How to Wrangle Multiple Discrete Collections from One Donor: A Case Study of the Subject-based Physical and Digital Consolidation of the Wade Hall Collections

2021 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-90
Author(s):  
Laura M. Gentry ◽  
Erin Ryan ◽  
Jessica Rayman ◽  
Martha Bace
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Public Library ◽  
University Of Alabama ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
New Finding ◽  
Finding Aids ◽  
Asset Management System ◽  
The University

ABSTRACT The authors examined the Wade Hall Consolidation Project at the University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections. The project involved the physical consolidation of more than 1,400 small, discrete collections donated by Wade Hall into larger, subject-based collections along with the merger of 287 existing digital collections to mirror the physical arrangement. This project's goal was to improve access to and discovery of these collections by researchers. During physical consolidation, the archivists created subject-based collections with new finding aids and addressed issues including unclear provenance, legacy descriptions, inaccurate metadata, varying levels of processing, and lack of alignment with current archival best practices and standards. Digital consolidation of existing digital collections coincided with the migration to a new digital asset management system and presented its own challenges, including legacy descriptions, metadata transformation, digital preservation, and dealing with existing metadata shared on the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and other multi-institutional digital content aggregators. The authors sought to fill the gap in the literature concerning the consolidation of physical and digital collections and to provide guidance to others considering a consolidation project.

scholarly journals James Moses. Trends in Rare Books and Documents Special Collections Management. 2013 Edition. New York: Primary Research Group, 2013. 64p. $75 (ISBN 978-1-57440-226-1).

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-80
Author(s):  
Amy Chen
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Ohio State University ◽  
State University ◽  
Collections Management ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
Rare Books ◽  
The Ohio State University ◽  
The University

Trends in Rare Books and Documents Special Collections Management, 2013 edition by James Moses surveys seven special collection institutions on their current efforts to expand, secure, promote, and digitize their holdings. The contents of each profile are generated by transcribed interviews, which are summarized and presented as a case study chapter. Seven special collections are discussed, including the Boston Public Library; AbeBooks; the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Washington University of St. Louis; the Archives and Rare Books Library, University of Cincinnati; the Rare Books and Manuscript Library at The Ohio State University; and the Manuscript, Archives, and Rare . . .

scholarly journals Increasing the Discoverability of Digital Collections Using Wikipedia: The Pitt Experience

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ed Galloway ◽  
Cassandra DellaCorte
Keyword(s):  
Service Center ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
University Of Pittsburgh ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Finding Aids ◽  
The University

During the Fall 2013 academic semester at the University of Pittsburgh, two undergraduate history majors performed a Wikipedia internship in the University Library System’s Archives Service Center and Special Collections Department. The purpose was to enhance the discoverability of Pitt’s digital collections and finding aids by creating links from Wikipedia articles to relevant content held by the library’s specialized collection units as well as to generally improve the quality of articles by adding additional information. By editing nearly 100 articles in Wikipedia, the interns developed their own effective strategies to perform this work and learned how to use and edit Wikipedia efficiently, how to navigate library resources effectively, how to decide what types of content would be valuable to add, and how to present new and respectable information. As a result, usage of Pitt’s online digitized collections and finding aids appears to have increased.

scholarly journals It’s How Many Terabytes?! A Case Study on Managing Large Born Digital Audio-visual Acquisitions

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-75
Author(s):  
Laura Uglean Jackson ◽  
Matthew McKinley
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
University Of California ◽  
Digital Audio ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
Digital Collection ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Policy And Procedure

In October 2014, the University of California Irvine (UCI) Special Collections and Archives acquired a born digital collection of 2.5 terabytes – the largest born digital collection acquired by the department to date. This case study describes the challenges we encountered when applying existing archival procedures to appraise, store, and provide access to a large born digital collection. It discusses solutions when they could be found and ideas for solutions when they could not, lessons learned from the experience, and the impact on born-digital policy and procedure at UCI Libraries. Working with a team of archivists, librarians, IT, and California Digital Library (CDL) staff, we discovered issues and determined solutions that will guide our procedures for future acquisitions of large and unwieldy born digital collections. 

Digital Collections at a Distance: Telework during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Laura M. Gentry
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
University Of Alabama ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The University

This case study explores how one team tasked with the creation of digital collections at The University of Alabama Libraries succeeded at telework to carry on its essential functions despite not being able to digitize new content from March through July 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Managers of similar units will gain strategies to create similar telework projects at their institution and lessons learned while working and supervising employees remotely.

Archives and Special Collections at the University of La Verne: Putting the Repository of a Small Liberal Arts College to Work Online

Collections ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-35
Author(s):  
Benjamin Jenkins ◽  
Keren Darancette
Keyword(s):  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Liberal Arts College ◽  
Japanese American ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
Japanese American Internment ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
University Of La Verne ◽  
The University

Archives and Special Collections at the Wilson Library of the University of La Verne, located in inland southern California, offers an informative case study of descriptive practices and metadata attached to digital collections at a small liberal arts college. Since recruiting a staff specifically tasked to manage the archives, the Wilson Library has increased the number of collections available to patrons online through the creation of a digital collections Web page. Digitized, hosted collections include the papers of a faculty member from the early 20th century, photographs of early La Verne, historic local newspapers, and manuscript sources regarding Japanese American internment. Metadata fields at Wilson Library have developed to encompass a greater variety of contextual information about digitized records, improving users' ability to put the collections to use for research. Ultimately, this case study demonstrates what a library at a small university can accomplish with a dedicated staff and a clear objective, even with limited resources.

scholarly journals Hitting the Road towards a Greater Digital Destination: Evaluating and Testing DAMS at the University of Houston Libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Wu ◽  
Santi Thompson ◽  
Rachel Vacek ◽  
Sean Watkins ◽  
Andy Weidner
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Management System ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Digital Asset Management ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
University Of Houston ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Digital Asset ◽  
Asset Management System ◽  
The University

<p>Since 2009, tens of thousands of rare and unique items have been made available online for research through the University of Houston Digital Library.  Six years later, the Libraries' new digital initiatives call for a more dynamic digital repository infrastructure that is extensible, scalable, and interoperable. The Libraries’ mission and the mandate of its strategic directions drives the pursuit of seamless access and expanded digital collections. To answer the calls for technological change, the Libraries Administration appointed a Digital Asset Management System (DAMS) Implementation Task Force to explore, evaluate, test, recommend, and implement a more robust digital asset management system. This article focuses on the task force’s DAMS selection activities: needs assessment, systems evaluation, and systems testing. The authors also describe the task force’s DAMS recommendation based on the evaluation and testing data analysis, a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of each system, and system cost. Finally, the authors outline their DAMS implementation strategy comprised of a phased rollout with the following stages: system installation, data migration, and interface development.</p>

scholarly journals Cultivating Digitization Competencies

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayle O'Hara ◽  
Emily Lapworth ◽  
Cory Lampert
Keyword(s):  
Asset Management ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Grant Writing ◽  
Competency Development ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
Writing Project ◽  
Job Experience ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
The University

This article is a case study of how six digitization competencies were developed and disseminated via grant-funded digitization projects at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries Special Collections and Archives. The six competencies are project planning, grant writing, project management, metadata, digital capture, and digital asset management. The authors will introduce each competency, discuss why it is important, and describe how it was developed during the course of the grant project, as well as how it was taught in a workshop environment. The differences in competency development for three different stakeholder groups will be examined: early career grant staff gaining on-the-job experience; experienced digital collections librarians experimenting and innovating; and a statewide audience of cultural heritage professionals attending grant-sponsored workshops.

scholarly journals Mapping the networks of ownership and distribution of rare books in Special Collections at the University of Auckland General Library

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jo Birks
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Historical Case Study ◽  
Historical Case ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
Provenance Research ◽  
Rare Books ◽  
Book Collectors ◽  
The University ◽  
Purposive Sample

<p>The extent and research potential of provenance evidence in rare books in Special Collections at the University of Auckland General Library is largely uncharted territory. This project helps fill that gap by examining the provenance evidence, such as inscriptions, bookplates and stamps, in some of those rare books to identify any networks or patterns in their ownership history and distribution. A purposive sample of 291 pre-1851 volumes on New Zealand and Pacific-related travel and exploration was examined for provenance evidence within a qualitative framework and an historical case study design. Taking a subset of those books, which were bequeathed to the Library by Alfred Kidd (1851-1917), the project then examined other works from his bequest to further explore the scope of provenance evidence.  The project demonstrated the value of treating books as artefacts, exposing a wealth of provenance evidence and providing snapshots of the ownership and distribution histories of some volumes. Overall, 71 percent of the sample contained evidence for identifiable agents: 88 former owners, 14 booksellers, one auction house and nine book binders. The project also discussed lesser-known New Zealand book collectors who merit further study, including Alfred Kidd, Sir George Fowlds, Arthur Chappell and Allan North. Further provenance research into this collection and the provenance-related cataloguing practices in New Zealand libraries would generate additional useful insights.</p>

scholarly journals Data-Driven Decision Making: An Holistic Approach to Assessment in Special Collections Repositories

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Griffin ◽  
Barbara Lewis ◽  
Mark I. Greenberg
Keyword(s):  
Single Case ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Special Collections ◽  
Day To Day Operations ◽  
Technical Services

Objective – In an environment of shrinking budgets and reduced staffing, this study seeks to identify a comprehensive, integrated assessment strategy to better focus diminished resources within special collections repositories. Methods – This article presents the results of a single case study conducted in the Special and Digital Collections department at a university library. The department created an holistic assessment model, taking into account both public and technical services, to explore inter-related questions affecting both day-to-day operations as well as long-term, strategic priorities. Results – Data from a variety of assessment activities positively impacted the department’s practices, informing decisions made about staff skill sets, training, and scheduling; outreach activities; and prioritizing technical services. The results provide a comprehensive view of both patron and department needs, allowing for a wide variety of improvements and changes in staffing practices, all driven by data rather than anecdotal evidence. Conclusion – Although the data generated for this study is institutionally specific, the methodology is applicable to special collections departments at other institutions. A systemic, holistic approach to assessment in special collections departments enables the implementation of operational efficiencies. It also provides data that allows the department to document its value to university-wide stakeholders.

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