Reports

Charge
Identify ongoing digitization projects in the Boston Library Consortium member libraries and inform members of these activities through a link on the BLC web site and with a one-day workshop. Register digitized materials with the Digital Library Foundation. Determine from survey results whether collaborative efforts may result in a sustainable funding model by exploiting entrepreneurial initiatives with commercial partners. Explore possibility of collaboration with Greg Crane (Tufts) on proposal to digitize Encyclopedia Britannica (11th edition) or other materials.

The Digitization Taskforce met several times over the 6-month period, but tried to use email as much as possible due to the geographic distance between committee members.

Activities
From the onset, taskforce members felt the charge consisted of several different tasks as opposed to one primary goal, and accomplishing all these tasks in 6 months would not be possible. The taskforce began by splitting the charge into its constituent parts, and to determine which parts of the charge could be accomplished in the specified time. The group decided that the most important part of the charge was to determine the memberships level of expertise and desires in digitization projects. From there we thought it would be possible for the BLC to move on to more specific activities or programs.

1. Register digitized materials with the Digital Library Federation.
   The DLF has yet to put in place a mechanism for registering digital collections, so this was not possible.
2. Explore possibility with Greg Crane (Tufts) on proposal to digitize the Encyclopedia Britannica (11th edition) or other materials.
   Greg Crane is looking for financial help with his project of the Encyclopedia Britannica, the BLC has other task forces and groups more suitable for deciding on a financial commitment to this resource.
3. Identify ongoing digitization projects in the BLC member libraries and inform members of these activities through a link on the BLC website and with a one-day workshop.
   The taskforce created a survey for the BLC member libraries to fill out: http://dl.lib.brown.edu/blc/index.html. Barbara Preece sent an email and the survey URL out to the library directors, and a second reminder email. Most, but not all, of the libraries responded. Attached at the end of this report are the survey results.

• 9 institutions have current projects/collections, with over 25 collections available
• combination of external/internal funding
• obstacles are time, staff (with expertise), equipment, and money
• 6 do in-house scanning
• all respondents are interested in collaboration
• all respondents saw a role for the BLC: information sharing, training, grant writing, shared digital library

All the BLC member libraries feel there is a role for the BLC. The task force had many questions (and few answers) on what role the BLC should play, to a large extent this should be addressed at the Director's Board level since significant money and resources are involved. A common digital library, such as the Colorado Digitization Project's gateway, (http://coloradodigital.coalliance.org/), would avoid the duplication of efforts that is now occurring among BLC libraries and offer smaller institutions a chance to be involved in successful digitization projects. This would most likely represent a significant commitment for the BLC member libraries in terms of money and effort. Also, NELINET is starting an effort to create a common digital library of New England collections (New England Collections Online; the BLC should consider working with NELINET so that the are complementing each other's efforts.

From the survey results we can create a digital collections web page for the BLC as per the charge. There should be a notification process for new digital collections so they can be added to the page, perhaps a web form on the BLC web site.

Many BLC libraries want the BLC to offer training and workshops. NELINET Digital Services is offering an ongoing series of different workshops on digitizing, such as Photoshop Basics and Introduction to Digital Libraries. Instead of duplicating what NELINET is already doing, the BLC, in the role of information clearinghouse, should encourage and advertise the NELINET workshops to BLC members. The BLC should maintain a resource page of training and workshops, useful documents on standards for digital projects (such as the Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation & Access, online at the NEDCC web site), and grant funding opportunities and deadlines.

Lacking a suitable in-house digital facility was mentioned by a couple of members. Can BLC libraries share equipment/space or rent it? The BLC web site could be used as a matchmaker, with institutions willing to rent out their digital production centers to institutions that can not afford their own. It can also be used to foster collaborative projects, to help link up BLC institutions whom may have similar or complementary collections that could form one shared digital collection.

Since sharing staff expertise among BLC libraries is crucial, we recommend holding a one-day workshop in which each participant brings a potential digitization project for discussion among the other participants and a panel of "experts" (3 people who have run successful digitization projects). Each project/participant would get an hour of time to have their project thoroughly discussed and all the steps of the project detailed out. Participants would have to be limited to 6, but this workshop could be offered on an ongoing basis as need dictates.

We recommend that the BLC create a committee to oversee and maintain the web site, help coordinate collaborative digital projects by BLC libraries, and work as an advisory committee for collaborative grants. This committee can offer expertise to libraries with their digital projects, read and advise on grants, and stay informed on the latest trends in digital collections and disseminate this information to the BLC libraries.

The task force felt that the BLC was not yet in a position to explore this option since it presupposes that the BLC would want to develop a full-scale digital library program. This is certainly not self-evident, and the survey confirmed that the members do not see the BLC as providing this function.

Furthermore, the survey cannot address this issue effectively without finding out if BLC institutions are receptive to collaborating with outside commercial partners. The control of collection content and other resources change with outside involvement. Each library must decide the level of autonomy it is willing to give up in such a partnership.

1. Use the BLC web site as a clearinghouse of information about digital projects
2. Set up a digital advisory committee to oversee the web site and coordinate collaborative projects/grants
3. Hold a one-day workshops (as described above) to discuss libraries' specific projects and how to implement them
4. 4. Discuss at the highest level (Board of Directors) whether the BLC wants to pursue the idea of a shared digital collections gateway, with the understanding that this is an enormous commitment of time and money

Publicly available digital collections?
	None
Funding resources used for digital collections?
	None
What limitations are you facing?
	Staff, resources, don't really have special collections
Is your library set up for digitizing?
	No
Would you be interested in collaborating?
	
Do you see a role for the BLC in digital projects?
	
Other comments?