Cheap, Quick, and Pretty:Mass Digitization of Large Manuscript

Collections

Jody L. DeRidder

University of Alabama Libraries

jlderidder@ua.edu

Outline

• How difficult is it? • What does it look like? • How long does it take? • What does it cost? • How effective is it?• What’s missing?

How difficult is it?

And sequence: 1, 2, 3 …

Each file name includes:

What does it

look like?(item)

What does it

look like?(EAD)

What does it

look like?(item

outsideAcumen)

How long does it take?

Old method: 8.25 min. / scan

New method: 4.34 min. / scan

Processing: reduced.

QC: reduced.

Metadata time: none.

47% LESS TIME!

What does it cost?

Old method: $2.47 / scan

New method: $0.80 /scan

Processing: reduced.

QC: reduced.

Metadata costs: none.

68% CHEAPER!!

How effective is it?

•Experienced researchers prefer it!

•Those new to digital collections found it easier!

42% less time27% fewer clicks12% more success•Foreign students found

the terminology difficult.

We still need…

Improved usability of EAD interface:•Terminology•Search in page•Navigation links

Then: Establish learnability

Summary

•Easy: put info in file names; run scripts

•Looks: pretty darn good!

•Time: 4.34 min. / page

•Cost: 79.5 cents / page

•Effectiveness: great for scholars;

surprisingly good for novices

•Need: improved usability of EAD interface

For More Information:

Upcoming American Archivist article??

•Jody L. DeRidder, “Leveraging EAD for Low-Cost Access to Digitized Collections at the University of Alabama Libraries,” Journal of Library Innovation, 2:1 (2011), http://www.libraryinnovation.org/article/view/69

•University of Alabama Libraries, “Septimus D. Cabaniss Papers Digitization Project.” Project Site: http://www.lib.ua.edu/libraries/hoole/cabaniss Wiki: http://www.lib.ua.edu/wiki/digcoll/index.php/CabanissDisplay: http://acumen.lib.ua.edu/u0003_0000252

•University of Alabama Libraries, “Acumen Digital Library Software.” http://sourceforge.net/projects/acumendls/

Experienced researchers prefer the finding aid interface:•Tim West, Kirill Fesenko, and Laura Clark Brown, “Extending the Reach of Southern Sources: Proceeding to Large-Scale Digitization of Manuscript Collections,” Final Grant Report for the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Southern Historical Collection, University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, June 2009, http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/archivalmassdigitization/download/extending_the_reach.pdf

•Cory Nimer and J. Gordon Daines III, “What Do You Mean It Doesn’t Make Sense? Redesigning Finding Aids from the User’s Perspective,” Journal of Archival Organization 6, no. 4 (2008), http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15332740802533214

Novice users experience a learning curve:•Wendy Scheir, “First Entry: Report on a Qualitative Exploratory Study of Novice User Experience with Online Finding Aids,” Journal of Archival Organization 3, no. 4 (2006), http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J201v03n04_04

•Joyce Celeste Chapman, “Observing Users: An Empirical Analysis of User Interaction with Online Finding Aids,” Journal of Archival Organization 8, no. 1 (2010) http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15332748.2010.484361

References