1. Wrangling a Digital Collection into Existence: The Boise State Western Writers Series Digital Editions
Rick Stoddart

2. I am not.. A digital collections guru A Special Collections Librarian
Me - unpack what I went through come to some understanding.
I am only a librarian

3. First group to Finish = Prize Basket!
Warm-Up
Match the Moo Cards to the Covers
Answer the questions
Two ideas behind this. 1. I don’t want you to sit there and me drone on at you 2. Actually get you into the collection Hopefully will generate some questions. Why things are done a certain way.
First group to Finish = Prize Basket!

4. Br – O – N – C - O
Bingo – yell out when I am speaking. Blackout prize too.

5. What we did is what we did
There is the right way
Speak to the uniqueness of each collection, the changes that occur in technology or personnel, or library’s mission. Standards are available
Then there is what we did

6. So what am I talking about…

7. It all started with a…

8. Cost 23 titles @ 50 pages = cheap
So let’s just slap pdfs up and be done with it. Right?

9. If it is that cheap, why involve the library?
“Natural Fit”
Shared cost – Common interest
Cataloging – gets these in OPACS
Prestige
Library has the technology to create and support

10. WIN – WIN - WIN

11. Got the Okay

12. < Smile >

13. Get a MOU!
What’s a Mou?

14. To OCR or not to OCR that is the question!

15. Copyright, right?

16. Decide on format (PDF)

17. Take to Print Shop

18. < breathe >

19. Hold your horses! CHANGE FORMAT (ARCHIVE PDF)

20. New Hire in Special Collections

21. Enter Content-DM wearing a white hat

22. Meanwhile back on the ranch…
Catalogers help with OCLC records

23. <breathe>

24. EXCEPT!!!! ContentDM upgrade changes URLS

25. Catalogers Freak!

26. Meanwhile back on the ranch… Splash Page – Too many cooks

27. Which begs the question…
What does WEST mean?

28. Nobody likes the Splash Page

29. Flaming arrows of promotion

30. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Everybody freaks out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

31. Circle the Wagons!

32. Launch?

33. On campus?
FOOD?
Cost?

34. Enter THE CABIN (stage right)

35. < breathe >
All done right?

36. It disappeared into the dust-cloud of the web!
After launch…
It disappeared into the dust-cloud of the web!

37. Why bother?

38. THIS IS LIBRARIANSHIP

39. Website is up & in ContentDM

41. Launch was a success on many levels

42. Lessons Never enough communication
Don’t be the only conduit
Planning is fine but expect things to change.
Don’t lock yourself in
Put the collection before perfection
It won’t be perfect – accessibility should be your goal
It is a process – it really never ends
Celebrate your victories

43. It might be helpful to think of the project like this:
Cataloging is a separate thing. Care for this entity. Waxing philosphically about being a librarian but care for the collection.
Instead of this: website+digitization=WWS

44. Don’t let it die on the virtual shelf!
Upcoming
Wikipedia links
More digitized volumes possibly coming
Move to Scholar Works?

45. So… What did I do right/wrong? What would you do different?

46. Links to standards, collections, & resources for Digital Collections
October page views for the /westernwriters splash page November page views December January

47. It all started with a…
Talk with your faculty. Talk with your community. Yeah this was a lot of work in bureaucratic sense but really the cost was minimal