story about the scientist, Barbara Mc Clintock, but they may tell a story about the person. Most of the pictures do not seem meaningful unless one were researching Barbara Mc Clintock or had met her and was interested in the private person.
The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory digital collection had collections other than the Barbara Mc Clintock collection, and they may have contained better resources, but I was disappointed in the documents chosen for the Mc Clintock collection. This collection did not further the goal of preservation and access of documents with informational value as Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory reported as the goal of the digitization project.
