Download - J. WILLARD MARRIOTT LIBRARY January 23, 2008Kenning Arlitsch Starting and Sustaining Digitization Projects: The Utah Experience 2000-2008.

January 23, 2008 Kenning Arlitsch

J. WILLARD MARRIOTT LIBRARY

Starting and Sustaining Digitization Projects:

The Utah Experience

2000-2008



Utah’s Digital Library Background

• Successful digitization program – http://www.lib.utah.edu/digital/– 6 million+ digital objects

• Documents, photographs, maps, art prints, books, newspapers, audio & video streaming

– ~ $2 million grant funding since 2001

• Hosted and aggregated collaborative projects– Mountain West Digital Library - http://mwdl.org

– Utah Digital Newspapers - http://digitalnewspapers.org

– Western Waters Digital Library - http://westernwaters.org

• All supported by CONTENTdm– Users since 2000



IT Services• Digital Technologies (4 FTE)

– Digitization

• Application Development (6 FTE)– Software development– ILS– Web Services

• Library website and staff intranet, graphic design

• PC Systems (6 FTE)– Staff desktop support– Server administration– Edge networking



Digital Library Hardware• Two CONTENTdm servers

– One exclusively for digital newspapers– 40Tb virtualized Dell server w/VMWare

• TomCat/MySQL and JRun/MSSQL• Scanners

– 5 flatbed (3 with document feeders)– 1 Nikon 4000 film scanner– 1 Zeutschel OS 10000 book scanner– 1 Hasselblad H3D camera with lights/copy stand– 1 Epson 10000 large format printer



Reality Check• Nine years in the making

• In 2000– 1 librarian– 1 PT scanning technician

• “Space” on library’s web server



Services offered• Scanning

– MWDL partners, faculty, students, public

• Printing– Large format (44” wide by proportional length)

• Hosting– Low and high resolution (Full Resolution Manager)– Harvesting into MWDL required

• Minimal website development (CQR tool)• CONTENTdm support



Large Collaborative Aggregates• Mountain West Digital Library

– Utah Digital Newspapers– State-wide Digital Repository– State-wide EAD finding aid repository

• Western Waters Digital Library

• PKP OAI harvester



Mountain West Digital Library• Aggregated collections of Utah and Nevada• 500,000 digital objects of every format

– (currently excludes newspapers, finding aids, IR)

• Led by Utah Academic Library Consortium• Six regional centers run CONTENTdm

– Host smaller partners– Common metadata standard– Open Source PKP harvester at UU

MWDL websitehttp://mwdl.org

MWDL websitehttp://mwdl.org

Utah StateCONTENTdm

Server(Solaris)

Utah StateCONTENTdm

Server(Solaris)

U of UtahCONTENTdm

Server(Windows)

U of UtahCONTENTdm

Server(Windows)

BYUCONTENTdm

Server(Linux)

BYUCONTENTdm

Server(Linux)

SUUCONTENTdm

Server(Linux)

SUUCONTENTdm

Server(Linux)

Partners

Partners

Partners

Partners

MWDL Structure

Partners

Partners

Partners

Partners

PKP OAI Harvester



The MWDL Model• Partners retain control/identity of collections • Multiple access points to collections

– Local website– MWDL website– Object stored in only one place

• Digitization occurs in a uniform manner– High-end equipment, standards

• Revenue stream for regional centers– Structure is semi-self-sustaining

• Partners trained to apply metadata– Contribution and control



Utah Digital Newspapers• 600,000 pages currently available

– Full-text search– Browse by newspaper titles/articles– Hosted at UU, BYU, and USU

• Harvested with CDM Multi-Site Server

• Scanned from paper and microfilm• Partnership with iArchives Inc. and OCLC• Funding from LSTA, IMLS, and NEH/LC



Themes• Responsibility for the community

– Infrastructure that eases participation• Even for small institutions with no expertise/resources

– Ownership and identity with partners

• Standards-based– Imaging, metadata, harvesting, etc.

• Collections most important– Technologies are tools that get you there

• Can easily become a barrier



Open Source Development• ZContent (Perl)

– Z39.50 searching of CONTENTdm

• X-EAD (Java)

– Forms-based finding aid creation tool

• Ecommerce software

– Shopping cart for CDM with hand-off to secure transaction

• Clip-Imp (PHP)– Streaming media management software

• SKIS (Perl, MySQL)

– IR workflow software with deposit into CDM



Ecommerce service• Large-format photo-quality prints

• Credit card transactions

• Ship or pick-up



Open Source Adaptations• PKP harvester

– OAI compliant databases– Currently CONTENTdm and DSpace

• Lucene indexer– EAD XML finding aids



How did all this start?• Wrote proposal for digitization center in 1999• Personnel

– Me, one part-timer

• Funding– LSTA, IMLS, NEH

• Collection development committee– Difficulty making decisions



Choosing a first project• What will have the most impact?

– Institutional strength/popularity– Don’t underestimate “flashy”

• What will be easiest?– Choose something manageable– Early success begets success



Choosing a first project (cont’d)• What resources exist?

– Hardware/software/database– Systems administrator(s)– Scanning technician(s)– Metadata cataloger(s)– Web designer(s)

• Don’t let “perfect” be enemy of “good”– Jump in!– First projects are always learning processes



Sustaining the Digital LibraryThe digital library has the same resource requirements as a print library

• Collection Development

• Cataloging

• Reference

• Preservation

What is your institution’s level of commitment?



Contributing to the worldwide digital lib

• Exposing your data– Google– WorldCat

• Google Scholar

– OAISTER

• Keeping your data safe– Backup– Remote storage

• Digital archiving with OCLC