Digitizing Local History
The McMillan Experience

Digitization & Public Libraries

Why digitize local history materials?

• Local history is a critical component of the library mission.

• These items are not widely held.

• Access to fragile items may be limited even within the library.

• They are not high priorities for national or state level projects.

• It's low hanging fruit. Ready, fire, aim.

Some documentation:

• Local History in E-Books and on the Web - One library's experience as example and model by Don Litzer and Andy Barnett (published in the Spring 2004 issue of Reference and User Services Quarterly).

• Libraries, Community, and Technology by Andy Barnett (McFarland, 2002). Includes chapters concerning the mission of the public library and digitization.

• Civic Librarianship - renewing the social mission of the public library by Ronald B. McCabe (Scarecrow, 2001). The mission of the public library has become increasingly obscure, to the extent that some claim it no longer exists. McCabe clarifies the historical mission and advocates for public libraries to serve their communities.

Our Limitations & Strengths

Size
McMillan is much smaller than most libraries that attempt stand-alone digitization projects. As a result,  there was a very short chain of command and no committees needed convincing before action could be taken.

Budget
There has never been a line item for digitization. No library service was curtailed or limited to undertake digitization. Digitization proceeded even though the library's overall budget remains under pressure and staff has been reduced.

Equipment
Only standard office equipment was available. No special equipment was purchased.

Staff
There is no staff dedicated to the program, though McMillan benefited from the unusual skills and experiences possessed by staff members.

Collection
With a few exceptions, our collection of local history is unremarkable and representative for a community of its age and size.

Web Site
South Central Library System is providing us with all the digital storage space we wanted, though they do not support some extras (database support, extensions, scripts) that are common on commercial sites. Their price is right and their concerns about network security are valid.

Our First Project - The Tom Taylor Book

A very bad choice for a first project, but the item in greatest need of attention. It is our most important and unique possession.

• Volume I: A volume of faded typewritten text on 11"x 17" paper, with overstrikes, erasures and errors. It is the equivalent of a 250 page book.
• Volume II: A scrapbook of  large photographs (up to 14" x 20" ) glued into a volume . Since it was on public display for more than a decade during the 1940s-1950s, many of the photos are worn, stained or otherwise damaged.
• Each of the over 450 photographs in Volume II refer to text in Volume I. There are references in Volume I text to photographs in Volume II. 
• The order and location of the photographs is significant and should be replicated in any digital product.

Our choices:

• HTML text. Easy to produce and edit. It is also searchable.
• Scrapbook style photo display using thumbnails. It most closely resembled the original, is browsable and loads quickly.
• Hyperlinks (about 900 of them) between the two volumes where indicated by the author.
• Bibliographic page with additional information about the author and the work.

The Threefold Path

Use Other People's Money

• Small amounts can have large impacts.
• Digitization is a permitted use of LSTA funds.
• Local foundations will support this kind of project.
• Outsourcing pluses: set price, deadlines, professional conduct, easy to sell and administer.
• Outsourcing minuses: different standards, contracts, they will do exactly what you tell them.

Use Other People's Time

• Existing digital documents, commissioned or new documents and conversions.
• Done in-library or off site, by individuals or partner organizations.
• "Free" can involve a lot of staff time.

Make It a Low Priority

• Manage not as a core task, but as a complementary part of the library's mission.
• Delegate, involve people and spread the work around.
• Equipment and materials are at hand and the needed skills can be developed.

A Variety of Methods

Donated text (HTML) - Index to Elsie's World War II Scrapbook

Donated databases (Excel)- Index to the 1928 Standard Atlas of Wood County, Wisconsin

Rekeyed HTML - A SHORT HISTORY OF WISCONSIN RAPIDS COVERING PERIOD UNTIL ABOUT 1936

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) / HTML - Wisconsin Rapids bridge history

Illustrated HTML - Wood County parks in the making, 1935-1951

Scrapbook of thumbnails - Bonnie Young Postcard Collection (minimal text), Vesper Photograph Collection (annotated)

Scanned to PDF (whole document)- Wisconsin Rapids bridge history

Scanned to PDF (by chapter) - As you were : a book of memories as told by the men who lived through them, parade rest, at ease, Airborne

Scanned to PDF (by page) - Official County Plat Book and Rural Directory of Wood County, Wisconsin

To Database or Not to Database - That is the Question

ContentDM and other database solutions

• Advantages: Easy to update, good search capabilities, scalable (can get very large), federated searching (more than one database in more than one location), consistent look and feel.
• Disadvantages: Requires technical assistance, invisible to search engines, expensive.

Non-database solutions

• Advantages: Less expensive, visible to search engines, simpler technology.
• Disadvantages: Difficult to update, less convenient to use as it gets larger, no federated searching, can be inconsistent in look and feel.

Metadata (data that describes data) has different meanings

• In a database: Descriptors/keywords for an individual item.
• On the web: Descriptors/keywords for a web page.

Copyright

Our advice: Be assertive, but safe.

Library Digitization Projects and Copyright - Mary Minow's explanation of copyright as it impacts library digitization projects.

Our standard  form for securing copyright clearance.

Webliography

A few scanning tips

Dublin Core Metadata Template

Selection criteria
The guidelines that McMillan has developed to evaluate and prioritize items being considered for digitization.