Cornell Institute for Digital Collections DIGITIZATION AND THE DIGITAL: THE IMPACT ON ACADEMIC LIBRARIES Peter B. Hirtle Cornell Institute for Digital Collections

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections Overview Describe CIDC and digital library infrastructure at Cornell Identify trends Speculate on the impact of the trends on libraries Suggest what libraries will need to do during the next decade

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections What Constitutes a Digital Library? Digital Collections Networked Resources Electronic Library Services Scholarly Communication Distributed Learning Library Management System Long-term Preservation and Access

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections What does CIDC do? Explores the use of digital technologies in teaching and research –Cornell focus, but with a broader perspective –Builds digital collections –Educates, through workshops, publications, and consulting

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections Representative projects Image collections: –Slide libraries –Performing arts –19th-century architectural photographs –Birds

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections

Museum Online project Collaborative project with the H. F. Johnson Art Museum Digitize 25,000+ objects in the museum –purchase of high-end digital cameras –staffing and systems support –two year time frame Add subject terms to public access catalog

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections Textual materials – printed and MSS The concern of many units Examples: –Making of America –Core Historical Literature of Agriculture –Core Historical Literature of Home Economics –SagaNet

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections What have we learned? –The library is central to campus-wide digital initiatives Technical skill, broad interests, more resources –Users like digital resources Don’t care about institutional boundaries Don’t care about quality –Increase in non-traditional users

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections 1 st Trend: More material available online Material from vendors MOA; JSTOR; EEBO; CHIN “Million Books” project ArtSTOR European initiatives –“automatic” digitization? The challenge is informing users about what is available.

2 nd Trend: Increasing reliance on digital Traditional Materials Usage

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections 3rd Trend: User expectations increase It’s not electronic microfilm –MOA example It’s not just digital collections –Catalog example: catalog vs. IMDB, AllMusic, Amazon

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections 4th Trend: Dramatic technology improvements See Bill Arms, “Automated Digital Libraries How Effectively Can Computers Be Used for the Skilled Tasks of Professional Librarianship?” D-Lib Magazine, July/August 2000 “If professional and research information is to be available more widely, either users must bypass libraries, or libraries will have to employ fewer people.”

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections “Over the past thirty-five years, libraries have automated routine clerical tasks, such as circulation or filing catalog cards. Is it possible that, at some future date, computers might assume the skilled tasks that now require professional librarians?”

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections Impact on libraries: What won’t change Existing collections Role as cultural repository Global perspective Effective organization of information Staff/patron interaction Commitment to equitable access Commitment to long-term preservation

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections What will need to change Enhanced catalogs and information systems –Library “branding” of resources More links to available online information –Catalog is no longer site specific More emphasis on items unique to the library

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections What role can the library play? There are other digital “libraries”: what is unique about us? –Assertion of authenticity –Commitment to permanence –Development of digital library “services”

D-LIT Consultancy Services COPYRIGHT SERVICES DIGITIZATION SERVICES SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATION SERVICES DIGITAL PRESERVATION SERVICES METADATA SERVICES DISTRIBUTED LEARNING SERVICES

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections Advantages of service model Exploits our expertise in: –Preservation –Authenticity –Metadata –Copyright

Cornell Institute for Digital Collections How can the changes be implemented? Reallocation? –Legacy behaviors –Legacy collections Collaboration New funds There will still be a need for the library: How we meet that need is the tough question