Selection Criteria for Digital Projects
Joan Beaudoin ARLIS/NA at Altitude May 3, 2008
Outline • • • • •
Background Research Criteria Application Conclusion Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia, watercolor by Jules Guerin, 1912
Background • IMLS Internship • Free Library of Philadelphia’s (PIX) Print and Picture Collection • Philadelphiana Collection Print Department, Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia, c. 1927
Samuel Castner Scrapbook Collection
PIX, Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 2007
Research • • • •
Interview Contacted directly Diglib listserv Searches
Centre Square Water Works, W. R. Birch, c. 1800
Criteria Framework • • • • • • • • • • •
Use and Access Value Processing Preservation Institutional Intellectual Content Funding Copyright Technological Staffing Social Center Square with City Hall, 2005
Matrix
Frequency of Criteria 250
200
Use and Access Value Processing Preservation
150
Institutional Intellectual content Funding 100
Copyright Technical Staff Social
50
0 1
1. Use and Access • Supporting users needs • Frequency of use • Enhancing access & use
Memorial Hall, Philadelphia, 1876
2. Value • Artifactual/historical importance • Uniqueness or rarity • Significance to understanding topic
Bird’s eye view of the city of Philadelphia, J. Serz, c. 1865
3. Processing • Time & effort • Handling • Complexity
Aerial view of Philadelphia from Lemon Hill to City Hall, Dallin Aerial Survey Company, 1930
4. Preservation • Care & protection • Reduction in handling • Theft and/or mutilation
Schuylkill Water Works, W.H. Bartlett, 1839
5. Institutional • Mission statement / policies • Resource development • Prestige
Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia, c. 1927
6. Intellectual Content • Content representation • Level of description
Hall of the Academy of Natural Sciences, C. Burton, 1830
7. Funding • Money matters • Cost-benefit analyses
Second Bank of the United States, Philadelphia, c. 1865
8. Copyright • In public domain • Risk assessment
C.G. Henderson & Co. Publishers, Philadelphia, 1857
9. Technological • Adequacy of form • Infrastructure • Equipment
Koenig’s Telephone, Centennial Exhibition, 1876
10. Staffing • Available time • Expertise
Sculptor working on a model for the Central Library’s west pediment, 1925
11. Social • Partnerships
Horace Trumbauer and Julian Abele (the Central Library’s architects), mid 1930s
Framework Application Steps in the assessment process: • Review mission and policy statements • Using the criteria framework develop a series of questions and answers to drive your assessment – –
•
Use & Access: Who are the major constituents and what are their needs? Value: What holdings are most significant? …
Document your decisions
Closing Remarks • Access • Project funding • Develop a plan of action
Knee-Hi, the Central Library’s Mascot, 1938
Selected References Gertz, Janet. 1999. Selection Criteria for Preservation. Joint RLG and NPO Preservation Conference: Guidelines for Digital Imaging. Retrieved on April 22, 2007 from: http://www.rlg.org/preserv/joint/gertz.html Hazen, Dan, Jeffrey Horrell, and Jan Merrill-Oldham. 1998. Selecting Research Collections for Digitization. Washington, DC: Council on Library and Information Resources. Retrieved on April 22, 2007 from: http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/hazen/pub74.html Hughes, Lorna M. 2004. Digitizing Collections: Strategic Issues for the Information Manager. London: Facet Publishing. Mugridge, Rebecca L. 2006. SPEC Kit 294: Managing Digitization Activities. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries.
Thank you! Joan Beaudoin
[email protected]
