Why Digitize Your Collection?

I was talking to some people about digitization and then began realizing that not everyone understands the important of digitizing collections in Archives and Libraries.

We all hear about access when it comes to digitization.  People all over the world will be able to see the photos in your collection.  This helps out researchers and genealogists.  It may even get someone to go to the library when they would not otherwise visit – even if it is a virtual visit, it really can make an impact and leave a lasting impression.

In addition to simply being able to physically access the collection anytime and from anywhere around the world, digitization gives you the opportunity to index your photo collection (and cross index too) so that it becomes searchable in a variety of ways and becomes more useful to everyone.

Did you know that digitization offers an element of preservation?  When you put material online people are sure to comment – at least if you invite them to comment – and then you may find out more information about the photo collection in your library that may otherwise have been lost.

Digitization can (and should) become part of a disaster recovery plan.  Data should be stored in a different place from the photos themselves so that hopefully if one is destroyed than the other could be preserved.  As well, there should be multiple copies (and multiple formats) for your digital data.

The ALA has a framework for digitization and they state that “digital resources must receive appropriate preservation” and that “preservation activities require the development of standards, best practices,
and sustainable funding models to support long-term commitment to digital
resources.”  Without these digitization is not at all a method of preservation.

Although digitization can be a form of preservation it should *never* replace the proper care and preservation of the original photos and negatives.  Technology advances and changes and these should be stored properly if at all possible.  In fact, it is more likely that these photographs will have a longer life then the digital copies since digital copies require software and computers to see and the technologies used are changing pretty rapidly.

When digitizing one should definitely be aware of copyright and should think about getting an attribution license so any content put up is attributed back to your library/archive.  There is a plethora of information out there.  I really like this manual since it provides a really basic overview of things you should cover when starting a digitization project and it was done at a fairly small library as a starting point.  As well, the CHIN and Cornell tutorials are quite helpful as is the Getty Imaging book.

You can check out what I have digitized at:  www.ourontario.ca and at flickr.com.

Not Quite What I Was Planning

A friend at work told me I had to take a look at this book “Not Quite what I was Planning: Six-word Memoirs by Famous and Obscure Writers”.   The cover of the book is pretty well designed.  Inside the book the text is designed as well.  The words on the cover are arranged into a number 6.  The word “memoirs” in the banner on the cover is coming off the page which gives the cover a level of velocity.

Before opening this book, I had not realized that someone could tell so much in as little as six words.  Some are written as poems, others as gossip headlines.  Some made me laugh, others made me cry.  I think I’d like a copy of this to turn to and read and ponder just one 6 word memoir each day.

Six of my favourites:

“Cheese is the essence of life.” – Mary Lynch

“Made labor saving software: thousands unemployed.” – George Girton

“EDITOR. Get it?”

“I write because I can’t sleep.” – Ben Mezrich

“Somehow she lived without an iPod.” – Jennifer Grouser

“Thought long and hard. Got migraine.” – Lisa Levy

AAO Conference

So, here I go throwing acronyms at everybody with my title.  Something I find we do too much in libraries and archives – and I can confidently say in other professions too.

Yesterday I returned home from the Archives Association of Ontario Annual Conference in Windsor.  The focus of the conference was on building partnerships and many wonderful and great ideas were put forth.  I met so many colleagues who I could bounce ideas off and people I could learn from.  Although it really was a very small conference it truly was a wonderful experience and I am delighted that I had the opportunity to attend.

The conference began on the VIA train for me – I quickly found out I was sitting beside a fellow archivist who would be attending the conference.  I had felt so nervous to attend the conference for the first time, but this fellow archivist made me feel truly comfortable and introduced me to people every chance.

One really big point that was raised at the conference was the need of archives to talk to one another more and to know about what is going on so that we can help one another out.  I think that this can really only come through greater communication among archival organizations and developing partnerships and strong communication between other cultural organizations too.

There are many partnerships available to us if we go out looking for them and are creative about it and really think about our needs and the needs of the individuals, organizations, associations we hope to partner with.  When attempting to form a partnership, one must talk in words that the potential partner can understand and at the same time show confidence and legitimacy so that you can be trusted.

Examples of partnerships include working with libraries, museums, galleries, volunteers, universities, other archives, schools and government.  Partnerships can be started for many reasons from acquiring funding, obtaining/sharing expertise and creating awareness of the role of the archives in the community.  A partnership may be started to accomplish a single goal or may be much more long term.

I am very fortunate to be part of an archive with many partnerships – some informal, others formal.  Partnerships are crucial to me in my position at work and without partnerships my job right now would not exist.  The talk about partnerships was eye opening and fascinating.  I really enjoyed the conference.

I wish I had brought a camera with me – there are some nice walking paths in Windsor that I explored while attending the conference and my hotel had a beautiful view of Detroit and the river – though sometimes it was admittedly quite noisy with ships passing by and with the Red Wings winning the Stanley Cup!

I am so fortunate to have a workplace that supports my learning and development by providing me with the opportunity to travel to this conference and am thankful for the people at the  AAO for putting together a conference filled with learning opportunities and experiences and for providing me with the opportunity to meet friends and colleagues in this field.