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Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

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Page 1: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

Digitization of Historical Materials

Dana Logalbo-Baij

LIBR559L

June 9, 2011

Page 2: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

Overview Past Present Common issues Reasons to maintain primary records

Page 3: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

Past Knowledge in western cultures

changed format as follows: oral, manuscript, print, electronic, and now digital

People have historically interacted directly with material

Page 4: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

Types of Preservation Prior to Digitization Environmentally controlled, high-density

storage Book rebinding Special collections re-housing Physical conservation treatments

Page 5: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

Present Most digitization projects start small

(pilot program) to save money Increased accessibility for

scholars/researchers Public access

Page 6: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

Common Issues with Digital Materials Difficulty reading Poor layouts Missing pages (especially in the case of

serials) Loss of colour and picture quality

Page 7: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

Problems Digital Projects Face What to digitize? Copyright issues Uniform metadata Maintenance of collection after

digitization Educating users

Page 8: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

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

Page 9: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

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

Page 10: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

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.

Page 11: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

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.

Page 12: Digitization of Historical Materials Dana Logalbo-Baij LIBR559L June 9, 2011

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.