The Digital Transformation of Special Collections

ABSTRACT

The effect of digital technology on special collections has been profound and ongoing. The purpose of this article is to explore the effect born digital materials, digitization, and intellectual property have had on special collections in the 21st century. In particular this study will focus on how archival materials have been significantly transformed by interacting with digital technology—providing both challenges in management and opportunities for new online environments to expose this content worldwide. Finally, a research experiment underway at the University of Virginia Library offers a framework that may help highlight some strategies for exploiting new opportunities going forward.     

直面数字文献的挑战

探讨数字技术给文献管理带来的风险与新问题,论述相应的解决方案与正在开展的研究工作。建议全面、广泛地研究数字图书馆,以减少数字文献管理过程中的隐患。     

Developing Collections of Web-Published Materials

Abstract

Librarians and archivists face challenges when adapting traditional collection development practices to meet the unique characteristics of Web-published materials. Likewise, preservation activities for Web-published materials must be undertaken at the outset of collection development lest they be lost forever. Standards and best practices for Web-collection development are still emerging, and librarians are struggling with the often daunting financial, staffing, and infrastructure challenges posed by collecting and preserving these materials. The results of a needs assessment with librarians, information providers, and academic researchers informed the identification of key collection development activities for Web-published materials. This research was conducted as part of the Web-at-Risk project, a collaborative effort of the California Digital Library, the University of North Texas, and New York University.     

Managing Serials in a Large Digital Library: Case Study of the UNT Libraries Digital Collections

The Portal to Texas History (http://texashistory.unt.edu) and the University of North Texas (UNT) Digital Library (http://digital.library.unt.edu) contain more than 445,000 items collectively, hosted by the UNT Libraries. These collections include a variety of serial publications such as newsletters, magazines, scholarly journals, annual reports, and yearbooks. Many of these serials are key resources for the user groups of both repositories. In this article, we discuss the importance of serials within our collections, some of the challenges, the standards we use, and how we leverage metadata to facilitate access to serials for diverse global users.     

Libraries in Second Life: Linking Collections,Clients, and Communities in a Virtual World

The multi-user virtual environment Second Life has drawn attention from many librarians who established virtual libraries and information spaces there. Even as interest in Second Life diminishes, it is worthwhile to look at how libraries in Second Life were established and what models they followed. This study examines the purposes, users, collections, and community integration of Second Life libraries. Researchers identified over 75 libraries in Second Life through the professional literature and search results within Second Life. Using this sample, they identified seven general categories of libraries and discuss examples of each. Some Second Life library spaces help to set a scene and contribute to the ethos of a larger space. Other Second Life libraries connect physical libraries with virtual communities. Still others serve communities that exist only in virtual spaces, supporting common interests or role-playing scenarios. Finally, some Second Life libraries expand understandings of what a virtual library might be, whether through imaginative architecture or unusual collections. Second Life libraries offer collections of resources tailored to the needs of individual communities and make them available in different formats. They also offer social and educational programs, much as physical libraries do. Whatever the future of Second Life, the libraries that have been established there raise important questions for future virtual library work.     

Renovating Special Collections Facilities

ABSTRACT

Special collections play an increasingly important role in university libraries. As library collections move to digital formats and collections are similar from one library to another, special collections are one of the ways in which libraries can build a distinct identity. Because of their unique nature, special collections must be permanently retained because of their artifact value and need specialized storage conditions with appropriate levels of security. Library administrators will increasingly face the need to provide expanded space for special collections as well as improving storage conditions to ensure that unique and valuable materials are preserved for research in the future.     

数字馆藏风险管理初探

对数字馆藏的安全隐患进行风险管理,是当前文献信息保存机构极为关注的热点之一。基于风险管理的基本流程,对数字馆藏风险管理策略进行探讨,介绍风险管理的概念及内涵,对数字馆藏面临的风险进行识别与评估,并在此基础上提出数字馆藏的风险控制策略。     

实体馆藏与虚拟馆藏选择准则比较研究

实体馆藏与虚拟馆藏建设 ,在目标、原则、方针和策略等方面 ,有极大的相似性。虚拟馆藏建设在虚拟信息资源的生存状况和使用环境方面有特殊性。实践中应掌握实体馆藏和虚拟馆藏建设选择准则之间的差别和侧重点。参考文献 10。     

The Uncertain Future for Digital Visual Collections in the University

Digital documents in the networked information environment fundamentally change the ways that visual materials can be used in education and scholarly discourse. These new uses raise questions about research library strategies with regard to digitized visual materials as a part of their collections, challenge assumptions underlying intellectual property rights for images and their scope, and offer ways in which visual literacy can become a more integral part of the common educational experience.     

从需求出发:文物信息数字化采集、加工的思考与实践——北京古观象台天文藏品的数字化信息采集加工

在博物馆藏品信息数字化建设过程中经常会遇到“研究和教育需要的信息未采集”或“采集的信息用处不大”的问题。北京古观象台坚持以需求为导向的方针,根据基于藏品的研究与教育的需求,对藏品信息及其数字化建设遵循了“把握基本需求—了解所需藏品信息—确定工作思路—采集实践”的技术路线,保证了信息采集与数字化工作成果的质量与可用性。     

浅谈高校馆藏档案数字化服务外包 ——以武汉大学为例

档案数字化是当前乃至今后各级各类档案馆面临的一项长期工作内容和工作方向,是数字档案馆建设的基础。本文以武汉大学为例,探讨了档案数字化服务外包的具体要求和标准。     

From the ACRL 13th National Conference: Collaborative Solutions to Digitization for College Library Special Collections

ABSTRACT

While much has been written on individual digital project planning, little has been discussed in the area of collaborative digital projects, especially at the college library level. The aim of this article is to examine a variety of collaborative solutions that have been implemented by Franklin and Marshall College at the institutional, local, regional, and national levels. With the assistance of an analytical questionnaire, readers will learn to evaluate their college library collections for successful digitization and identify collaborative opportunities at various levels.     

数字图书馆中多媒体馆藏与服务的建立

介绍岭南大学开发网上多媒体馆藏,并在香港开拓性地利用多媒体点播技术,通过互联网提供数字图书馆服务的实践。得出以下结论:多媒体技术对数字图书馆的影响无法估量,图书馆界应仔细研究和分析多媒体对数字图书馆的影响,充分发掘其潜能,并在引入多媒体服务的过程中,彼此分享经验,共建共享数字化资源。     

Identifying and Interpreting Prewar and Wartime Jewish Photographs in Polish Digital Collections

Prewar and wartime photographs of Polish Jews are historical documents and unique records. A worldwide interest in photographs presenting Jewish life in Poland on the eve of the Holocaust and during the war has been sustained by the traveling exhibit And I Still See Their Faces: Images of Polish Jews, which first opened in Poland in 1996. In recent years, some Polish archives and research institutes have begun digitizing their photography collections, including prewar and wartime photographs of Polish Jews and their communities. In this article, the author focuses on two main questions: the archiving and retrieval of digitized photographs and the identification and subject analysis of the digitized collections, including participatory or social “tagging.”     

Electronic vs. Print Reference Sources in Public Library Collections

Summary

The evolution of electronic sources has had a significant impact on reference collections in libraries, and public library reference collections are no exception.

Evaluating, selecting, and organizing sources to meet the needs of public library users has always been a fundamental role of public librarians. However, now they have the added responsibility of evaluating electronic resources and deciding whether the electronic sources will supplement or replace traditional paper reference sources. Issues of authority, accessibility, cost, comfort, and user education must be carefully weighed during this evaluative process.     

Collaborative Approaches to the Management of Geospatial Data Collections in Canadian Academic Libraries: A Historical Case Study

The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) is a consortium of the twenty-one university libraries in Ontario, Canada. Since 1967, OCUL member institutions have worked together to share costs and workload through collective purchasing and licensing of information resources and more recently through the establishment of a shared digital infrastructure known as Scholars Portal. Under the auspices of OCUL, Ontario's university map librarians formed the OCUL Map Group in 1973 to seek opportunities to communicate and collaborate to improve the collections and services they offer their users. The opportunities provided by collaboration have ensured a greater capacity to manage evolving collections of geospatial data. The group has served as a community of practice, which has provided educational opportunities and facilitated collaborative problem solving through a listserv, conference calls, and face-to-face meetings. This collegial environment has also led to the completion of a number of projects, which have resulted in the creation of new technical infrastructures and strategies for sharing the workload of data management tasks. This paper discusses the role of collaboration in OCUL projects and offers some suggestions for others considering embarking on collaborations of their own.     

Know Your Crowd: A Case Study in Digital Collection Marketing

Digitized special collections and institutional repositories present unique challenges to libraries struggling to identify marketing strategies that will entice patrons to these services. These collections, which do not have the same mass appeal as full-text articles or author book readings, still must attract use. This case study explores an academic library’s attempts to actively market its digital special collections. They advertised their collections via published marketing materials, a library services fair, and a photography contest. The results were that high-quality, intense, marketing for a general population does not work for specialized digital collections because the subject areas are too narrow for general interest. The scope of the audience was also misplaced since the collections had a greater market outside the university than with the local students. The authors looked at digital special collections that were successful to see what worked to market collections to outside users. They found that collections that were connected to external resources that were affiliated with different interest groups were successful with minimal marketing. The method of linking collections to Wikipedia was identified as a simple and effective method that was more effective than linking the collection to more niche sites. The authors conclude that academic libraries should utilize more focused, community-connecting approaches in order to engage the specialized patrons of digital special collections.