Planning for Digitization Public Library Partnership Project​ ​ Jennifer Birnel, Montana Memory Project​ Digital Public Library of America​ ​ September 2015 Welcome to this first module of the Public Library Partnership Project curriculum. My name is…I work… Digitizing and sharing content has certainly become more valued in the last five years. Still, not everyone understands the value and the importance of sharing digital content.

You have considered creating a digital collection but… How do I begin? Is it worth the time and effort? How do I convince my administrators of the importance? What about the cost of resources – equipment and people? You have considered creating a digital collection, but you may be asking yourself the following questions…. So your big questions are How do you get buy-in? How do you get other people to understand the value and let you have the resources you need?

What is digitization? It is a process. Selection Cataloging Reformatting Sharing To answer these questions we need to understand what it means to digitize something. It is more than just scanning stuff. It is an entire process of steps and each step is important. The first step in the process is to select the items you would like to share. The second step is to catalogue the items. The items need to be catalogued with information that will help make them discoverable. The third step is to reformat the items to make them shareable. The final step is the key step in the process. Share the content with an audience. Now that we understand the digitization process let’s discuss some reasons why it is important to share your content.

Access and Discovery Contribute to the local, state, regional, and national historical record about people, places, and events. Improve accessibility to special collections. Digitizing your content makes it more accessible and discoverable. For example, Is your cultural content locked in a special cupboard or vault. Perhaps it is hidden behind a desk or sitting in a box. It is only accessible if someone knows it exists and requests it – and even then we may hesitate to share. Digitized content contributes to the pool of cultural heritage materials and other research content available online. Digitizing our content helps share the stories we tell about our history.

Preservation Protects rare content Increase usability of materials otherwise inaccessible due to condition Digitization can help preserve our valuable content. We often hide our special items or store them in locations that deter use because we are worried the items will be damaged or stolen. These are valid concerns. Digitization allows the ability to share rare, fragile items with a broad audience and white gloves are not necessary. Digital formats aren’t necessarily more long-term than physical ones, but they do serve as a back-up. Here is an example of why a digital copy can be better for users and for preserving the originals. One public library has a series of books on the architecture in the community. The series was created by a local author and they are no longer in print. The books have been used annually in a middle school project and are beginning to show the wear and tear. In an effort to protect the books from further damage while still making the books accessible to a large number of students, they were digitized and made available on the internet.

Institutional Web Presence Increase visibility of institution and collections. Improve traffic to your online resources and your website. Digital collections can help improve your institutional web presence. Creating an online presence takes time and it is helpful to be discoverable in more than one way. Adding digital content can create pathways to your institution, that did not previously exist.

Partnerships Combine resources in your local community   Establishing partnerships with local community members and organizations can help you reach your goals. Partnerships with clubs, community organizations, and government agencies can lead to better resources. For example a public library can partner with the local museum, historical society, churches or local clubs to share resources. These resources may include knowledge, staff time, volunteers, computer equipment, and money for projects. http://mtmemory.org/cdm/fullbrowser/collection/p16013coll27/id/6116/rv/singleitem/rec/38 Let’s use this photograph as an example, as to how partners can assist you in the digitization process. . To many of us, this image may just be of a train at a station. A train enthusiast, on the other hand, might be able to tell you the exact type of train in the image, how long this type of train was in use, and maybe could even tell you where it typically traveled. This kind of knowledge is needed when cataloging and adds context to your image. Combine resources in your local community

Partners improve your reach Partnerships with community organizations can also help you improve your reach. Partners can help connect you to their broader networks and connect your resources with new communities. Partnerships with larger regional and national hubs can help you share your content. These types of partners can also help provide technical support.

Partners share knowledge & learn Partners can share their knowledge and help us learn new things. Try to connect with other institutions doing similar projects to collaborate and for new learning opportunities. CC BY-NC-ND https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:5h73wc488 Image courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection via Digital Commonwealth.

The final reason to consider a digitization project is that your content is just one piece of the a much larger whole. The stories told by your content can multiply when it appears with content from multiple institutions.​ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 photo by: droetker0912 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/58020577@N06 One piece of a whole

5 Tips for Getting Started with a Digitization Project Now that we have discussed some big ideas of why it is important to digitize and share your content, I’d like to share 5 tips for getting started with a digitization project. https://www.digitalnc.org/blog/digital-project-planning/

Tip 1: Where? Decide where the content will live. Can a partner host it for you? Can you host it locally? Do you need to purchase space? Once you have created digital content it needs a place to live. Not only do you need storage space, but you will want to share the content with an audience. Explore if there is a DPLA Hub in your area. Can you work with the hub? Can you work with other local, state or regional partners to make your digital content accessible? CC BY-SA 2: photo by Andrew Hart https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewfhart/8106200690/in/gallery-francoispacaud-72157636423488913/

Tip 2: When? Know your timeline. Do you have a deadline? When can you begin? How long will it take? Will you have help? Do you have a deadline date. Work backwards from the date and determine if you can finish this project on time. You may encounter problems along the way and having extra time is optimal. CC BY 2.0 photo by smbuckley23 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/17207222@N02

Tip 3: How? Consider the staff & resources required. Will partners help with the work? Is there a DPLA hub in your state? Will you use a vendor for any of the work? Do you need to purchase equipment? These suggestions appear on the slide listed in order of preference. Partnerships are highly encouraged to share the work load of a digital project. Partners can assist with financial resources, staffing, and equipment. Vendors can be hired for reformatting and often can help with others tasks related to the project. Of course, vendors charge for their services, but the expense may be worth it. Reformatting is time consuming and can be expensive to do in-house as well. The other option is to purchase the proper equipment to do the reformatting tasks. This equipment is expensive and is only advised if your volume of reformatting warrants it. Keep in mind that equipment, like all technology, becomes outdated quickly. It is often less expensive to work with a vendor than to purchase your own equipment.   No copyright on image. (Anna took it)

Tip 4: Why? Be ready to explain why it is important to create digital collections. Access Discover Use Be ready to explain why it is important to create digital collections. CC BY-NC-ND http://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/2227n971g

Tip 5: What? Select the items you will digitize. See the Selecting Content module in this curriculum for more information.