Wrangling a Digital Collection into Existence: The Boise State Western Writers Series Digital Editions Rick Stoddart

I am not.. A digital collections guru A Special Collections Librarian Me - unpack what I went through come to some understanding. I am only a librarian

First group to Finish = Prize Basket! Warm-Up Match the Moo Cards to the Covers Answer the questions Two ideas behind this. 1. I don’t want you to sit there and me drone on at you 2. Actually get you into the collection Hopefully will generate some questions. Why things are done a certain way. First group to Finish = Prize Basket!

Br – O – N – C - O Bingo – yell out when I am speaking. Blackout prize too.

What we did is what we did There is the right way Speak to the uniqueness of each collection, the changes that occur in technology or personnel, or library’s mission. Standards are available Then there is what we did

So what am I talking about…

It all started with a…

Cost 23 titles @ 50 pages = cheap So let’s just slap pdfs up and be done with it. Right?

If it is that cheap, why involve the library? “Natural Fit” Shared cost – Common interest Cataloging – gets these in OPACS Prestige Library has the technology to create and support

WIN – WIN - WIN

Got the Okay

< Smile >

Get a MOU! What’s a Mou?

To OCR or not to OCR that is the question!

Copyright, right?

Decide on format (PDF)

Take to Print Shop

< breathe >

Hold your horses! CHANGE FORMAT (ARCHIVE PDF)

New Hire in Special Collections

Enter Content-DM wearing a white hat

Meanwhile back on the ranch… Catalogers help with OCLC records

<breathe>

EXCEPT!!!! ContentDM upgrade changes URLS

Catalogers Freak!

Meanwhile back on the ranch… Splash Page – Too many cooks

Which begs the question… What does WEST mean?

Nobody likes the Splash Page

Flaming arrows of promotion

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Everybody freaks out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Circle the Wagons!

Launch?

On campus? FOOD? Cost?

Enter THE CABIN (stage right)

< breathe > All done right?

It disappeared into the dust-cloud of the web! After launch… It disappeared into the dust-cloud of the web!

Why bother?

THIS IS LIBRARIANSHIP

Website is up & in ContentDM

Launch was a success on many levels

Lessons Never enough communication Don’t be the only conduit Planning is fine but expect things to change. Don’t lock yourself in Put the collection before perfection It won’t be perfect – accessibility should be your goal It is a process – it really never ends Celebrate your victories

It might be helpful to think of the project like this: Cataloging is a separate thing. Care for this entity. Waxing philosphically about being a librarian but care for the collection. Instead of this: website+digitization=WWS

Don’t let it die on the virtual shelf! Upcoming Wikipedia links More digitized volumes possibly coming Move to Scholar Works?

So… What did I do right/wrong? What would you do different?

Links to standards, collections, & resources for Digital Collections http://guides.boisestate.edu/digital October 2008 - 45 page views for the /westernwriters splash page November 2008 - 442 page views December 2008 - 414 January 2009 - 86

It all started with a… Talk with your faculty. Talk with your community. Yeah this was a lot of work in bureaucratic sense but really the cost was minimal