View
216
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Digitization of Historical Materials
Dana Logalbo-Baij
LIBR559L
June 9, 2011
Overview Past Present Common issues Reasons to maintain primary records
Past Knowledge in western cultures
changed format as follows: oral, manuscript, print, electronic, and now digital
People have historically interacted directly with material
Types of Preservation Prior to Digitization Environmentally controlled, high-density
storage Book rebinding Special collections re-housing Physical conservation treatments
Present Most digitization projects start small
(pilot program) to save money Increased accessibility for
scholars/researchers Public access
Common Issues with Digital Materials Difficulty reading Poor layouts Missing pages (especially in the case of
serials) Loss of colour and picture quality
Problems Digital Projects Face What to digitize? Copyright issues Uniform metadata Maintenance of collection after
digitization Educating users
Serials Example World Newspaper Archive Digitized the newspaper collections of
members of the Center for Research Libraries libraries
Microfilm and original copies remain intact
Uniform metadata makes expanding the project easier
Digital Materials as Primary Resources Some scholars argue that yes, the digital form
of a historical primary document can be considered a “primary document
Others argue that knowledge could be lost in the digitization process, making the digital copy exactly that: a copy. It can’t be considered the primary document itself
Reasons to Maintain Primary Records 1. The same texts, but different version of it, each
provide information with their own unique characteristics; each affects a different “historical moment.”
2. The object is primary as a source for one purpose but may be different for another purpose.
3. A primary resource is a physical object produced or used at a particular past time.
4. Physical clues reveal facts about how an item was produced.
More Reasons to Maintain Primary Records… 5. Elements of a book’s physical design can be significant
indicators of how the text was regarded by its producers and interpreted by its readers.
6. Editions differ and copies within editions differ. Every copy is a potential source of new physical evidence.
7. Since external characteristics affect readers’ responses, access to physical forms of past texts is a fundamental part of reading/teaching.
8. Accuracy and stability of reproductions can never be guaranteed.
Bibliography Blecksmith, Ann. “Digital Resources Online: Digital Images of Primary Materials on
Public Web Sites”. C&RL News 69 no. 5 (May 2008): 275-278. Conway, Paul. “Preservation in the Age of Google: Digitization, Digital Preservation,
and Dilemmas.” The Library Quarterly 80, no. 1 (January 2010): 61-79. Latham, Kiersten F. “Medium Rare: Exploring Archives and their Conversion from
Original to Digital Part One: Lessons from the History of Print Media.” Library and Information Science Research Electronic Journal 20 no. 2 (September 2011): 1-14.
Marty, Paul F. “An Introduction to Digital Convergence: Libraries, Archives, and Museums in the Information Age.” The Library Quarterly 80, no. 1 (January 2010): 1-5.
Phillips, Margaret E. “What Should We Preserve? The Question for Heritage Libraries in a Digital World.” Library Trends 54 no. 1 (2005): 57-71.
Reilly, Bernard F. and James Simon.” Shared Digital Access and Preservation Strategies for Serials at the Center for Research Libraries.” The Serials Librarian 59 (2010): 271-280.