Digitizing Cultural Resources : A Practical Guide for Public Libraries

By Bryant, Josephine

Book Id: WPLBN0000695083
Format Type: PDF eBook
File Size: 1,011.58 KB.
Reproduction Date: 2004

Title:	Digitizing Cultural Resources : A Practical Guide for Public Libraries
Author:	Bryant, Josephine
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Library science, Professional report., Libraries
Collections:	Public Libraries International Network Collection
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	Public Libraries International Network


Citation APA MLA Chicago Bryant, J. (n.d.). Digitizing Cultural Resources : A Practical Guide for Public Libraries. Retrieved from http://gutenberg.cc/

Description
Professional Publication

Excerpt
Executive Summary: The digitization phenomenon in public libraries is firmly established and continues to grow rapidly. While traditional media continue to enjoy high use, the public constantly demands the adoption of new methods of communication and information transmission. As locally situated information institutions, public libraries are singularly positioned to offer unique content to the digital realm. Local historical resources are particularly excellent candidates for a public library?s entry into digitization, as they face fewer copyright obstacles and are often collected exclusively by libraries, especially in small communities where archives and large-scale museums have yet to be established. This paper will discuss the three primary stages of implementing a digitization program: Planning, Execution and Review. While this paper is not intended to be a construction blueprint, the issues discussed herein will be encountered by small, medium and large libraries considering an entry into the field of digitization.

Table of Contents
Table of contents Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1 The Cultural Role of Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2 Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2.1 Why Should Public Libraries be involved in Digitization? . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2.2 Benefits for Public Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 2.3 Strenghts, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) . . . . . . . . . . 17 3 Planning Your First Digitization Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 3.2 Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 3.3 Funding and Collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3.4 Internal Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 3.5 What to Digitize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 3.6 Intellectual Property Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 4 Implementing a Digitization Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 4.1 Project Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 4.2 Project Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 4.3 Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 4.4 Project Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 5 Lessons Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 5.1 Planning and Financial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 5.2 Collection and Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 5.3 Technical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 5.4 User Interface and Information Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 5.5 Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 5.6 Project Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 6 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54