Strategies for Building Successful Digital Initiatives:
Tools, Workflows and Ideas for Small to Medium Institutions
Rachel L. Frick & Andrew RounerUniversity 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: 3rd GoalStrategies, 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 servicesCalifornia 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 is not XML– Vendor Specifications Document
• http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/library/digital/IMLSdata/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