Saskatchewan Provincial Library Digitization Grant Program
Recommendation from SDA to the Multitype Library Board on the 2010/11 Digitization Grant
This year, the Saskatchewan Digital Alliance received approval from the Board to establish a directed project. This model enabled many institutions to contribute content to a single digital collection under the oversight of a Technical Coordinator, who was hired using the grant funds. The University of Saskatchewan offered to provide the repository software for the project and to manage the work of the Technical Coordinator. The SDA chose “the Saskatchewan War Experience” as the theme for the directed project and received expressions of interest from 15 different institutions, including public libraries, archives, museums, post-secondary institutions and historical societies, located throughout the province. This large increase in the number of interested partners over previous years indicates that the new project structure eliminated many of the earlier barriers that prevented institutions from embarking on digitization projects. This new format is more effective at leveraging resources because it does not require participants to duplicate their efforts in terms of setting up and maintaining a digital repository. By expanding on the lessons that SDA has learned from this past year and starting earlier on the directed project, the 2010/2011 grant will have the potential to be even more effective.
The SDA proposes that the directed project be extended for another year. Access to and preservation of more of Saskatchewan 's historical records could be ensured through continued digitization. The SDA will make a recommendation about whether or not to introduce a new themed project once they have assessed scope of remaining content from the current project. It might make more sense to simply continue with the current theme and expand the project. It might be possible to support the continuation of the current project while introducing a new themed project, but this will require further assessment by the SDA. The objectives and project structure should remain the same as 2009/2010.
Objectives
The directed project is consistent with the original grant program in that it aims to achieve the following objectives:
- Build digitization capacity throughout the province. The project is expected to provide a sustainable and effective learning experience for participants that will not only increase their knowledge about digital collections, but also expose them to digitization in a collaborative environment.
- Demonstrate standards and best practices that will enhance interoperability among digital collections.
- Stimulate partnerships and collaborative planning between a variety of information providers such as archives, libraries, museums, heritage and cultural institutions, etc.
- Increase the amount of digital content available to the people of Saskatchewan .
Project Structure
Various information providers (libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, etc.) were invited to contribute content to a digital collection called “The Saskatchewan War Experience.” SDA originally proposed to use grant funds to hire the Technical Coordinator, support the Technical Coordinator's travel to participant sites, and, if required, to develop one or more digitization kits. Since Provincial Library & Literacy Office purchased a “digitization kit” (portable scanners and a laptop) to facilitate the project for those participating organizations that do not have existing scanners and computer equipment on-site, the majority of grant funds was then re-directed to the Technical Coordinator, by expanding the role to include scanning and data inputting to assist those institutions that lacked adequate staff resources.
The SDA, and specifically the Technical Coordinator, provide participants with advice on scanning guidelines, cataloguing procedures, and metadata standards. If necessary, the Technical Coordinator makes site visits to participating organizations to provide orientation and instruction at the start of the project. The Technical Coordinator may also scan limited numbers of items and add content to the repository, though participants are expected to contribute staff (paid or volunteer) to help digitize their collections. To build digital capacity and expand technical expertise, participants are encouraged to scan their materials, load them into CONTENTdm and catalogue them using the CONTENTdm interface (with assistance from the Project Coordinator).
The University of Saskatchewan Library currently uses CONTENTdm and has made the software available for this project. CONTENTdm is digital collection management software produced by Online Computer Library Centre (OCLC). SDA would like to acknowledge and thank the University of Saskatchewan for providing this generous support. *
The Technical Coordinator has also been tasked with using CONTENTdm tools to create a publicly accessible web space for the collection.
*The University of Saskatchewan Library 's CONTENTdm application is externally hosted at OCLC; therefore, the digitized collections will reside on the OCLC server.
SDA Directed Digitization Project 2010-2011
The Saskatchewan War Experience
Is your organization interested in digitizing materials from your permanent collections?- The Saskatchewan Digital Alliance (SDA) is leading a Directed Digitization Project that will assist Saskatchewan libraries, archives and other organizations in digitizing collections in any format (photos, documents, published materials, sound and film) that relate to the project theme The Saskatchewan War Experience. This includes any military action that Saskatchewan residents have participated in as well as life on the ‘home front’. This project continues an initiative begun last year.
What the SDA will contribute
- A technical coordinator resident at the University of Saskatchewan, available to travel to participating institutions
- Digital Collection management software (CONTENTdm)
- A central web repository for the combined collection at the University of Saskatchewan
- Staff (paid or volunteer) to digitize your contribution (technical support available)
- Cataloguing/metadata information for your scanned items (support available)
- Uploading of your scans to the central web repository (high speed Internet connection required)
- Release of the images and information to the University of Saskatchewan for inclusion in the combined digital collection
- Contributions large and small are welcome
- Access to scanning equipment may be provided to those libraries and archives that do not own the required equipment
- The bulk of the scanning and descriptor work is expected to occur from October 2010 to March 2011
- Email Elgin Bunston at the Provincial Library and Literacy Office (elgin.bunston@gov.sk.ca) by September 7, 2010 with the following information:
- The name of your organization
- The nature and amount of the material you propose to digitize (format, size, copyright information if known)
- Whether you are new to digitization
- Whether you participated in the project last year
- Whether you have scanning equipment on site
- Expressions of interest will be reviewed by the SDA Committee and further information will be provided to all institutions which apply
This project is a continuation of The Saskatchewan War Experience initiative begun last year. SDA welcomes expressions of interest from both new and continuing participants.
The Saskatchewan War Experience collection is online at: http://cdm15126.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15126coll5
This project is funded by the Digitization Grant Program of the Multitype Library Board by the Provincial Library and Literacy Office, Ministry of Education.