Starting a Statewide Digitization Effort Cokie G. Anderson, Assistant Professor Electronic Publishing Librarian Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK Gina L. B. Minks, MLIS Special Collections Librarian University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK

Why Collaborate? Share costs of equipment, personnel, maintenance Smaller institutions can “get into the game” Better chance of grant funding Reunite dispersed collections virtually

Types of Collaboration Joint Project Two institutions both contribute materials and participate in digitization process Digital Consortium Institutions of various types and sizes contribute equipment, expertise, labor, and materials according to their ability to do so

What is ? In the Autumn of 2001, a group of academic librarians in Oklahoma began to explore the possibility of doing a joint digital project Out of these discussions came the idea for OKDIGITAL, a statewide digitization consortium based on the model of the Colorado Digitization Project

The Oklahoma Digital Statewide Feasibility Study of Available Resources Funded by a Fellowship from Amigos Library Services Provided funds for a statewide survey and regional meetings 285 surveys were sent to libraries, museums, tribal organizations and historical societies; 65 were returned

Types of Institutions 30% Museums 26% Public Libraries 19% Academic Libraries 11% Other (medical & institutional libraries) 10% Historical Societies 3% Tribal Organizations 1% Genealogical Societies

Interest in Digitization 85% Interested in digitization. 23% Currently involved in a digitization project. 75% Interested in a collaborative digitization project.

Current Status of Project Core group of participants has emerged from the regional meetings Seeking grant funding for a pilot project Working out written agreements on contributions of all participants and selection of materials Established as a Discussion Group in the Oklahoma Library Association

What Worked for Us Networking, Networking, Networking Professional Associations Library School Alumni Conferences Presentations Regular Communication Monthly meetings

Resources National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage. NINCH Guide to Good Practice. Colorado Digitization Project. Digitization Resources for Cultural Heritage Institutions.