Assessing digitized photo collections at small historical societies
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Transcript of Assessing digitized photo collections at small historical societies
Assessing Digitized Photo Collections at Small Historical Societies
Laura LovedayLIS5937.751
Considerations for Digitizing Collections
Time of staff or volunteers How it will be maintained / used in
the future Money for hosting or equipment Will it be self-hosted, through state
resources, or with a consortium?
Selecting Historical Societies
Sites focusing on localized history were selected for having an online collection of photos despite having a small size and budget
Attention was also paid to location to ensure diversity
Treasures of Madison County
Section 257.35(6), Florida Statutes, "Any use or reproduction of material deposited with the Florida Photographic Collection shall be allowed pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1)(b) and subsection (4), provided that appropriate credit for its use is given."
Copyright Photos can be protected by their size
or use of a watermark Online visibility allows visibility of the
society as well
“The majority of organizations who have shared their materials would probably say that the benefits they've gained from the exposure and the value the public has gained from having access to their collections far outweigh any revenue they may have lost.” -Kate Theimer
La Habra Old Settlers Historical Society
Benefits of Hosting Options
Sites hosted by society staff members allow future editing and maintenance
Vendors have the latest technology to make it user friendly (OCR, speed)
Taking part in a consortium can give staff time to improve skills while benefitting from having some control over material
Northfield Historical Society
Describing Photos Tagging allows users to have the
best search results Include names, events, buildings,
etc. Archivists may want to consider
including numbers for their organizational needs
Ypsilanti Historical Society
Balancing the Real World and the Online World
Invest time in learning new software and improving the society’s website
Direct community members to the archives to recognize people or places
Digitize existing finding aids Create an online presence for
exhibits
Sitka Historical Society and Museum
In conclusion…
Keep an open mind and be creative!