1. Continuing Education and Technical Assistance

A. Continuing Education

Network members emphasized the need for training in various digitization topics. Training is provided through various methods, including workshops, on site training consultations, regional roundtables, satellite conferences, and attendance at state or national seminars. Additionally, training increases awareness of digitization issues and often provides networking opportunities for members with similar interests.

 

Activity 1: The Northern New York Library Network will enhance digitization training by providing at least four digitization related workshops annually. Topics will include, but not be limited to:

Digitization Project Management
Digitization Standards
Hardware and Software for Use in Digitization
Digitization Options for Your Collection
Reviewing Collections for Potential Digitization
Grants for Digitization
Digitization Vendors
Locating Potential Digitization Collaborators

B. Technical Assistance

The Northern New York Library Network currently has a process for providing on site technical assistance to libraries and historic collections through its Documentary Heritage Program.

 

Activity 2: The Network will continue to provide on-site technical assistance concerning issues such as:

• Advising institutions on copyright concerns.
  
• Advising institutions on file formats.
  
• Advising institutions about grants for digitization.
  
• Helping smaller libraries make materials available online.
  
• Working with institutions to mount collections on the Internet.
  
• Assisting institutions in locating collaborators.
  
• Reviewing collections to determine their appropriateness for digitization.
  
• Working with institutions to plan digitization projects.
  
• Consulting with institutions on digitization/project options.

2. Networked Access to Historical Newspapers, Images, and Other Materials

 

A. Historical Newspapers

In 2002, the Network’s Planning Committee recommended that the Network take a leadership role in providing searchable access to regional historic newspapers in order to further access to local history. In response, the Network acquired a microfilm scanner, server, and necessary software, and began a program of identifying substantial runs of microfilmed newspapers, scanning and OCR-ing them, and making them available in a searchable environment on the Internet.

 

Activity 3: The Network will provide online access and full text searching to an historical run of at least one newspaper published in each county in the Network’s service area.

The online collection currently consists of more than one million pages from 30 newspapers.

Issues surrounding this initiative include copyright, cost, and changing technologies. The Network will continue this initiative until at least the original goals have been achieved, and will continue to make these materials available on the Internet indefinitely. The Network will look to Automation funds, grants, and contributions of money or labor from interested libraries and organizations to move conversion along in a timely manner and to add additional titles.

 

B. Images

Images include postcards, photographs, scrapbooks, and vertical file material. There has been considerable scholarship concerning the role of digitized images, with the consensus being that digitizing images themselves without providing their descriptive metadata is not a viable path for effective access. Member surveys indicated considerable interest in the Network assuming leadership in the development of regional image and metadata standards and regional software solutions that would assist organizations in getting started with digitization. A vehicle for moving forward with digitization of images is an image demonstration project.

 

C. Image Demonstration Project

Member surveys indicated considerable interest in the Network providing more leadership and guidance in the area of digitization through demonstration projects. Member recommendations in this area include:

 

• Help smaller libraries make materials available online.
• Work with institutions to mount collections on the Internet.
• Assist institutions in locating collaborators.
• Review collections to determine their appropriateness for digitization.
• Work with institutions to plan digitization projects.

 

Some reference and research library systems in the state have begun successfully using shared software from a common platform to help libraries make image collections available online. Images are entered into a common database and described using metadata standards agreed upon with the region. Although there is one common database, each contributing organization’s collections are recognized as separate collections, and can be extracted for local catalogs or other uses.

 

Activity 4: The Network will actively investigate initiating a regional image data base service as a demonstration project.

Challenges include access, software, copyright, reproduction rights, metadata and imaging standards, and cost. Should such a demonstration project prove useful, it could be continued on either a partially subsidized or cost-recovery basis.

 

D. Digitization Service Center

Several survey respondents recommended that the Network establish a digitization center and that they would be interested in having the Network digitize materials for them. There appears to be a niche for this service, since there are no digitization services in the area at this time. The Network has accumulated considerable equipment and expertise in this area, and has in fact provided digitization for fee services to researchers in the past.

 

Activity 5: The Network will investigate the need and costs of establishing a regional digitization service center.

Access policies, pricing, and various other topics would have to be addressed as would policies for self-service and fee for service. Also, establishment of other digitization centers in the region, either building on current existing services or new services, should be considered.