European strategies for digitisation: the context of i2010 digital libraries Pat Manson Head of Unit Cultural Heritage and Technology Enhanced Learning

European strategies for digitisation: the context of i2010 digital libraries

Pat MansonHead of UnitCultural Heritage and Technology Enhanced LearningDirectorate General Information Society and Media

LIBER/EBLIDA Workshop on Digitisation, Copenhagen, October 2007

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scene setting

Long history of supporting innovation in libraries, in networking and in digitisation

A virtuous circle of actions – but unbalanced at European level

Political - Political - limitedlimited

Strategic - Strategic - intermittentintermittent

Operational – Operational – more than 100 more than 100 M€ in projects since 2000M€ in projects since 2000

Lasting effect on structures in Member States Balance between actions, optimise leveraging


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overview of presentation

Background to our strategies Political framework Current state of play

The challenges – with focus on digitisation

Our strategies for dealing with them – strategically and operationally


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background: i2010 a reminder

i2010: Commission strategy for the Information Society – announced a flagship initiative on Digital Libraries: digitisation, accessiblity and preservation of cultural and scientific information i2010: digital libraries – launched 2 years ago

Quality access to content for all Common multilingual access point Work needed on 3 interlinked axes:

Digitisation Online accessibility Digital preservation

Made visible and operationalised through the European Digital Library


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why Digital Libraries at European level?

Everyone should be able to access individual and shared heritage

Not only today but into the future Shaped by common effort not disparate local solutions

Creative and economic potential of cultural and scientific content Supporting education and research New cultural and creative industries Cultural expression and tourism Media rich services


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i2010 digital libraries ―a framework for actions

Commission Communication (2005) identified issues that were political, strategic and operational ―

applied to digitisation, accessibility and preservation

Commission Recommendation to Member States (2006) Set out actions to tackle the challenges

Council Conclusions (Nov 2006) endorsed actions, set out timeframe for all actors confirmation of work towards the European Digital Library

European Parliament own initiative report (Sep 2007) Endorsed the Commission’s actions and calls

upon Member States Supported European Digital Library


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Council Conclusions ― more specifically

Council invites Member States: To reinforce national strategies and targets and co-ordination

within and between Member States To contribute to the European digital library To contribute to an overview of progress at European level To improve framework conditions

Council invites Commission: To stimulate & coordinate work towards European Digital Library To improve policy coordination To address framework conditions To set up and chair a Member States Experts group and steer

process of implementing the actions To report on implementation progress, first time in 2008

Clear framework for actions with concrete timeframes– who should do what by when


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the main challenges:legal - financial - technical

Copyrights

Problem - 20th century black hole Addressed on strategic and operational level Orphan works

Different categories -> different problems -> different solutions Scalability of search guidelines Practical mechanisms for clearing rights, registries Big test: legal recognition between MS of orphan work status

Out of print works Model licence

Strategic recommendations agreed between stakeholders Next step – practical operational test beds that create body

of evidence as to what works, if regulatory intervention is needed


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the main challenges:legal - financial - technical

Digitisation costs

Coordinated approaches to avoid redundancy – selection, prioritisation

Identification of what has been digitised

Incentives for public private partnerships Sponsorship, co-funding, technical support Need for body of experience on benefits and risks Guidelines from sub group of High Level Group

Improving technologies for digitisation Reduce costs for mass digitisation, for specific materials Competence centres – leverage, research improved solutions,

export competence, skills and services to smaller organisations


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European Digital Library

Our strategy –operational role of the European Digital Library

Showcase the effects ofpolitical and strategic actions on the core problems

Retains political interest

Politically endorsed targets Integrating critical mass of content into EDL Reflect heterogeneity and connections between content

in different formats and institutions Implies – need for joined up digitisation policies and

strategies, at national and EU level


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measuringinvestments and progress

Input and output of digitisation – quantitative measures reported back to the political process

Member States – collect information on current and planned digitisation efforts

Commission study – statistical methodologies and indicators Absolute and relative digitisation costs Baseline statistical overview of digitisation volumes Ways to measure digitisation progress

Contractor IPF asking for input from stakeholders

NUMERIC newsletter


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conclusions

i2010 - digital libraries: not just a short term goal but a process

Long term vision demands Cooperation of all stakeholders (ALMs plus private

sector) Already being taken forward in EDLnet New services and new business models Technically – providing multilingual access;

interoperability in short term and longer term frameworks

Digitisation today must adopt practices that will support future usability and accessibility of digitised content


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Further information from

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/... “i2010 - Digital Libraries”: ...activities/digital_libraries/ eContentPlus: ...activities/econtentplus/ ICT workprogramme / FP7: ...research/eu_research

NUMERIC study: www.numeric.ws

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European strategies for digitisation: the context of i2010 digital libraries Pat Manson Head of Unit Cultural Heritage and Technology Enhanced Learning