A Chicken or An Egg? A Chicken or An Egg? Planning Your Digital Planning Your Digital

ProjectProject

Presentation to the Saskatchewan Libraries Presentation to the Saskatchewan Libraries ConferenceConference

Digitization 101 Pre-Conference WorkshopDigitization 101 Pre-Conference WorkshopMay 3, 2007May 3, 2007

By By

Carol HixsonCarol HixsonUniversity LibrarianUniversity LibrarianUniversity of ReginaUniversity of Regina

https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/dspace/handle/1794/https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/dspace/handle/1794/

Why, What, Who, How, Why, What, Who, How, WhenWhen

Why do you want to build a digital collection?Why do you want to build a digital collection? What do you have to digitize and how do you What do you have to digitize and how do you

select what to digitize?select what to digitize? What are the challenges?What are the challenges? Who will be involved?Who will be involved? How do you plan?How do you plan? How will you implement and manage? How will you implement and manage? How will you evaluate?How will you evaluate? When will you be done?When will you be done?

Why Build Digital Why Build Digital Collections?Collections?

Because everyone else is?Because everyone else is?

No!No!

Why Build Digital Why Build Digital Collections?Collections?

To provide access to and awareness of materials To provide access to and awareness of materials To broaden access to physically fragile materialsTo broaden access to physically fragile materials To preserve some at risk materialsTo preserve some at risk materials To strengthen and build partnerships To strengthen and build partnerships To expand support for instructional programsTo expand support for instructional programs To explore new delivery mechanisms for contentTo explore new delivery mechanisms for content To help shape the digital landscapeTo help shape the digital landscape To respond to user demandTo respond to user demand

What to SelectWhat to Select

Digitization projects based on federally held Digitization projects based on federally held collections and information holdings and collections and information holdings and supported by dedicated funding should:supported by dedicated funding should: support lifelong education and learning support lifelong education and learning reinforce a shared national consciousness and reinforce a shared national consciousness and

informed citizenship informed citizenship be linked to economic growth and job creationbe linked to economic growth and job creation

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/8/3/r3-409-e.htmlhttp://www.collectionscanada.ca/8/3/r3-409-e.html

What to SelectWhat to Select

Decisions to select materials for digitization Decisions to select materials for digitization should also be based on a business-like should also be based on a business-like approach that:approach that: identifies target user populations identifies target user populations understands the needs and expectations of the understands the needs and expectations of the

users users identifies measurable deliverables that will identifies measurable deliverables that will

demonstrate benefits demonstrate benefits includes a promotion/marketing plan includes a promotion/marketing plan provides itemized costing provides itemized costing takes into account the work necessary for obtaining takes into account the work necessary for obtaining

copyright clearance for the material to be digitized copyright clearance for the material to be digitized

What to SelectWhat to Select

Meet your institution’s broad Meet your institution’s broad collection development criteriacollection development criteria

Visual impactVisual impact Historical significanceHistorical significance Illustration of a particular themeIllustration of a particular theme Meet needs of special user groupMeet needs of special user group

What to SelectWhat to Select

Copyright: The Place to BeginCopyright: The Place to Begin Intellectual Nature of the Source Intellectual Nature of the Source

MaterialsMaterials Current and Potential UsersCurrent and Potential Users Actual and Anticipated Nature of UseActual and Anticipated Nature of Use Format and Nature of the Digital ProductFormat and Nature of the Digital Product Describing, Delivering, and Retaining Describing, Delivering, and Retaining

the Digital Productthe Digital Product Relationships to Other Digital EffortsRelationships to Other Digital Efforts Costs and BenefitsCosts and Benefits

http://www.dpconline.org/docs/http://www.dpconline.org/docs/handbook/DecTree.pdfhandbook/DecTree.pdf

What Are the Challenges?What Are the Challenges?

Public interface – Web designPublic interface – Web design Context for collectionsContext for collections Building multiple collections Building multiple collections

simultaneouslysimultaneously Technical issuesTechnical issues CostsCosts CopyrightCopyright Training staffTraining staff

Technical issuesTechnical issues Technical expertiseTechnical expertise Hardware and software Hardware and software Metadata supportMetadata support Interoperability Interoperability User interfaceUser interface Digital preservationDigital preservation

Technical expertiseTechnical expertise

Knowledge of operating systems Knowledge of operating systems and serversand servers

Knowledge of database structureKnowledge of database structure Ability to troubleshootAbility to troubleshoot Knowledge of standardsKnowledge of standards

Hardware and softwareHardware and software Open sourceOpen source Purchased or licensedPurchased or licensed Locally mounted or hosted Locally mounted or hosted

externallyexternally Adequate space and Adequate space and

infrastructureinfrastructure Robust backup mechanismsRobust backup mechanisms

Software requirementsSoftware requirements

Accept variety of digital formatsAccept variety of digital formats Allow for submission of digital Allow for submission of digital

objects, item-by-item or batch objects, item-by-item or batch loadingloading

Customizable user interfaceCustomizable user interface ModularModular Flexible system administrationFlexible system administration Granular authorizationsGranular authorizations

Software requirementsSoftware requirements

Underlying mapping to Underlying mapping to standards-based metadatastandards-based metadata

Support controlled vocabulariesSupport controlled vocabularies Flexible metadata capture, edit, Flexible metadata capture, edit,

and displayand display Global change capabilitiesGlobal change capabilities Statistics and reportsStatistics and reports

Digital preservationDigital preservation

Digital preservation is essentially about Digital preservation is essentially about preserving access over time. This makes preserving access over time. This makes it virtually impossible neatly to segregate it virtually impossible neatly to segregate costs which are only for digital costs which are only for digital preservation from costs which are only preservation from costs which are only about access about access

www.dpconline.org/graphics/www.dpconline.org/graphics/digpresstratoverview.htmldigpresstratoverview.html

Digital preservationDigital preservation

Ensuring the long-term Ensuring the long-term maintenance of a bitstream (the maintenance of a bitstream (the zeros and ones): zeros and ones): backing up files and keeping a backing up files and keeping a

copy at an offsite locationcopy at an offsite location running checks to track the running checks to track the

deterioration of storage media, deterioration of storage media, files or bitstreamsfiles or bitstreams

Digital preservationDigital preservation

Providing continued accessibility of Providing continued accessibility of the contents:the contents: viabilityviability renderability renderability understandabilityunderstandability

Digital preservation strategiesDigital preservation strategies

Bitstream copyingBitstream copying RefreshingRefreshing Durable/persistent mediaDurable/persistent media Analog backupsAnalog backups Digital archaeologyDigital archaeology MigrationMigration EmulationEmulation

Digital preservation Digital preservation componentscomponents

Metadata registryMetadata registry Format registryFormat registry Checksum verificationChecksum verification Backup proceduresBackup procedures Persistent identifiersPersistent identifiers

Who Will Be Involved?Who Will Be Involved?

Library staff?Library staff? Computing center staff?Computing center staff? Faculty? Students? Target audience?Faculty? Students? Target audience? Campus or community partners?Campus or community partners? Sister institutions?Sister institutions? Professional marketers?Professional marketers? Commercial vendors?Commercial vendors?

Staffing rolesStaffing roles Coordinator with overall responsibilityCoordinator with overall responsibility Web site designersWeb site designers Group to make policy decisionsGroup to make policy decisions Staff to handle or review submissions Staff to handle or review submissions Staff to set up and maintain the Staff to set up and maintain the

system and resolve technical issuessystem and resolve technical issues Group or individuals to make contacts Group or individuals to make contacts

and market the collectionsand market the collections Staff for subsidiary servicesStaff for subsidiary services

How to Plan? How to Plan?

Develop a business planDevelop a business plan Develop a project planDevelop a project plan Document decisionsDocument decisions Make your decisions Make your decisions

reversiblereversible

Business plan elementsBusiness plan elements

Mission, Vision, Values, GoalsMission, Vision, Values, Goals Executive summaryExecutive summary Product or service descriptionProduct or service description Needs assessment or market Needs assessment or market

researchresearch Environment and competitionEnvironment and competition Markets and servicesMarkets and services Organizational structureOrganizational structure

Business plan elementsBusiness plan elements

Financial plansFinancial plans Product evaluation and usability Product evaluation and usability

assessmentassessment

Drawn from:Drawn from:

Business Planning for Cultural Heritage InstitutionsBusiness Planning for Cultural Heritage Institutions

Liz Bishoff and Nancy Allen Liz Bishoff and Nancy Allen

Council on Library and Information Resources, 2004Council on Library and Information Resources, 2004

Project plan issuesProject plan issues Why are you doing it?Why are you doing it? Who is your target audience?Who is your target audience? Who will do the work?Who will do the work? What do you have to digitize and how will What do you have to digitize and how will

you select?you select? What standards will you follow?What standards will you follow? What software and hardware will you use?What software and hardware will you use? How will you preserve the collection?How will you preserve the collection? How will you pay for it?How will you pay for it? How will you manage the project?How will you manage the project? How will you evaluate the project?How will you evaluate the project?

Project ManagementProject Management

Web pagesWeb pages Archived discussion listsArchived discussion lists Project management softwareProject management software Folders, spreadsheets, etc.Folders, spreadsheets, etc. Overlapping responsibilitiesOverlapping responsibilities

Project EvaluationProject Evaluation

Focus groupsFocus groups Web formsWeb forms Formal surveysFormal surveys Use statisticsUse statistics Outside consultantsOutside consultants

When Will You Be Done?When Will You Be Done?

When you run out of moneyWhen you run out of money When you run out of materials to When you run out of materials to

digitizedigitize When your users lose interestWhen your users lose interest When you run out of timeWhen you run out of time NeverNever

Contact InformationContact Information

Carol HixsonCarol HixsonUniversity LibrarianUniversity Librarian

Dr. John Archer LibraryDr. John Archer LibraryUniversity of ReginaUniversity of Regina

3737 Wascana Parkway3737 Wascana ParkwayRegina, SK S4S 0A2Regina, SK S4S 0A2

Phone: (306) 585-4132Phone: (306) 585-4132Fax: (306) 585-4878Fax: (306) 585-4878

email: email: Carol.Hixson@uregina.caCarol.Hixson@uregina.ca https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/dspace/handle/1794/990https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/dspace/handle/1794/990