W I S C O N S I N L I B R A R Y A S S O C I A T I O N C O N F E R E N C EO C T O B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 3

DESIGNING A SUCCESSFUL DIGITAL PROJECT

Supported by WHRAB

Sarah Grimm, Electronic Records Archivist, Wisconsin Historical SocietyEmily Pfotenhauer, Recollection Wisconsin Program Manager, WiLS

TODAY’S AGENDA

• Planning• Selecting materials• Copyright considerations• Cost considerations

• Creating• Scanning• Metadata

• Maintaining• File naming and

organization• Storage

• Providing Access• Access options• Marketing

• Roles and timelines

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DIGITIZE?

• Selecting materials• Reformatting materials

(scanning or photographing)• Adding metadata

(descriptive information)• Making available online• Storing and maintaining

digital files and data (digital preservation)

Wisconsin Historical Society

DIGITAL PRESERVATION

The Library of Congress started the Digital Preservation Outreach and Education (DPOE) program in order to foster national outreach and education to encourage individuals and organizations to actively preserve their digital content.

http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/education/

Waterford Public Library/University of Wisconsin Digital Collections

DIGITAL PRESERVATION

Digital preservation combines policies, strategies and actions to ensure access to reformatted and born digital content regardless of the challenges of media failure and technological change. The goal of digital preservation is the accurate rendering of authenticated content over time. Working group on Defining Digital Preservation, ALA Annual Conference, 6/24/2007

WHAT IS DIGITAL CONTENT?

• Digital content is any content that is published or distributed in a digital form, including text, data, sound recordings, photographs and images, motion pictures, and software.• Digital materials created from analogue sources• Born-digital content

• Digital materials you currently have or create – or expect to have – that you want to preserve.

DEFINING A DIGITAL COLLECTION

• A good digital collection…• Is publicly accessible• Is searchable - Includes keywords and other descriptive

information (metadata) so users can find what they’re looking for• Uses software that is sustainable (will be around for a long time)

and interoperable (can be migrated or shared)• Remains true to the original materials• Respects intellectual property rights

• A digital collection is not…• An inventory• An online exhibit/gallery/slideshow

WELL-MANAGED COLLECTIONS

• Characteristics of well-managed digital content: • Basic information about each collection• Minimal metadata for objects • Common file formats • Controlled and known storage of content • Multiple copies in at least 2 locations

BEFORE YOU EVEN START…..

• Don’t scan a mess! Take the time to assess and organize your originals first.

• A digital project can be an ideal time to evaluate collection conditions and rehouse materials as needed.

• Resources for collections care and organization:• Wisconsin Historical Society

Field Services staff• Wisconsin Archives Mentoring

Service• National Park Service Conserve-

O-GramsRichland County History Room

PROJECT PLANNING WORKSHEET

http://recollectionwisconsin.org/wla2013

Philharmonic Chorus MembersImage ID: WHi-92113

PLANNING

Postal workers sorting mail, 1955Wisconsin Historical Society WHi-36392

• Connect to your community

• Reach new audiences• Improve access to

“invisible” materials• Protect fragile or

heavily used materials• Learn more about

your collections• Contribute to our

collective knowledgeSouth Wood County Historical Museum

DEFINING GOALS

POTENTIAL AUDIENCES

• Local residents• Students and teachers• Genealogists• Specialists (e.g. Civil War

re-enactors, railroad buffs)• Academic researchers• Curious Wisconsinites• Everyone!

College of Menominee Nation

SELECTING MATERIALS

• Photographs• Postcards• Letters• Diaries• Scrapbooks• Yearbooks• Newspaper clippings• City directories• Local histories• Magazines• Pamphlets• Maps• Artifacts/3-D objects• Oral histories• Sound recordings• Moving images (video, film)• Other?

Appleton Public Library

DEVELOPING SELECTION CRITERIA

When developing a selection policy, consider…• Your organization’s mission statement and collecting policies• Appeal and interest (is this of value to researchers? To other

audiences?)• Uniqueness of materials (is this the only source or does it also

exist elsewhere? Avoid duplication)• Focusing on a specific subject, theme or creator• Manageability – tackle a project of appropriate size and scope

SETTING PRIORITIES

Ask yourself which materials are…• most significant to your

organization?• most extensive?• most requested/used?• easiest?• oldest?• newest?• at risk?

Neville Public Museum of Brown County

SELECTION – YES OR NO?

• This item is rare or unique to our collection.• This item is frequently requested by our patrons/visitors.• This item or very similar items are not found anywhere else on the Internet.• There is enough accurate information available about the item to add

useful context for our audience (for example, we know or can find out names of people, locations, dates).

• We have the appropriate equipment to create an accurate, high-quality digital copy of this item (for example, item is not too large to fit on scanner), or funding to outsource if needed.

• This item is in stable condition and will not be damaged by scanning or other handling.

• This item is in the public domain or we have secured permission from the rights holder to make it available online.

DOCUMENT YOUR DECISIONS….

Sinclair Lewis TypingImage ID: WHi-51874

CONSIDERING COPYRIGHT

• Disclaimer: We are not lawyers.

• Owning a physical item does not necessarily mean you hold the copyright to that item.

• Public domain = no longer under copyright. In the US in 2013 that means the item was:• Published before 1923 –OR–• Unpublished; creator died before

1943 –OR–• Unpublished; unknown creator;

made before 1893UW-Milwaukee Libraries

CONSIDERING COPYRIGHT

• Works under copyright, copyright holder is known:• Contact copyright holder IN

WRITING to request permission to make available online.

• Works presumed to be under copyright; copyright holder is unknown or cannot be located:• Due diligence has been made to

identify and locate copyright holder.

• Be prepared to remove item from digital collection if challenged.

Three Lakes Historical Society

SAMPLE COPYRIGHT STATEMENTS

• For an item presumed to be in the public domain: This item is in the public domain. There are no known restrictions on the use of this digital resource. Contact [your institution] to purchase a high-resolution version of this image.

• For an item under copyright; copyright holder has granted permission to put online:This image has been made available with permission of the copyright holder and has been provided here for educational purposes only. Commercial use is prohibited without permission. Contact [your institution] for information regarding permissions and reproductions.

• For an item in which copyright status is undetermined:This material may be protected by copyright law. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Contact [your institution] for information regarding permissions and reproductions.

COPYRIGHT TOOLS

• Public Domain Sherpa: Public Domain Calculator• http://www.publicdomainsherpa.com/calculator.html

• Copyright Advisory Network• Copyright Slider: http

://librarycopyright.net/resources/digitalslider/ • Copyright Genie: http

://librarycopyright.net/resources/genie/

POTENTIAL PROJECT COSTS

• Scanner• Outsourcing imaging to a

commercial vendor• Digital camera and related

equipment• Internet access• Storage for digital files• Software for online access• Archival storage supplies• Be sure to budget for TIME

and SPACE

Merrill Historical Society

FUNDING

• Grants• LSTA Digitization of Local

Resources grants (Dep’t of Public Instruction)

• Local corporations or foundations

• Wisconsin Humanities Council

• In-kind contributions• Tech support• Equipment use

• Biggest expense is TIME• Paid staff time• “Free” volunteer time• Students/interns

Ripon College

DISCUSSION

• What’s one digitization project you’re currently working on or thinking about?• What are your goals and

audience for this project?• How did you/will you

determine selection criteria?• How will you fund the

project? Eager Free Public Library/University of Wisconsin Digital Collections

CREATING DIGITAL IMAGES

Computer center, 1972St. Norbert College

DIGITAL IMAGING

• Goals of imaging:• Create a digital

representation that’s faithful to the original item

• Create the highest quality image you can with available resources

• Anticipate multiple uses (online, print publication, exhibit, etc.)

• Scan once—don’t expect to return to re-digitize

UW-Madison Archives

CHOOSING A SCANNER

• Some features to look for:• Transparency unit

--for scanning slides and negatives• Size of scanning bed• Image editing software

--many new scanners come with Photoshop Elements• Compatible with your computer’s operating system• Is your computer fast enough to process large image files?

SCANNING PHOTOGRAPHS

• Scan all photographs in 24-bit color, even if image is black and white

• Scanning resolution (ppi) depends on size of original item• Longest side of item longer than

7” = 300ppi• Shorter than 7” = 600ppi• 35mm sides or other small items =

1200ppi• Save two copies of each scan:• Master file: TIFF (20-40MB) for

archiving and printing• Access copy: JPEG (1-5MB) for

editing, online viewing, email, social media

UW-La Crosse

SCANNING DOCUMENTS

• Handwritten texts • Scan in 24-bit color to

retain character of original• 300-400ppi is generally

sufficient• If feasible, create a

transcription• Use care when unfolding

papers or handling tightly bound volumes

Wisconsin Historical Society

SCANNING DOCUMENTS

• Printed texts• Scan in 8-bit grayscale or 1-

bit black and white• 300ppi is generally sufficient• Use OCR (Optical Character

Recognition) software to make the text computer-searchable• May be provided with your

scanner software• ABBYY Fine Reader• Adobe Acrobat• OCR is never 100% accurate,

but that’s ok L. E. Phillips Memorial Library, Eau Claire

WORKING WITH PRINTED TEXT? OCR!

• OCR = Optical Character Recognition• Software that makes printed text computer-readable and fully

searchable

• Very valuable when scanning books, yearbooks, city directories, newspaper clippings, etc.

• A couple of options…• ABBYY Finereader ($100-$170)• Adobe Acrobat ($45 through techsoup.org)

WHEN NOT TO SCAN IT YOURSELF

• Look to a vendor for scanning…• Oversized materials

--maps, blueprints, etc.• Fragile books or scrapbooks

--bindings can be damaged by laying flat to scan• Anything with flaking, cracked or otherwise fragile surface• Microfilm

--newspapers

• Potential vendors• Northern Micrographics, La Crosse• A/E Graphics, Milwaukee• Wisconsin Historical Society (for microfilm)

CREATING METADATA

Syl carving his name in tree, 1902Wisconsin Historical Society WHi-69022

METADATA: WHAT IS IT?

• Information about stuff• Technical metadata = information

about the digital file (size, type, etc.)

• Descriptive metadata = information about the content of the item (what are we looking at?)

• Helps users find what they’re looking for

• Organized, standardized, consistent, searchable

Grant County Historical Society

SAMPLE METADATA

Field Name Sample Data

Title DiVall barber shop, Middleton, 1925

Subjects Barbers; Barbershops

Type Still image

Format image/tiff

Rights statement This material may be protected by copyright law. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright.

File name 2006_01_12.tif

Submitter Middleton Area Historical Society

Date digitized 2013-04-05

Middleton Area Historical Society

SAMPLE METADATA

Field Name Sample Data

Creator Bartle, F. C.

Date Created 1925-09-12 OR 1920-1930

Materials Photographs

Description Ralph DiVall (left) and Edwin T. Baltes (right) shave two men seated in barber chairs. According to a family history on file at the Society, DiVall operated this barber shop from the 1920s until his retirement on July 1, 1966.

Location Middleton, Dane County, Wisconsin

Collection DiVall Family Collection

Identifier 2006.01.12

Middleton Area Historical Society

TITLES FOR HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS

The photograph may already have a title.

EXISTING TITLES

If the photograph contains a title or caption, transcribe it exactly.

Birds-eye-view, No. 4, 1908, Barneveld, Wis.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD TITLE?

If the photo does not already have a title, you’ll need to create one.A useful title is…• Descriptive and specific • Brief• Follows specific formatting rules• Capitalize first word and proper names (people, places, institutions) • Don’t start with “A” or “The”• Period not needed at the end

SUBJECT, LOCATION, DATE

Person, object, building, etc.

City OR township OR county

Year or date range

BASIC FORMULA FOR CREATING TITLES

Only include an element IF KNOWN

PEOPLE & PORTRAITS

• Identify…Who? Where? When?• Women• Children• Babies• Carriages/strollers• Stores/shops• Boardwalk• Marathon County• 1890-1899

Women and children with babies in carriages, Manitowoc County, 1890-1899

(SUBJECT, LOCATION, DATE)

BUILDINGS AND CITYSCAPES

• Identify the name of the street or view• Identify the location (City OR Township OR County)

• Identify the date (Year? Date range?)

100 block of South Main Street, Fort Atkinson, 1940-1949

(SUBJECT, LOCATION, DATE)

SUBJECT, ACTIVITY, LOCATION, DATE

Person, object, building, etc.

City OR township OR county

Year or date range

EXPANDED FORMULA FOR CREATING TITLES

Action or event

Only include an element IF KNOWN

ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

Identify…Who? What are they doing? Where and when?

• Circus elephant• Trainer• Woman on swing• Evansville• 1940-1949

Trainer with circus elephant holding woman on swing, Evansville, 1940-1949

(SUBJECT, ACTIVITY, LOCATION, DATE)

ASSIGNING SUBJECT HEADINGS

• Subject headings are terms or phrases assigned to an item to facilitate searching and browsing a collection.

• Consistent use of subject headings helps link related content in your collection and across disparate collections.

CONTROLLED VOCABULARIES

• A controlled vocabulary is a standardized, pre-determined list of subject headings.

• Some examples of controlled vocabularies:• Library of Congress Thesaurus

for Graphic Materials

• Library of Congress Subject Headings

• Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus

• Nomenclature 3.0 New Berlin Historical Society

TIPS FOR ASSIGNING SUBJECT HEADINGS

• Consider the following elements to help select terms:• WHO? People - age, gender, occupation, ethnicity• WHERE? Building or other setting• WHAT? Activities or events

• Always copy terms exactly from the controlled vocabulary.• Think of your own “tags,” then search the controlled

vocabulary list for correct terms. • How did others do it? Look at similar photos for

examples/ideas.• Aim for 1-5 terms.• There is no one right answer!

SAMPLE SUBJECT HEADINGS

SAMPLE SUBJECT HEADINGS

Railroads; Railroad stations; Carts & wagons

SAMPLE SUBJECT HEADINGS

SAMPLE SUBJECT HEADINGS

Students; Music education; Youth orchestras

EXERCISE - ASSIGNING TITLES AND SUBJECTS

Work in small groups to assign a title and subjects to a historic photograph.

Remember the basic title formulas:• SUBJECT, LOCATION, DATE• SUBJECT, ACTIVITY, LOCATION, DATE

Select terms from the short list extracted from the Library of Congress Thesaurus for Graphic Materials. The full version of this controlled vocabulary is available online: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/tgm1/• choose a maximum of 5 terms

FILE NAMING AND ORGANIZATION

Sixty Years of Quality Canning by the Lakeside Packing Company, ca. 1947. Manitowoc Public Library/ University of Wisconsin Digital Collections

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

• To create organizational standards• To help you find it again• To prevent accidental overwriting• To eliminate (minimize) duplication of files

Train Wreck Image ID: WHi-2011

FILE NAMING

• Keep folder / document titles short and descriptive

• Use only lower case letters, numbers, and dashes or underscores

• Don’t use spaces or punctuation

• Don’t use special characters in your file/folder titles (^”<>|?\ / : @’* &.) (Just because you CAN doesn’t mean you SHOULD…..)

Typing at Dickinson Secretarial SchoolImage ID: WHi-19562

FILE NAMING

• Date your documents consistently• yyyymmdd_brieftitle.xxx

• Use leading zeroes for consecutive numbering. For example, a multi-page letter could have file names mac001.tif, mac002.tif, mac003.tif, etc.

• Tie your file names to existing catalog numbers if possible

EXAMPLES

• Photograph with accession # 2011.32.1 = 201132001.tif –OR– 2011_32_001.tif

• Series of images by photographer John Smith = smith001.tif, smith002.tif, smith003.tif

• Not so good: Glassplate16039 Auto repair in basement 025.tif

RESOURCES

• State Library of North Carolina – • Web

http://www.archive.org/details/WhyFileNamingIsImportanthttp://www.archive.org/details/HowToChangeAFileNamehttp://www.archive.org/details/WhatNotToDoWhenNamingFileshttp://www.archive.org/details/WhatToDoWhenNamingFiles

• YouTube http://digitalpreservation.ncdcr.gov/tutorials.html

FILE ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

• Centralize your files• Minimize your layers• Leave breadcrumbs

(AKA “READ ME”)• Determine what you

don’t know

IH General Office Mail RoomImage ID: WHi-12016

WHAT NOT TO KEEP?

• Backups/copies/drafts• Supplementary files that

provide no additional long-term value• Corrupted files• Same item – different

file formats• Items that don’t fit your

organization’s purposeBoy on Curb near Trash PileImage ID: WHi-57208

DOCUMENT YOUR DECISIONS….

Sinclair Lewis TypingImage ID: WHi-51874

TOOLS

Guitar Maker's ShopImage ID: WHi-27234

REMOVE DUPLICATE FILES

•Auslogics Duplicate File Finder http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/duplicate-file-finder/

•Similar Images http://similarimages.en.softonic.com/

•VisiPics http://www.visipics.info/index.php?title=Main_Page

IMAGE VIEWER

IrfanView http://www.irfanview.com/

• Tool with many different capabilities for image manipulation/editing• For photos, we can easily view an

entire folder’s worth of images at one time

CHECKSUMS

•Checksums (AKA “Hash Sums”) are created by programs running an algorithm against the contents of a file. (there are many free utilities that will perform this function for you)

•The resulting checksum is a short sequence of letters and/or numbers that uniquely identifies that file. (think “electronic fingerprint”)

Unix cksum utility

WHY IS THIS A GOOD THING?

•Checksums help maintain the INTEGRITY of your collections because they will tell you when things change over time.

•If two files are exactly the same, the checksums of those files will also be exactly the same (generally speaking )

•If a file becomes corrupted, degraded or is changed in some way, the next time you run the utility on it, the checksum will change

MD5SUMMER

• MD5summer http://www.md5summer.org/download.html

• This tool will give you a couple of options for the hashing algorithm

MD5 SHA-1

• Other tools will give you other options……

HOW DOES IT WORK?

• Open MD5summer• Select your

root folder• Select

“Create Sums”

CREATE LIST OF FILES TO SUM

• Select the files to beadded• Click “Add” or

“Add recursively” • Click “OK”

MD5 SUMS WILL START GENERATING

SAVE THE FILE

VERIFY HASH VALUES

• Copy files to anotherdirectory(think “backup”)

• Open MD5Summer• Select the files in

the new location• Click “Verify Sums”

OPEN THE MD5SUM FILE

• Find your MD5 file• Click “Open”

MD5SUMS WILL BE COMPARED

YEAH!

IF THE FILES ARE DIFFERENT……

Uh-Oh!

THINGS TO REMEMBER

Things that will NOT affect checksums• Moving items from one place to another • Changing the file name

Run on the master fileswhen a collection is completed

Set up a schedule to run“verify checks” periodically

St. Mary of the Lake Parish School First DayImage ID: WHi-98433

STORAGE

KEY DECISION POINTS

• How are you going to organize it? • What are you going to store it on?• Where are you going to store it?• How many copies do you

need?

Post OfficeImage ID: WHi-9135

FACTORS TO CONSIDER

• Immediate Costs

• Quantity (size and number of files)

• Number of copies

• Media (life span, availability, $$)

• Other resources

• Expertise (skills required to manage)

• Services (local vs. hosted)

• Partners (achieving geographic distribution)

• Institutional constraints

HOW MANY AND WHERE?

• Multiple• Minimum: two (2) copies in two locations• Optimum: six (6) copies

• Geographically distributed• Don’t keep your copies onsite if possible

LOCAL STORAGE OPTIONS

• Local network • RAID device• External hard drive• Archival quality (gold) CDs

or DVDsTake into account potential future storage needs.

Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

CLOUD STORAGE OPTIONS

Commercial options:• Google Drive• Up to 5GB free (approx. 140 high-resolution TIFF files)• 25GB = $2.50/month

• Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)• $.095 per GB/month

Institutional options:• DuraCloud

THE (MOSTLY) GOOD…..

Responsibilities and costs are transferred to the cloud provider• Installation / replacement / upgrades of hardware and

software• Backup and recovery of data are part of the package• No local physical presence (valuable space)• No local environmental requirements (power or cooling costs)

THE (POTENTIALLY) BAD

There are potential disadvantages however…..• Can records be managed correctly throughout their entire

lifecycle? • Can it support Open Records requests?• Security concerns• Do you know where your data is?• Accessibility – more “points of failure” when the data is

remote• Costs for accessing data can be high

RESOURCES

State of Wisconsin Public Records Board has created two documents which can be found at:http://publicrecordsboard.wi.gov/docs_all.asp?locid=165

• Public Records Board Guidance on the Use of Contractors for Records Management Services

• Use of Contractors for Records Management Services(Both docs are in the Reference Materials section)

DOCUMENT YOUR DECISIONS….

Sinclair Lewis TypingImage ID: WHi-51874

ACCESS CONSIDERATIONS

Historical Society library stacks, 1896Wisconsin Historical Society WHi-23281

WHY ARE YOU PROVIDING ACCESS TO CONTENT?

• User demand• Institutional visibility• Legal mandates or grant

requirements• Generate revenue• Contribute to our collective

knowledge

South Wood County Historical Museum

WHAT MAKES A GOOD ONLINE COLLECTION?

• Publicly accessible.• Searchable - Includes keywords and other descriptive

information (metadata) so users can find what they’re looking for.• Organized and consistent.• Based on existing international/national/statewide standards

and best practices.• Uses software that is sustainable (will be around for a long

time) and interoperable (can be migrated or shared).• Respects intellectual property rights.• OAI-PMH compliant (to share content on statewide level)

SOME OAI-COMPLIANT ACCESS PLATFORMS

• CONTENTdm• Your own instance • Hosted by Milwaukee Public

Library through Recollection Wisconsin

• ResCarta Web• Free and open source• Host it yourself or through

vendor

• Omeka• Free and open source• Host it yourself or through

Omeka.net

• Other?Beloit College

CONTENTDM

• Hosted by Milwaukee Public Library through Recollection Wisconsin• Produced and distributed by OCLC• Costs (through Recollection Wisconsin):• $200 one-time setup fee• Annual hosting fees starting at $75

http://content.mpl.org/ashland

http://content.mpl.org/ashland

http://content.mpl.org/ashland

http://content.mpl.org/ashland

RESCARTA WEB

• Free and open source• Host it yourself; or hosting available through Northern

Micrographics (fee-based)• ResCarta Foundation – based in La Crosse

http://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/research/general/history.html

http://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/research/general/history.html

http://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/research/general/history.html

OMEKA

• Free and open source• Host it yourself; or subscribe to hosted version, omeka.net• Developed by the Center for History and New Media, George

Mason University

http://uwoshkosh.omeka.net

http://uwoshkosh.omeka.net

http://uwoshkosh.omeka.net

PROMOTION

Wisconsin Tourism Sign, Rhinelander, 1930-1942Wisconsin Historical Society WHi-37927

POTENTIAL AUDIENCES

• Local residents• Students and teachers• Genealogists• Specialists (e.g. Civil War

re-enactors, railroad buffs)• Academic researchers• Curious Wisconsinites• Everyone!

College of Menominee Nation

STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS

• Board• Staff and/or volunteers• Local experts• Community members• Chamber of Commerce• Local government• Students• Other organizations in

your community/ county/region• Who else? McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids

ENCOURAGING USE OF YOUR COLLECTIONS

• Organizations are moving away from “if you build it, they will come” approach – Google is not enough• Participatory archives

concept—shared authority, community engagement• Bring your content to your

audience—find them where they already are

Milwaukee Public Library

MARKETING IDEAS

• Add introduction/background information on your own website• http://www.newberlinhistoricalsociety.org

• Highlight an item of the day/week/month• https://www.facebook.com/

lacrosse.history

• Host an opening event• Whitefish Bay Public Library• College of Menominee Nation

• Host a slide show or exhibition• South Wood County Historical

Museum• Mineral Point Historical Society

Rock County Historical Society

MARKETING IDEAS

• Send someone with a laptop to popular local spots/events to demonstrate digital collections:• Ask, “Where do people go first to look for this kind of

information?” and then, market there• Upload a few digitized images to Flickr with descriptions that

point back to your related digital and physical collections.• Contribute to relevant pages on Wikipedia and include references

pointing to specific digital materials.

• Request that the Chamber of Commerce and other relevant local organizations link to the new digital collections from their websites.• Send a press release to local media

EVALUATING IMPACT

Understanding current users…Online survey instrumentWeb analyticsEmail subscriber listsVisitor forms

Understanding future users…Special interest groups (AASLH, SAA, etc.)ListservsWorkshops and conference sessions

WRAPPING UP – FINAL THOUGHTS

Commencement, 1978UW-Madison Archives

ROLES

• Project Manager• Scanner• Cataloger• File Manager• IT Specialist• Outreach Specialist• Other?

"Deering Ideal" Stripper Harvester Catalog CoverImage ID: WHi-27577

TIMELINE

• Set final date for project completion• Establish goalposts – break

project into smaller steps/phases/goals• Set timeframe for meeting

each goal• Regularly revisit project

progress and modify schedule as needed• Always budget extra time

IH General Office Mail RoomImage ID: WHi-12016

TIMELINE

• Timeline will vary greatly depending on…• Project scope• Types of materials• Staff experience• Available resources

• One model:• 1/3 reformatting• 1/3 metadata• 1/3 management, quality control,

etc.• Source: Steven Puglia, ”The Costs

of Digital Imaging Projects,” RLG DigiNews v. 3, no. 5 (1999) WHi-4352

TIPS FROM OTHER DIGITIZERS

• If I could do it all over again, I would:• Tackle a smaller group of

materials at first• Make sure two people started

the project at the same time so we could help each other

• Start with a clearer plan• Take the time to sort and

research the physical collection before digitizing

• Have firm deadlines to help me stay on track Langlade County Historical Society

NEXT STEPS/TO DO LIST

• Review collections and set priorities for digitization.• Consider developing a written selection policy.• Determine the copyright status of any materials you

plan to share online and secure permissions from copyright holders if materials are not in public domain.• Acquire scanning equipment or make other plans for

conversion.• Familiarize yourself with good, useful metadata by

looking at other online collections.

NEXT STEPS/TO DO LIST

• Develop a file naming convention document.• Develop a storage management policy• E.g., number of copies, locations

• Monitor copies of content for errors/changes• Evaluate technology to determine your preferred

access platform• Develop a marketing plan• Determine how you will evaluate the success of

your marketing plan

THANK YOU!

• Sarah Grimm, Wisconsin Historical Societysarah.grimm@wisconsinhistory.org

608-261-1008

• Emily Pfotenhauer, WiLSemily@wils.org608-616-9756

• Slides and handouts available at http://recollectionwisconsin.org/wla2013

South Wood County Historical Museum