Digitization Committee - February 5, 2002 Minutes

Present: M.Waterson, J.Kovach, J.Spencer, N.Korpal, J.Hill, J.Hug, D.Haslett, D.Napoli

Introduction:
The first meeting of the Digitization Project Committee was held to discuss the mission, scope and goals of the project. Everyone described how they "fit" into the committee and their purpose for being there. They are listed below:

Mary Waterson – Long background with the Local History Room and the clippings file, she will serve as the local collection expert.

John Kovach – As archivist at St. Mary’s he brings a preservation background and a historian’s perspective.

Jane Spencer – As the newest member of the Reference Dept. she will bring a fresh and unbiased perspective to the discussions.

Julie Hill – As Head of Reference she has the ability to structure the work of the Dept. so this project will move forward in a timely manner.

Joyce Hug – Brings a technical expertise and the ability to gauge the usability of the database we create. Also has a contact at UMI, a company who has converted the NY Times.

Dave Haslett – As Head of automated Services he will serve as our technical consultant.

Donald Napoli – As Director of the Library he will help provide a broad overview of what this project hopes to accomplish and offer the resources and authority to complete the project.

Nancy Korpal – Facilitator.

Mission Statement
We worked on developing a mission statement to help define the project. The charge for this project is included in both the Technology Goals 2002-2004 and the Service Responses for 2002.

Our goal is to convert the paper format of the Local History clippings file to digital access which will be available from computers in the library.

It was also determined that all decisions would be made by group concensus.

Scope of Project:
The goals of the Planning Committee are to:
-research the method and process for accomplishing our goal
-identify sources to be digitized
-design work processess
-continue preservation of materials unique to the South Bend area
-write a proposal with budget estimates to present to the Administrative Council

Items to consider for digitizing:
-Newspaper clippings (i.e. South Bend Tribune) (approx. 400,000 items in file)
-Atlas and Gazetteers unique to the area, not under copyright, but that are out of print
-Family histories
-High School yearbooks

The Planning Committee will meet for a period of 3-6 months to accomplish its goal. Estimated costs for the project are around $100,000. The initial project will probably take about three years from the time the committee submits a proposal to the Administrative Council.

One of the questions raised in regards to access was if the digitized material could be accessed at the branches? Or from home? Due to copyright laws and South Bend Tribune ownership our work could only be accessible in house at the main library.

It was also determined that we need to look at what is being done at other libraries, museums, etc. By visiting other places that are doing these types of projects we can determine the best methods and "copy" what works.

Questions to be answered:
Will we close the paper clipping file?
What future does our South Bend Tribune Index have?
What will we digitize? (Need a list and set priorities)
Staffing – How will we accomplish this project?
What type of equipment will be used?
What types of files will we have? Text?
What are the future migration strategies?

Next Steps:
Committee members should continue to do background reading on the topic of digitization.

Next Meeting:
Our next meeting will be Tuesday, March 5 at 2pm in the Presentation Room