WHAT CHANGES WITH DIGITAL CONTENT? ANNE R. KENNEY An Age of Discovery: Distinctive Collections in the Digital Age. ARL CNI Forum, Oct. 16, 2009

Three Key Issues Digitizing Special CollectionsBuilding Digital CommunitiesServing Users

Digitizing Special Collections “…large-scale digitization is an exciting option that will almost certainly become a fact of life for a significant number of special collections librarians and archivists in the near future. ” Special Collections in ARL Libraries Discussion Report

Issues to Consider in Mass Digitization Technical considerations in adequate capture of content Respect for the physical nature and condition of originals Costs of going (and staying) digitalPartnering with commercial entities

Mass Digitization as a Collective Effort? Resisting special deals for special collections digitization Abjuring NDAs with publishers and others Viewing prospective agreements as collaborative Efforts Protecting institutional and user interests Collective action demands as much attention as institutional action

I would be willing to commit my institution to making public the content of publisher agreements, including pricing, special arrangements, and other privileges. Clicker Responses to Question at May 2009 ARL Panel

I am willing to commit my institution to forego one-on-one arrangements with commercial entities around digitization of special collections materials in favor of collective arrangements involving multiple research libraries. Clicker Responses to Question at May 2009 ARL Panel

9 Principles for Commercial Partnerships 1. Demand extra vigilance in digitization of special collections2. Respect donor-imposed restrictions3. Seek the broadest possible patron access to digitized content 4. Obtain copies of all digitized files with option for complete local access 5. Secure any enhancements or improvements to digitized content

9 Principles for Commercial Partnerships 6. Limit duration of restrictions on external access to digitized content 7. Refrain from signing nondisclosure agreements as part of negotiation process 8. Ensure that confidentiality of users is protected in vendor’s products 9. Eliminate charging fees or royalties for access to or non-commercial use of digitized public domain materials

Building Digital Communities  Building community around content  Building content around community  Providing a home for digital creators

Content + Motivated Community = Powerful Collaboration Building Community Around Content

Harnessing the Community

Building Content around Community

Building Content around Events

New Media Digital interfaces and artistic experimentation by international, independent artists. Building Communities for Creators

“This listserv represents the extensive culture of online writing that floods the internet with thoughtful conceptual interaction to produce collective writing. This and other examples of open visual and written databases are transforming the web.” Timothy Murray, Director Society for the Humanities, Cornell University

A Safe Harbor  “I promise I’m not afraid of prolonged power cuts.” (India)  “Between 1:00am and 4:00am, I will not delete files I think I won’t need again.” (Europe)  “I’m glad hardly any institutions really bothered to collect internet art—it will make it so much more valuable in the future.” (Australia)

If you build it, will they come? Will they stay?

Serving Users “New York Public Library is the Library of the unaffiliated.” Josh Greenberg, NYPL

Serving Users

“My god... so horrible. i came here cuz my favorite band wrote a song on it, and I remember seeing about the fire on tv, but... I had no idea. Some of them had the same name as me, and that 11 year old girl... That’s two years younger than me. if i had been alive, I could have been one of those girls.” — AM, PA 12 May 2006

There are still sweatshops in NYC. One needs only to look out of the Manhattan bound elevated D train and into the windows of buildings where young Asian women slave for meager wages. — JC, Broad Channel NY 28 Aug 2009

“For those of you working with MOA Cornell could use please, please, please, contact Cornell and demand its restoration! This is really too important to take sitting down.” --disgruntled power user

Special Collections in the 21 st Century The Special Collections Grave-Yard?The Special Collections Renaissance? Content, Community, Commodity Tools, and a New Lens

“It must rock to be a librarian in this age.”