Strategies for Building Successful Digital Initiatives Tools Workflows

Strategies for Building Successful Digital Initiatives: Tools, Workflows and Ideas for Small to Medium Institutions Rachel L. Frick & Andrew Rouner University of Richmond

University of Richmond‘s Digital Initiatives • 2003 – Established a Task Force – Working Group Across IS and Libraries – Set Priorities – Repository vs. Digital Library – Identified existing technologies and expertise – Report drafted and published • Beginning Projects – Open URL link resolver – Meta-searching – Local digital collections

Digital Initiative Collections • Digital Library Collections – Publisher produced content: ejournals, images – E-reserves – Locally created digital collections • WWII pamphlets • Student Newspaper • Art Image Collection • Faculty Projects – Leptodactylus http: //learning. richmond. edu/Leptodactylus/ – Electronic Journal of Disaster Management • http: //www. richmond. edu/~wgreen/ejem. htm

Digital Initiative Collections • Digital Library Collections – Publisher produced databases and Content – E-reserves – Locally created digital collections • WWII pamphlets • Student Newspaper • Art Image Collection • Faculty Projects – Electronic Journal of Disaster Management • http: //www. richmond. edu/~wgreen/ejem. htm – Leptodactylus http: //learning. richmond. edu/Leptodactylus/

DI Overdrive: IMLS Grant Project Details • September 2003 – May 2006 – Awarded IMLS funding • One of 3 IMLS funded newspaper projects • 2+ year grant • Collaboration with experienced partner • Digitizing 3 newspapers

IMLS Grant Project: Goals • Create a digital collection of 3 newspapers: content & data • Research cost beneficial strategies for imaging, tagging and accessing digital material • Develop tools, workflows and strategies for like organizations starting or refining digital library activities

Today’s Focus: 3 rd Goal Strategies, Workflows, & Tools • Determine what is most important to you • Imaging • Text file creation: OCR vs. Double re-key • Metadata • Expertise Inventory • Buy, Borrow, & Create

Outsourcing Digital Creation: Vendor Relations • Identify appropriate vendor partners and services California Digital Library http: //cpc. stanford. edu/cndp/ Colorado Digitization Program http: //www. cdpheritage. org/resource/introduction/index. html • Communication Tools • Quality Control • Data Tracking

Outsourcing Digital Creation: Vendor Communication Tools • Initial Proposals or Request for Information – Proof of Concept / Real Examples • Master Service Agreements & Statements of Work – Dates, delivery, file formats and naming, etc. • Agreement on Specifications – XML is not XML – Vendor Specifications Document • http: //oncampus. richmond. edu/academics/library/digital/IMLSd ata/url_vendor_specs. htm

Outsourcing Digital Creation: Vendor Performance • Quality Measurement & Assessment Standards: – Double Rekey – 99. 9% accuracy rate – OCR – varies depending on image quality – Confidence vs. accuracy/ Letter vs. Word accuracy – Get it in writing: performance penalties, ramifications for missed deadlines, “return policy” • Consider phasing data processing

Outsourcing Digital Creation: Tracking Data • Image Files – Archival image – Delivery / surrogate image • Text Files – Link to image – File naming • Corrections & Versioning

Details • Current state of affairs: • Over 10, 589 image files – 1355 txt files processed • 1474 text files in the queue and 1266 more coming • Data loading begins in November • Opening day slated for January 2006 • Final report May 2006

Parting Shot • Build on the success of others – Developers willing to share – Digital Registries – Great time to collaborate • Standards and Best Practices • Resources – IMLS -http: //www. niso. org/framework/Framework 2. html – NEDCC – DLF