Issues in managing a digitization project State agency serial publications with large color and foldout maps by Carol La Russa and Karen Andrews University of California, Davis ASEE ELD Session 3241

Description  Selected 2 California state agency bulletin series for digitization: –California Division of Mines & Geology –California Division of Water Resources  Large, old sets still in demand  No copyright issues  Of broad interest throughout the state

Opportunity  Grant money paid for digitization  First attempt at digitizing a monographic serial  First attempt at digitizing large maps  Preserve fragile material  Make maps and text freely available to the world

Description Issues   Analyzed serial set has volumes with individual titles and authors   The series was done by different state agencies over time = title changes!   Unclear as to what individual volumes were really part of series

Project Issues  Tight deadline  Needed to involve staff from 4 units  Logistics of staff location vs books  Conflicting project demands  Needed expertise in multiple areas

Managerial Issues  Determine effective staff utilization  Make decisions involving trade-offs  Obtain missing volumes  Resolve earlier cataloging errors  Monitor workflow and progress

Staff Workload Issues  Locate an OCLC catalog record for each individual volume  Finding the right record was tricky!  Evaluate book condition  Prepare spreadsheet entry for each item

External Issues  Communication with IA production staff  IA data processes not set up to accommodate monographic serials  Differing specifications from two organizations: IA and CDL

Metadata Issues  Need for multiple finding points –Author and title of individual volume –Series title, plus volume, issue number and date  Software enhancement will allow future upgrades to minimal records (Wonderfetch)

Quality Control  Complete review of one series as a testbed  Staff developed procedure to review digital images for adequate quality  Developed efficient method for catching problems  Options exist to correct some problems

Common Issues  Entities doing mass digitization haven’t worked much with government documents and technical reports  Data extraction algorithms are not set up to extract series names and report numbers in addition to author and title  For engineering sources, these are vital!  Best linking practices needed  Readers need cues on how best to browse and view pages within books

Outcomes  Nearly 1,000 volumes from 2 series were digitized, including large maps  Anticipate expanding using one-time funding  Digitized volumes already receiving high use!

Conclusion  There’s gold in them thar hills!  Researchers in environmental and civil engineering find the maps and 24/7 digital access useful  The public wants to see the maps and tables  Enhancements desired  It isn’t perfect, but it’s a good start.