$40,000 Planning Grant November 2008-October 2009

BHL IMLS Leadership Grant Update

Retooling Special Collections Scanning in the Age of Mass Digitization

Internet Archive Leaders Forum October 19-20, 2009

Partner Institutions:• Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia• American Museum of Natural History, New York• Harvard University – Botany Libraries• Harvard University – Ernst Mayr Library/MCZ• Internet Archive, San Francisco• Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis• The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx

BHL Associates:• Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, DC• MBL/WHOI, Woods Hole, MA

Essential elements to the planning process:

A review of current processes used for scanning oversized & special collections

A comparative cost analysis of the various processes

An exploration of methods to standardize & expedite the processes

Essential elements to the planning process cont.

An evaluation and comparison of the quality versus cost of each process

The ability to associate unique metadata with duplicate copies of rare works

The ability to deliver duplicate copies of unique works with the associated metadata in a cogent fashion via the BHL portal

Desired results include:

Provide cost, quality, and manpower estimates for each scanning method to inform & improve decision-making

Determine strategies to accomplish digitization in a cost- effective manner taking advantage of economies of scale and process & technology learning curves

Provide valuable data to share with IMLS and the special collections community

Identify new methodologies and partnerships to digitize special collections materials

Suggest ways to improve metadata to better describe and discover special collections materials

1st BHL-IMLS Planning MeetingHarvard UniversityNovember 20, 2008

Meeting 1 Goals:

Evaluate current processes

Explore work flow patterns

Explore cost models

Establish guidelines for customized descriptions

Establish parameters for small scale tests

Determine objective metrics to identify “rare books”

Review of current processes used for scanning oversized & special collections

Bookeye (MBG/NYBG)

Boston Photo Imaging (Harvard)

Google Books (Harvard)

Harvard Imaging Services (ScanRobot (Treventus), IA partnership)

Internet Archive (oversize solutions)

Kirtas (NYBG, Smithsonian)

Inhouse Boutique Services (ANS, Harvard, MBG, NYBG, Smithsonian)

Other solutions (Qidenus Technologies, Cruse Digital Scanners, etc.)

A comparative cost analysis of the various processes:

Cost estimates based on 300 page book:

BHL/Internet Archive partners

• Low of $30.25 per vol. (WHOI)

• High of $52.50 per vol. (Smithsonian)

Other external vendors (Kirtas et al.) (including some oversize

materials)

• Low of $51 per vol. (w/out overhead/Smithsonian)

• High of $120 per vol. (NYBG)

In house scanning estimates (generally oversize materials)

• Low of $123 per vol. (MBG)

• High of $10,500 per vol. (Smithsonian) 

2nd BHL-IMLS Planning MeetingAcademy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia

April 20, 2009

Goals:

Describe a portable scanning center with associated costs

Estimate the percentage of eligble items via this new model

Compare all current costs for both mass scanning and special collections scanning based on real numbers

Estimate how many items would be done per year at each location and how long they would stay there

Explore Wikipedia, LibraryThing, OpenLibrary applications

Outline the next phase of the grant & continued funding

3rd BHL-IMLS Planning MeetingInternet Archive, San Francisco

October 18, 2009

Goals: Review test results

Review lessons learned

Discuss current market place

Outline final report

Plan new grant request

Comparison of the Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Vol. 23, no. 1, 1897(title page, plate 12, folded map)

a.Harvard Image Services

b.Internet Archive

c.Biodiversity Heritage Library

Comparison of

Isert, Paul Erdmann. Voyages en Guinée et dans les îles Caraïbes en Amérique …

Paris,1793.

a.Google Books

b.New York Botanical Garden

Preliminary Conclusions:

Boutique is better

Fold outs can be fun

Costs are coming down

Duplication can be desirable