E M I LY P F O T E N H A U E RO U T R E A C H S P E C I A L I S T, W I S C O N S I N H E R I TA G E O N L I N EE P F O T E N H A U E R @ W I L S .W I S C . E D U

BASICS OF DIGITAL PROJECTS

TODAY’S AGENDA

• Introductions• Wisconsin Heritage Online; examples of digital projects

• Planning for a digital project• Why digitize?; Selecting materials; Copyright; Digital preservation

• LUNCH @ noon• Sharing projects in progress

• Putting your plan into action• Imaging; Metadata

• Promoting your project• Questions and discussion• Finished @ 3:00pm

WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DIGITIZE?

• Selecting materials• Reformatting materials

(scanning or photographing)• Adding metadata

(descriptive information)• Making available online• Storing and maintaining

digital files and data (digital preservation)

Wisconsin Historical Society

WHAT IS WISCONSIN HERITAGE ONLINE?

• A public research portal providing access to digital collections of primary sources related to Wisconsin history from libraries, historical societies and museums across the state: wisconsinheritage.org• A statewide set of standards and guidelines for

digitizing historical primary source materials• A resource network providing training, consulting and

collection hosting services to members• Sponsored by Wisconsin Library Services (WiLS) with

support from the Nicholas Family Foundation

PLANNING A DIGITAL PROJECT

• Identifying your goals• Identifying your

stakeholders, partners and audience• Selecting materials• Considering copyright• Budget• Funding• Planning for digital

preservation New Berlin Historical Society

IDENTIFYING GOALS: WHY DIGITIZE?(CONTRIBUTIONS FROM AUDIENCE)

• Save photos for future generations• Access for research, awareness• Educational purposes• Closer access; deeper access• Make rare/local/unique available• Protect fragile documents from handling• Easier to organize and find• Encourage contributions/fill in blanks• Revenue (purchase reproductions; encourage donations)• PR for institution• Googleability• People can identify images

IDENTIFYING GOALS: WHY DIGITIZE?

• Go where your audience is• Reach new audiences• Improve access to

“invisible” materials• Protect fragile or heavily

used materials• Learn more about your

collections• Contribute to our

collective knowledgeSouth Wood County Historical Museum

STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS

• Board• Staff and/or volunteers• Local experts• Community members• Chamber of Commerce• Local government• Students• Other organizations in

your community/county/region• Who else? McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids

AUDIENCES

• Local residents• Students and teachers• Genealogists• Specialists (Civil War re-

enactors, railroad buffs)• Academic researchers• Curious Wisconsinites• Everyone!

College of Menominee Nation

SELECTING MATERIALS

• Photographs• Postcards• Letters• Diaries• Scrapbooks• Yearbooks• Newspaper clippings• City directories• Local histories• Magazines• Pamphlets• Maps• Material culture objects• Oral histories• Sound recordings• Video recordings• What else?

Appleton Public Library

SELECTING MATERIALS

• Careful selection will help keep your project focused, manageable, and useful

• Keep your audience in mind: How will putting this item online help users better understand local or state history?

• Is information available about the item, or is more research needed?

• Physical condition of original materials

• Copyright statusVilla Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

SELECTING MATERIALS

• Consider your existing mission statement and/or collection development policy

• An online collection is not a substitute for a collection inventory or other internal recordkeeping

• Two approaches:• Curatorial: Select materials based on

a specific theme/topic/type of object/photographer

• Organizational: Digitizing as an opportunity to sort that mystery box in the archives

• Digital New Zealand: Make it Digital Scorecard

http://makeit.digitalnz.org/

Neville Public Museum of Brown County

CONSIDERING COPYRIGHT

• Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer• Owning a physical item does

not necessarily mean you hold the copyright to that item

• Public domain = no longer under copyright. In the US in 2012 that means the item was:• published before 1923 –OR–• Unpublished; creator died before

1942 –OR–• Unpublished; unknown creator;

made before 1892• http://copyright.cornell.edu

UW-Milwaukee Libraries

CONSIDERING COPYRIGHT

• Works under copyright, copyright holder is known:• Contact copyright holder IN

WRITING to request permission to make available online

• Works presumed to be under copyright; copyright holder is unknown or cannot be located• Due diligence has been made

to identify and locate copyright holder

• Be prepared to remove item from digital collection if challenged

Three Lakes Historical Society

USE OF YOUR DIGITAL CONTENT

• Fair Use. Under US copyright law, individuals can use the low-resolution materials you make available online for personal use, research or teaching purposes

• Publications or other commercial uses require permission of the copyright holder

• You may choose to sell reproductions—prints and/or high-resolution digital files—of materials in your collection (with permission of the copyright holder where applicable)

Langlade County Historical Society

SAMPLE RIGHTS STATEMENTS

• For an item presumed to be in the Public Domain:• There are no known restrictions on the use of this digital resource.

Contact [your institution] to purchase a high-resolution version of this image.

• For an item under copyright; copyright holder has granted permission to put online:• This image has been published with permission of the copyright

holder and has been provided here for educational purposes only. Commercial use is prohibited without permission. Contact [your institution] for information regarding permissions and reproductions.

• For an item in which copyright status is unclear: • This material may be protected by copyright law. The user is

responsible for all issues of copyright. Contact [your institution] for information regarding permissions and reproductions.

POTENTIAL PROJECT COSTS

• Flatbed scanner• Digital camera and related

equipment• Internet access• Digital storage• Archival storage supplies• Outsourcing imaging to a

commercial vendor• Be sure to budget for

TIME and SPACEMerrill Historical Society

FUNDING

• Grants• Historical societies: WI Council

for Local History mini-grants• Public libraries: LSTA Digitization

of Local Resources grants (Dep’t of Public Instruction)

• Donations• In-kind contributions• Tech support• Equipment use

• Biggest expense is TIME• Paid staff time• “Free” volunteer time• Students/interns

Ripon College

DIGITAL PRESERVATION

• Definition from the Library of Congress:• The active management of

digital content over time to ensure ongoing access.

• Two threats to digital content:• Obsolescence• Physical damage

• http://digitalpreservation.gov

Beloit College

DIGITAL PRESERVATION

• Save more than one copy of each file

• On more than one type of storage media

• In more than one location• Document what, where, when

and how• Spot-check annually• Migrate as necessary• Recommended storage options:• Archival quality (gold) CDs or DVDs• RAID device• External hard drive• Network storage• Cloud storage (online backup)

Wetherby Cranberry Library

PHYSICAL PRESERVATION

• Don’t compromise collections care in order to digitize

• A digital project can be an ideal time to assess collection conditions and rehouse materials

• Resources for collections care:• Wisconsin Historical Society Field

Services staff• Wisconsin Archives Mentoring

Service• National Park Service Conserve-

O-GramsRichland County History Room

TIPS FROM OTHER DIGITIZERS

• If I could do it all over again, I would:• Tackle a smaller group of materials at first• Make sure two people started the project at the same time so we could

help each other• Start with a clearer plan• Take the time to sort and research the physical collection before digitizing

• Other things I learned:• Volunteers/local residents are the best source for historical information• Looking at examples of similar collections is helpful to figure out what

you’re doing; it’s also inspiring and can spur some competitiveness• Uploading one item at a time can go faster than working in batches if

you’re working with a lot of interruptions• Having a firm deadline helped me stay on track

SAMPLE PROJECT PLAN

• What: Approx. 100 glass negatives depicting Main Street between 1880-1900

• Why: To improve access to a fragile collection and to document a period in our community’s history when local commerce flourished downtown

• Who: Jane Smith will coordinate the project and handle copyright and reproductions; two volunteers from the local high school will scan images and rehouse in archival sleeves; two board members will do historical research and write descriptions

• When: 25 images online before our annual meeting in September; full collection online by April 2013

• How: Scan slides using Epson Perfection V600; store images on archival DVDs and Carbonite online backup; record metadata in Excel spreadsheet and upload to online collection

PUTTING YOUR PLAN INTO ACTION

• Digital imaging• Scanning photographs• Scanning texts• Object photography• File naming

• Metadata• What is it?• Basic elements• Where does it go?

Milwaukee Public Library

SCANNING

• Goals of scanning:• Create a digital representation

that’s faithful to the original item

• Create the highest quality scan you can achieve with available resources

• Scan once—don’t expect to return to re-digitize

• Save two copies of each scan:• High resolution TIFF (20-40MB)

for archiving and printing• Lower resolution JPEG (1-5MB)

for online collection, email, easy access

UW-Madison Archives

SCANNING PHOTOGRAPHS

• Scan all photographs in 24-bit color, even if image is black and white

• Scanning resolution (ppi) depends on size of original item• 8 ½ x 11 or larger = 300ppi• 8 x 10 = 400ppi• 5 x 7 = 600ppi• 4 x 2 or smaller = 1200ppi

• Slides and negatives require a transparency unit and holders to keep slide from touching scanner glass (these may come with your scanner)

UW-La Crosse

TIP: USE YOUR HISTOGRAM

• A histogram is a graph that shows the distribution of dark and light pixels in a digital image

• Using the Histogram function improves the accuracy/fidelity of your scan• Do a preview scan• In advanced/professional/custom

mode, select the Histogram function

• Move the left and right sliders to each end point of the histogram

• Do not move the sliders INTO the histogram

• Scan the image

TIP: LEAVE A BORDER AROUND IMAGE

TIP: SCAN THE BACK IF HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT

SCANNING DOCUMENTS

• Handwritten texts • Scan in 24-bit color to

retain character of original• 300-400ppi is generally

sufficient• If feasible, create a

transcription• Use care when unfolding

papers or handling tightly bound volumes

Wisconsin Historical Society

SCANNING DOCUMENTS

• Printed texts• Scan in 8-bit grayscale or

24-bit color• 300ppi is generally sufficient• Use OCR (Optical Character

Recognition) software to make the text computer-searchable• May be provided with your

scanner software• ABBYY Fine Reader• Adobe Acrobat• OCR is never 100% accurate,

but that’s ok L. E. Phillips Memorial Library, Eau Claire

GENERAL SCANNING TIPS

• Use advanced/professional/custom mode, not basic mode

• Don’t use any auto correction settings

• Dust scanner bed regularly• Designate a specific space for

scanning and keep it relatively uncluttered (no coffee!)

• Handle each item carefully and return it to its storage location when you’re done scanning Waterford Public Library

OBJECT PHOTOGRAPHY

• Digital camera• SLR that can shoot RAW

files (can convert to TIFFs)

• Tripod• Two adjustable lights

(500 watts)• Reflective umbrellas (or

sheets)• Paper or cloth backdrop

Photo setup at Pabst Mansion

NAMING YOUR FILES

• Use only lower case letters, numbers, and dashes or underscores• Don’t use spaces or punctuation• Use leading zeroes for consecutive numbering. For example, a

multi-page letter could have file names mac001.tif, mac002.tif, mac003.tif, etc.• Tie your file names to existing catalog numbers if possible• Document any file naming conventions you develop• Examples: • Photograph with accession # 2011.32.1 = 201132001.tif –OR–

2011_32_001.tif• Series of images by photographer John Smith = smith001.tif,

smith002.tif, smith003.tif• Not so good: Glassplate16039 Auto repair in basement 025.tif

METADATA: WHAT IS IT?

• Information about stuff• Technical metadata =

information about the digital file (size, type, etc.)• Descriptive metadata =

information about the content of the item (what are we looking at?)• Lets users find what they’re

looking for• Organized, standardized,

consistent, searchableGrant County Historical Society

BASIC DESCRIPTIVE METADATA ELEMENTS

• Title• Description• Subjects (tags, keywords,

search terms)• Creator (photographer,

author, maker, manufacturer)• Date• Location• Materials• Extent (dimensions, page

numbers)UW-Milwaukee

ASSIGNING TITLES

• Descriptive and unique• Capitalize first word and

proper names• Not so good:• Woman and man• Woman and man, trees

• Good:• Woman, man and child in

apple orchard• Ida and Peter Swartz with son

James in apple orchard, Wausau

WRITING DESCRIPTIONS

• Expand on the information provided in the Title• Record information about people, places, events and

themes depicted in the item• You can provide historical information (if cited), but don’t

get bogged down in too much detail• Remember your audience is broad. Provide enough

information to add meaning for non-local users• Make use of other metadata elements for information like

dates and materials• Don’t use abbreviations, ampersands (&) or paragraph

breaks (hard returns)

WRITING DESCRIPTIONS

• Not so good (too little):• People with apple trees.

• Good: • A woman and a man in an apple

orchard with wooden barrels filled with apples. A child rides a tricycle at the right.

• Not so good (too much):• A woman wearing a hat and dress and

a man in overalls stand in front of an apple tree. Twelve barrels containing apples are lined up in a row in front of them. The roof of a barn is visible behind the trees. Apples were a popular crop in America in the 19th century thanks to Johnny Appleseed. The first commercial apple orchard in Wausau was established in . . .

METADATA: WHERE DO I PUT IT?

• Software solutions compatible with the WHO portal• CONTENTdm (hosted by Milwaukee

Public Library)• ResCarta• Omeka.net (Gold, Platinum plans)

• Not directly compatible with WHO (but can be moved to a compatible option)• PastPerfect• File Maker Pro• Microsoft Access• Excel spreadsheet• Omeka.net (Basic, Plus, Silver

plans)

Wisconsin Folksong Collection, UW-Madison

DIFFERENT MATERIALS, DIFFERENT APPROACHES

• Printed texts• Scanning straightforward but can be time-

consuming (lots of pages); metadata usually straightforward; need to OCR

• Handwritten texts• Scanning straightforward; metadata

relatively straightforward; transcripts recommended

• Photographs• More care in scanning; more detail in

metadata

• Maps and other oversized items• Outsource scanning to a vendor

• Artifacts• Object photography needs more

equipment and more space; more detail in metadata

• Sound and video• Talk to me

Mineral Point Historical Society

ENCOURAGING USE OF YOUR COLLECTIONS

• Google is not enough• Moving away from “if you

build it, they will come” approach

• Bring your content to your audience—find them where they already are

• Let them look behind the curtain and see projects in progress, warts and all

• Participatory archives concept—shared authority, community engagement

Milwaukee Public Library

WHO PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS

• Quarterly email newsletter• Facebook• facebook.com/

wisconsinheritage

• Twitter• twitter.com/wiheritage

• Tumblr• wiscohisto.tumblr.com

• ViewshareRock County Historical Society

LOCAL PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS

• Add introduction/background information on your own website• http://www.newberlinhistoricalsociety.org

• Highlight an item of the day/week/month• https://www.facebook.com/

lacrosse.history

• Host an opening event• Whitefish Bay Public Library• College of Menominee Nation

• Host a slide show or exhibition• South Wood County Historical Museum• Mineral Point Historical Society

• Press release to local media• What else? South Wood County Historical Museum

WHAT NEXT?

• Interested in participating in Wisconsin Heritage Online?• Consult with me about a project

you might have in mind• Sign on as a member ($50 or $100

annually)• Fill out our Collection Hosting

Application to have your collection hosted in CONTENTdm by the Milwaukee Public Library

• Schedule a training session with me to get started on creating metadata and uploading items

• Get your collection harvested into the WHO portal Marquette University

E M I LY P F O T E N H A U E RO U T R E A C H S P E C I A L I S T, W I S C O N S I N H E R I TA G E O N L I N EE P F O T E N H A U E R @ W I L S .W I S C . E D U

THANK YOU!