Perceived Obstacles vs. Real Opportunities Scaling Down: How Small to Medium-sized Cultural Heritage Institutions Can Make Sizeable Contributions to Larger Digital Projects Perceived Obstacles vs. Real Opportunities Michael J. Bennett Digital Projects Librarian University of Connecticut Libraries Connecticut State Library Van Block State Library Facility Hartford, CT October 21, 2010

Pre-Conceived Obstacles “I don’t know enough about equipment & technology”

Reality Check Equipment and Technology aren’t the only things needed for digital projects… Think: “Description aka, Metadata” Think: “Selection”

Pre-Conceived Obstacles “I’m scared that my stuff will get stolen”

Reality Check Make wise selection decisions Don’t lose track of possible PR benefits that may outweigh the pre-conceived loss of traditional access control

Pre-Conceived Obstacles “Won’t I lose my relevance as a traditional gatekeeper if I start to digitize and offer online access?”

Reality Check The opposite may turn out to be true No one knows these materials better than you No one knows how to wisely select objects to digitize from your collections as well as you can No one knows how to describe & contextualize your objects like you can As a result…

Reality Check Example 1: the well-chosen object, well-described http://dlib.cwmars.org/u?/southbridge,32 Example 2: Nailing scene details in a few short (keyword-searchable) phrases http://dlib.cwmars.org/u?/southbridge,12

http://dlib.cwmars.org/u?/southbridge,32

http://dlib.cwmars.org/u?/southbridge,12

Reality Check You are suddenly very hip and open to a whole new audience that you never imagine existed before. Think: broad discovery, mashups, etc. all based upon your original selection/metadata…

Reality Check … which adds essential overall project value that the scanning operators can’t provide on their own.

Other Opportunities Grants and/or collaborations More foot traffic New (virtual) front door Enhanced individual & institutional relevance & importance Collaborations that may allow for the delegation of the expensive and complex technical/equipment side to others while allowing you to offer your unique expertise on your own collections.

Contact Information Michael J. Bennett Digital Projects Librarian University of Connecticut Libraries michael.bennett@uconn.edu