This handbook is the product of four years of developing and revising curricula for School for Scanning conferences presented throughout the U.S. by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC). The handbook provides a cumulation of tips, guidance, and advice from institutions that have engaged in digital projects. Taken in its entirety, it brings together information on best practices and summarizes lessons learned from many experiences. The approach, while managerial, is also practical and based on actual projects.
School for Scanning conferences, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, were geared for administrators within cultural institutions, as well as librarians, archivists, curators, and other cultural or natural resource managers responsible for paper-based collections (including photographs). Keeping pace with developments, the conferences prepared participants to make critical decisions regarding the management of digital projects.
The conferences proved highly successful. Each attracted full-capacity audiences, with an average attendance of 300 persons per event. One factor leading to the popularity of the school was the continuity of the faculty -- all practicing preservation-and-access professionals. These faculty members, in consultation with NEDCC staff, have prepared this handbook, drawing upon their conference presentations between 1996 and 2000. The ongoing dialogues at the School for Scanning provided the authors with unique opportunities to update and distill the ever-changing information about digitization based on the expressed needs of institutions whose primary goal is to protect, preserve, and provide access to the materials that document our cultural and historical heritage.
Because only a few hundred individuals could attend each School for Scanning, which created waiting lists for the events, the Institute of Museum and Library Services agreed to support NEDCC's production of this handbook to reach broader audiences.
The handbook serves as a management tool for institutions concerned with preservation-and-access issues. It can help administrators and staff make informed decisions about:
NEDCC expects that the handbook will prove useful for a variety of institutions -- archives, museums, historical societies, and libraries of all types -- and that it will speak to all levels of staff. This print version will prove particularly useful for individual learning at the introductory to intermediate level, for group planning sessions, and for reference as digital projects are planned and executed. The handbook is also available on the Web, where information will be regularly updated.
The goals established for the development of the printed and Web-version were to:
| This Handbook . . . | ||
| * | Interprets digital technology from the perspective of the unique needs of institutions charged with safeguarding and providing access to cultural treasures | |
| * | Explores how institutions can justify digital imaging projects | |
| * | Describes how to manage projects so as to support the institution's basic goals and mission | |
| * | Stresses the need to consider preservation when digitizing -- and explains how to do so | |
| * | Advises on how to deal effectively with vendors | |
| * | Emphasizes the importance of evaluating projects | |
| * | Encourages institutions to share their experiences. | |
The handbook begins with an overview of the rationale for digitization and preservation that provides a foundation for understanding the preservation implications of digital conversion projects. The next chapter provides managers a clear understanding of the decisions that are typically under their control so they can form effective strategies to design, fund, and manage digitization projects.
The chapter on selection presents a three-stage process for selecting and prioritizing appropriate materials for digital work. It emphasizes the importance of good selection techniques to ensure that resources are invested wisely. The chapter on copyright offers a brief overview and introduction to the range of issues to be considered in any scanning or online project. Next, a technical primer focuses on the technical concepts and terminology that project management must know in order to make informed decisions, whether a project is conducted in-house or with vendors. Then, a series of case studies focuses on the practical results from scanning projects that dealt with: printed text and manuscripts, photographs, optical character recognition (OCR), maps and other oversize documents, microfilm, and cooperative endeavors. The Vendor Relations chapter discusses how vendors can be located, evaluated, and monitored, and offers guidance on developing Requests for Information and Requests for Proposals. The next chapter looks into the future -- the issues of long-term preservation and the problems of digital longevity. Of particular interest, it explores how our community can contribute to efforts to preserve digital information. A final chapter gives the perspective of a scholar-researcher and end-user of digital materials.
Some authors have included checklists or questionnaires to be used as tools for planning and overseeing projects, as well as lists of resources.
| Tips | |
| * | Take as much time as is needed at the outset of a project to clearly define its goals and outcomes |
| * | Insist on the highest quality technical work that the institution can afford |
| * | Build-in costs and capabilities for long-term maintenance of the digitized materials |
| * | Cultivate a high level of staff involvement for digital projects |
| * | Cooperate with other institutions whenever possible to achieve the greatest benefits |
| * |
Share experiences and results with other institutions. |
Authors
Stephen Chapman, Preservation Librarian for Digital Projects, Harvard University Library
Paul Conway, Head, Preservation Department, Yale University Library
Eileen Gifford Fenton, JSTOR Production Manager, University of Michigan
Franziska Frey, Imaging Scientist, Image Permanence Institute
Janet Gertz, Director for Preservation, Columbia University Libraries
Melissa Smith Levine, Esq., Library of Congress National Digital Library Project
Steven Puglia, Special Media Preservation Branch, National Archives and Records Administration
Charles Rhyne, Professor and Art Historian, Reed College
Steve Smith, Editor, Microform and Imaging Review and former Imaging Service Coordinator, Amigos Library Services Inc.
Diane Vogt-O'Connor, Senior Archivist, Museum Management Program, National Park Service
Editor: Maxine Sitts, Communications Consultant, San Leandro, CA
Contributor (Chapter VI): Don Willis, President, eGroup, LLC, and Connetex Consulting
|
|
Northeast Document Conservation Center