Slides from the "Planning a Successful Digital Project" start-to-finish session presented at the Wisconsin Library Association annual conference, Green Bay, October 25, 2013. Presenters: Sarah Grimm, Electronic Records Archivist, Wisconsin Historical Society and Emily Pfotenhauer, Recollection Wisconsin Program Manager, WiLS.

1. Supported by WHRAB
DESIGNING A SUCCESSFUL
DIGITAL PROJECT
W I S C O N S I N L I B R A R Y A S S O C I AT I O N C O N F E R E N C E
OCTOBER 25, 2013
Sarah Grimm, Electronic Records Archivist, Wisconsin Historical Society
Emily Pfotenhauer, Recollection Wisconsin Program Manager, WiLS

2. TODAY’S AGENDA
• Planning
• Selecting materials
• Copyright considerations
• Cost considerations
• Creating
• Scanning
• Metadata
• Maintaining
• File naming and
organization
• Storage
• Providing Access
• Access options
• Marketing
• Roles and timelines

3. 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

4. DIGITAL PRESERVATION
The Library of Congress started
the Digital Preservation
Outreach and Education (DPOE)
program in order to foster
national outreach and
education to encourage
individuals and organizations
to actively preserve their
digital content.
http://www.digitalpreservation.
gov/education/
Waterford Public Library/University of
Wisconsin Digital Collections

5. DIGITAL PRESERVATION
Digital preservation combines policies, strategies and
actions to ensure access to reformatted and born
digital content regardless of the challenges of media
failure and technological change. The goal of digital
preservation is the accurate rendering of
authenticated content over time.
Working group on Defining Digital Preservation, ALA Annual Conference, 6/24/2007

6. WHAT IS DIGITAL CONTENT?
• Digital content is any content that is published or
distributed in a digital form, including text, data, sound
recordings, photographs and images, motion pictures,
and software.
• Digital materials created from analogue sources
• Born-digital content
• Digital materials you currently have or create – or expect
to have – that you want to preserve.

7. DEFINING A DIGITAL COLLECTION
• A good digital collection…
• Is publicly accessible
• Is searchable - Includes keywords and other descriptive
information (metadata) so users can find what they’re looking for
• Uses software that is sustainable (will be around for a long time)
and interoperable (can be migrated or shared)
• Remains true to the original materials
• Respects intellectual property rights
• A digital collection is not…
• An inventory
• An online exhibit/gallery/slideshow

8. WELL-MANAGED COLLECTIONS
• Characteristics of well-managed digital content:
•
•
•
•
•
Basic information about each collection
Minimal metadata for objects
Common file formats
Controlled and known storage of content
Multiple copies in at least 2 locations

9. BEFORE YOU EVEN START…..
• Don’t scan a mess! Take the
time to assess and organize
your originals first.
• A digital project can be an
ideal time to evaluate
collection conditions and
rehouse materials as needed.
• Resources for collections care
and organization:
• Wisconsin Historical Society
Field Services staff
• Wisconsin Archives Mentoring
Service
• National Park Service
Conserve-O-Grams
Richland County History Room

10. PROJECT PLANNING WORKSHEET
http://recollectionwisconsin.org/wla2013
Philharmonic Chorus
Members
Image ID: WHi-92113

11. PLANNING
Postal workers sorting mail, 1955
Wisconsin Historical Society WHi-36392

12. DEFINING GOALS
• Connect to your
community
• Reach new audiences
• Improve access to
“invisible” materials
• Protect fragile or
heavily used materials
• Learn more about
your collections
• Contribute to our
collective knowledge
South Wood County Historical Museum

13. POTENTIAL AUDIENCES
• Local residents
• Students and teachers
• Genealogists
• Specialists (e.g. Civil War
re-enactors, railroad
buffs)
• Academic researchers
• Curious Wisconsinites
• Everyone!
College of Menominee Nation

14. SELECTING MATERIALS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Photographs
Postcards
Letters
Diaries
Scrapbooks
Yearbooks
Newspaper clippings
City directories
Local histories
Magazines
Pamphlets
Maps
Artifacts/3-D objects
Oral histories
Sound recordings
Moving images (video, film)
Other?
Appleton Public Library

15. DEVELOPING SELECTION CRITERIA
When developing a selection policy, consider…
• Your organization’s mission statement and collecting policies
• Appeal and interest (is this of value to researchers? To other
audiences?)
• Uniqueness of materials (is this the only source or does it also
exist elsewhere? Avoid duplication)
• Focusing on a specific subject, theme or creator
• Manageability – tackle a project of appropriate size and scope

16. SETTING PRIORITIES
Ask yourself which materials are…
• most significant to your
organization?
• most extensive?
• most requested/used?
• easiest?
• oldest?
• newest?
• at risk?
Neville Public Museum of Brown County

17. SELECTION – YES OR NO?
•
•
•
•
This item is rare or unique to our collection.
This item is frequently requested by our patrons/visitors.
This item or very similar items are not found anywhere else on the Internet.
There is enough accurate information available about the item to add
useful context for our audience (for example, we know or can find out
names of people, locations, dates).
• We have the appropriate equipment to create an accurate, high-quality
digital copy of this item (for example, item is not too large to fit on
scanner), or funding to outsource if needed.
• This item is in stable condition and will not be damaged by scanning or
other handling.
• This item is in the public domain or we have secured permission from the
rights holder to make it available online.

18. DOCUMENT YOUR DECISIONS….
Sinclair Lewis Typing
Image ID: WHi-51874

19. CONSIDERING COPYRIGHT
• Disclaimer: We are not
lawyers.
• 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 2013 that means the item
was:
• Published before 1923 –OR–
• Unpublished; creator died
before 1943 –OR–
• Unpublished; unknown
creator; made before 1893
UW-Milwaukee Libraries

20. 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

21. SAMPLE COPYRIGHT STATEMENTS
• For an item presumed to be in the public domain: This item is in
the public domain. There are no known restrictions on the use of this
digital resource. Contact [your institution] to purchase a highresolution version of this image.
• For an item under copyright; copyright holder has granted
permission to put online: This image has been made available 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 undetermined: 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.

22. COPYRIGHT TOOLS
• Public Domain Sherpa: Public Domain Calculator
• http://www.publicdomainsherpa.com/calculator.html
• Copyright Advisory Network
• Copyright Slider:
http://librarycopyright.net/resources/digitalslider/
• Copyright Genie:
http://librarycopyright.net/resources/genie/

23. POTENTIAL PROJECT COSTS
• Scanner
• Outsourcing imaging to a
commercial vendor
• Digital camera and related
equipment
• Internet access
• Storage for digital files
• Software for online access
• Archival storage supplies
• Be sure to budget for TIME
and SPACE
Merrill Historical Society

24. FUNDING
• Grants
• LSTA Digitization of Local
Resources grants (Dep’t of
Public Instruction)
• Local corporations or
foundations
• Wisconsin Humanities Council
• In-kind contributions
• Tech support
• Equipment use
• Biggest expense is TIME
• Paid staff time
• “Free” volunteer time
• Students/interns
Ripon College

25. DISCUSSION
• What’s one digitization
project you’re currently
working on or thinking
about?
• What are your goals and
audience for this project?
• How did you/will you
determine selection
criteria?
• How will you fund the
project?
Eager Free Public Library/University of
Wisconsin Digital Collections

26. CREATING DIGITAL IMAGES
Computer center, 1972
St. Norbert College

27. DIGITAL IMAGING
• Goals of imaging:
• Create a digital
representation that’s
faithful to the original item
• Create the highest quality
image you can with
available resources
• Anticipate multiple uses
(online, print publication,
exhibit, etc.)
• Scan once—don’t expect to
return to re-digitize
UW-Madison Archives

28. CHOOSING A SCANNER
• Some features to look for:
• Transparency unit
--for scanning slides and negatives
• Size of scanning bed
• Image editing software
--many new scanners come with Photoshop Elements
• Compatible with your computer’s operating system
• Is your computer fast enough to process large image files?

29. 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
• Longest side of item longer
than 7” = 300ppi
• Shorter than 7” = 600ppi
• 35mm sides or other small
items = 1200ppi
• Save two copies of each scan:
• Master file: TIFF (20-40MB) for
archiving and printing
• Access copy: JPEG (1-5MB) for
editing, online viewing, email,
social media
UW-La Crosse

30. 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

31. SCANNING DOCUMENTS
• Printed texts
• Scan in 8-bit grayscale or 1bit black and white
• 300ppi is generally
sufficient
• Use OCR (Optical Character
Recognition) software to
make the text computersearchable
• 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

32. WORKING WITH PRINTED TEXT? OCR!
• OCR = Optical Character Recognition
• Software that makes printed text computer-readable and fully
searchable
• Very valuable when scanning books, yearbooks, city
directories, newspaper clippings, etc.
• A couple of options…
• ABBYY Finereader ($100-$170)
• Adobe Acrobat ($45 through techsoup.org)

33. WHEN NOT TO SCAN IT YOURSELF
• Look to a vendor for scanning…
• Oversized materials
--maps, blueprints, etc.
• Fragile books or scrapbooks
--bindings can be damaged by laying flat to scan
• Anything with flaking, cracked or otherwise fragile surface
• Microfilm
--newspapers
• Potential vendors
• Northern Micrographics, La Crosse
• A/E Graphics, Milwaukee
• Wisconsin Historical Society (for microfilm)

34. CREATING METADATA
Syl carving his name in tree, 1902
Wisconsin Historical Society WHi-69022

35. 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?)
• Helps users find what they’re
looking for
• Organized, standardized,
consistent, searchable
Grant County Historical Society

36. SAMPLE METADATA
Field Name
Sample Data
Title
DiVall barber shop, Middleton, 1925
Subjects
Barbers; Barbershops
Type
Still image
Format
image/tiff
Rights statement
This material may be protected by copyright law. The
user is responsible for all issues of copyright.
File name
2006_01_12.tif
Submitter
Middleton Area Historical Society
Date digitized
2013-04-05
Middleton Area Historical Society

37. SAMPLE METADATA
Field Name
Sample Data
Creator
Bartle, F. C.
Date Created
1925-09-12 OR 1920-1930
Materials
Photographs
Description
Ralph DiVall (left) and Edwin T. Baltes (right) shave
two men seated in barber chairs. According to a
family history on file at the Society, DiVall operated
this barber shop from the 1920s until his retirement
on July 1, 1966.
Location
Middleton, Dane County, Wisconsin
Collection
DiVall Family Collection
Identifier
2006.01.12
Middleton Area Historical Society

38. TITLES FOR HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS
The photograph may already have a title.

39. EXISTING TITLES
If the photograph contains a title or caption, transcribe it exactly.
Birds-eye-view, No. 4,
1908, Barneveld, Wis.

40. WHAT MAKES A GOOD TITLE?
If the photo does not already have a title, you’ll need to create
one.
A useful title is…
• Descriptive and specific
• Brief
• Follows specific formatting rules
• Capitalize first word and proper names (people, places, institutions)
• Don’t start with “A” or “The”
• Period not needed at the end

41. BASIC FORMULA FOR CREATING TITLES
SUBJECT, LOCATION, DATE
Person, object, building, etc.
City OR township OR county
Year or date range
Only include an element IF KNOWN

42. PEOPLE & PORTRAITS
• Identify…Who? Where?
When?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Women
Children
Babies
Carriages/strollers
Stores/shops
Boardwalk
Marathon County
1890-1899

43. Women and children with babies in carriages,
Manitowoc County, 1890-1899
(SUBJECT, LOCATION, DATE)

44. BUILDINGS AND CITYSCAPES
• Identify the name of the street or view
• Identify the location (City OR Township OR County)
• Identify the date (Year? Date range?)

45. 100 block of South Main Street,
Fort Atkinson, 1940-1949
(SUBJECT, LOCATION, DATE)

46. EXPANDED FORMULA FOR CREATING TITLES
SUBJECT, ACTIVITY, LOCATION, DATE
Person, object, building, etc.
Action or event
City OR township OR county
Year or date range
Only include an element IF KNOWN

47. ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
Identify…Who? What are
they doing? Where and
when?
• Circus elephant
• Trainer
• Woman on swing
• Evansville
• 1940-1949

48. Trainer with circus elephant holding woman on swing,
Evansville, 1940-1949
(SUBJECT, ACTIVITY, LOCATION, DATE)

49. ASSIGNING SUBJECT HEADINGS
• Subject headings are terms or
phrases assigned to an item to
facilitate searching and
browsing a collection.
• Consistent use of subject
headings helps link related
content in your collection and
across disparate collections.

50. CONTROLLED VOCABULARIES
• A controlled vocabulary is a
standardized, pre-determined
list of subject headings.
• Some examples of controlled
vocabularies:
• Library of Congress Thesaurus
for Graphic Materials
• Library of Congress Subject
Headings
• Getty Art and Architecture
Thesaurus
• Nomenclature 3.0
New Berlin Historical Society

51. TIPS FOR ASSIGNING SUBJECT HEADINGS
• Consider the following elements to help select terms:
• WHO? People - age, gender, occupation, ethnicity
• WHERE? Building or other setting
• WHAT? Activities or events
• Always copy terms exactly from the controlled vocabulary.
• Think of your own “tags,” then search the controlled
vocabulary list for correct terms.
• How did others do it? Look at similar photos for
examples/ideas.
• Aim for 1-5 terms.
• There is no one right answer!

52. SAMPLE SUBJECT HEADINGS

53. SAMPLE SUBJECT HEADINGS
Railroads; Railroad stations;
Carts & wagons

54. SAMPLE SUBJECT HEADINGS

55. SAMPLE SUBJECT HEADINGS
Students; Music education; Youth orchestras

56. EXERCISE - ASSIGNING TITLES AND SUBJECTS
Work in small groups to assign a title and subjects
to a historic photograph.
Remember the basic title formulas:
• SUBJECT, LOCATION, DATE
• SUBJECT, ACTIVITY, LOCATION, DATE
Select terms from the short list extracted from the Library of
Congress Thesaurus for Graphic Materials. The full version of
this controlled vocabulary is available online:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/tgm1/
• choose a maximum of 5 terms

57. FILE NAMING AND ORGANIZATION
Sixty Years of Quality Canning by the Lakeside Packing Company, ca. 1947.
Manitowoc Public Library/ University of Wisconsin Digital Collections

58. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
• To create organizational standards
• To help you find it again
• To prevent accidental overwriting
• To eliminate (minimize) duplication of files
Train Wreck
Image ID: WHi-2011

59. FILE NAMING
• Keep folder / document titles
short and descriptive
• Use only lower case letters,
numbers, and dashes or
underscores
• Don’t use spaces or
punctuation
• Don’t use special characters in
your file/folder titles
(^”<>|? / : @’* &.)
(Just because you CAN doesn’t
mean you SHOULD…..)
Typing at Dickinson Secretarial School
Image ID: WHi-19562

60. FILE NAMING
• Date your documents consistently
• yyyymmdd_brieftitle.xxx
• 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

61. 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

62. RESOURCES
• State Library of North Carolina –
• Web
http://www.archive.org/details/WhyFileNamingIsImportant
http://www.archive.org/details/HowToChangeAFileName
http://www.archive.org/details/WhatNotToDoWhenNamingFiles
http://www.archive.org/details/WhatToDoWhenNamingFiles
• YouTube
http://digitalpreservation.ncdcr.gov/tutorials.html

63. FILE ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT
• Centralize your files
• Minimize your layers
• Leave breadcrumbs
(AKA “READ ME”)
• Determine what you
don’t know
IH General Office Mail Room
Image ID: WHi-12016

64. WHAT NOT TO KEEP?
• Backups/copies/drafts
• Supplementary files that
provide no additional
long-term value
• Corrupted files
• Same item – different
file formats
• Items that don’t fit your
organization’s purpose
Boy on Curb near Trash Pile
Image ID: WHi-57208

65. DOCUMENT YOUR DECISIONS….
Sinclair Lewis Typing
Image ID: WHi-51874

66. TOOLS
Guitar Maker's Shop
Image ID: WHi-27234

67. REMOVE DUPLICATE FILES
• Auslogics Duplicate File Finder
http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/duplicate-file-finder/
• Similar Images
http://similarimages.en.softonic.com/
• VisiPics
http://www.visipics.info/index.php?title=Main_Page

68. IMAGE VIEWER
IrfanView
http://www.irfanview.com/
• Tool with many different capabilities for
image manipulation/editing
• For photos, we can easily view an
entire folder’s worth of images at one time

69. CHECKSUMS
• Checksums (AKA “Hash Sums”) are created by programs
running an algorithm against the contents of a file.
(there are many free utilities that will perform this function for you)
• The resulting checksum is a short
sequence of letters and/or numbers
that uniquely identifies that file.
(think “electronic fingerprint”)
Unix cksum utility

70. WHY IS THIS A GOOD THING?
• Checksums help maintain the INTEGRITY of your
collections because they will tell you when things change
over time.
• If two files are exactly the same, the checksums of those
files will also be exactly the same (generally speaking )
• If a file becomes corrupted, degraded or is changed in
some way, the next time you run the utility on it, the
checksum will change

71. MD5SUMMER
• MD5summer
http://www.md5summer.org/download.html
• This tool will give you a couple of options for the hashing
algorithm
MD5
SHA-1
• Other tools will give you other options……

72. HOW DOES IT WORK?
• Open MD5summer
• Select your
root folder
• Select
“Create Sums”

73. CREATE LIST OF FILES TO SUM
• Select the files to be
added
• Click “Add” or
“Add recursively”
• Click “OK”

74. MD5 SUMS WILL START GENERATING

75. SAVE THE FILE

77. VERIFY HASH VALUES
• Copy files to another
directory
(think “backup”)
• Open MD5Summer
• Select the files in
the new location
• Click “Verify Sums”

78. OPEN THE MD5SUM FILE
• Find your MD5 file
• Click “Open”

79. MD5SUMS WILL BE COMPARED
YEAH!

80. IF THE FILES ARE DIFFERENT……
Uh-Oh!

81. THINGS TO REMEMBER
Things that will NOT affect checksums
• Moving items from one place to another
• Changing the file name
Run on the master files
when a collection is
completed
Set up a schedule to run
“verify checks” periodically
St. Mary of the Lake Parish School First Day
Image ID: WHi-98433

82. STORAGE

83. KEY DECISION POINTS
•
•
•
•
How are you going to organize it?
What are you going to store it on?
Where are you going to store it?
How many copies do you
need?
Post Office
Image ID: WHi-9135

84. FACTORS TO CONSIDER
• Immediate Costs
• Quantity (size and number of files)
• Number of copies
• Media (life span, availability, $$)
• Other resources
• Expertise (skills required to manage)
• Services (local vs. hosted)
• Partners (achieving geographic distribution)
• Institutional constraints

85. HOW MANY AND WHERE?
• Multiple
• Minimum: two (2) copies in two locations
• Optimum: six (6) copies
• Geographically distributed
• Don’t keep your copies onsite if possible

86. LOCAL STORAGE OPTIONS
•
•
•
•
Local network
RAID device
External hard drive
Archival quality (gold) CDs
or DVDs
Take into account potential
future storage needs.
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

87. CLOUD STORAGE OPTIONS
Commercial options:
• Google Drive
• Up to 5GB free (approx. 140 high-resolution TIFF files)
• 25GB = $2.50/month
• Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)
• $.095 per GB/month
Institutional options:
• DuraCloud

88. THE (MOSTLY) GOOD…..
Responsibilities and costs are transferred to the cloud provider
• Installation / replacement / upgrades of hardware and
software
• Backup and recovery of data are part of the package
• No local physical presence (valuable space)
• No local environmental requirements (power or cooling costs)

89. THE (POTENTIALLY) BAD
There are potential disadvantages however…..
• Can records be managed correctly throughout their entire
lifecycle?
• Can it support Open Records requests?
• Security concerns
• Do you know where your data is?
• Accessibility – more “points of failure” when the data is
remote
• Costs for accessing data can be high

90. RESOURCES
State of Wisconsin Public Records Board has created two
documents which can be found at:
http://publicrecordsboard.wi.gov/docs_all.asp?locid=165
• Public Records Board Guidance on the Use of Contractors
for Records Management Services
• Use of Contractors for Records Management Services
(Both docs are in the Reference Materials section)

91. DOCUMENT YOUR DECISIONS….
Sinclair Lewis Typing
Image ID: WHi-51874

92. ACCESS CONSIDERATIONS
Historical Society library
stacks, 1896
Wisconsin Historical
Society WHi-23281

93. WHY ARE YOU PROVIDING
ACCESS TO CONTENT?
• User demand
• Institutional visibility
• Legal mandates or grant
requirements
• Generate revenue
• Contribute to our collective
knowledge
South Wood County Historical Museum

94. WHAT MAKES A GOOD
ONLINE COLLECTION?
• Publicly accessible.
• Searchable - Includes keywords and other descriptive
information (metadata) so users can find what they’re
looking for.
• Organized and consistent.
• Based on existing international/national/statewide
standards and best practices.
• Uses software that is sustainable (will be around for a
long time) and interoperable (can be migrated or
shared).
• Respects intellectual property rights.
• OAI-PMH compliant (to share content on statewide level)

95. SOME OAI-COMPLIANT ACCESS PLATFORMS
• CONTENTdm
• Your own instance
• Hosted by Milwaukee Public
Library through Recollection
Wisconsin
• ResCarta Web
• Free and open source
• Host it yourself or through vendor
• Omeka
• Free and open source
• Host it yourself or through
Omeka.net
• Other?
Beloit College

96. CONTENTDM
• Hosted by Milwaukee Public Library through Recollection
Wisconsin
• Produced and distributed by OCLC
• Costs (through Recollection Wisconsin):
• $200 one-time setup fee
• Annual hosting fees starting at $75

97. http://content.mpl.org/ashland

98. http://content.mpl.org/ashland

99. http://content.mpl.org/ashland

100. http://content.mpl.org/ashland

101. RESCARTA WEB
• Free and open source
• Host it yourself; or hosting available through Northern
Micrographics (fee-based)
• ResCarta Foundation – based in La Crosse

102. http://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/research/general/history.html

103. http://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/research/general/history.html

104. http://www.ecpubliclibrary.info/research/general/history.html

105. OMEKA
• Free and open source
• Host it yourself; or subscribe to hosted version, omeka.net
• Developed by the Center for History and New Media, George
Mason University

106. http://uwoshkosh.omeka.net

107. http://uwoshkosh.omeka.net

108. http://uwoshkosh.omeka.net

109. PROMOTION
Wisconsin Tourism Sign, Rhinelander, 1930-1942
Wisconsin Historical Society WHi-37927

110. POTENTIAL AUDIENCES
• Local residents
• Students and teachers
• Genealogists
• Specialists (e.g. Civil War
re-enactors, railroad
buffs)
• Academic researchers
• Curious Wisconsinites
• Everyone!
College of Menominee Nation

111. 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

112. ENCOURAGING USE OF YOUR COLLECTIONS
• Organizations are moving
away from “if you build it,
they will come” approach
– Google is not enough
• Participatory archives
concept—shared
authority, community
engagement
• Bring your content to
your audience—find them
where they already are
Milwaukee Public Library

113. MARKETING IDEAS
• Add introduction/background
information on your own
website
• http://www.newberlinhistoricalsociety.org
• Highlight an item of the
day/week/month
• https://www.facebook.com/lacross
e.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
Rock County Historical Society

114. MARKETING IDEAS
• Send someone with a laptop to popular local
spots/events to demonstrate digital collections:
• Ask, “Where do people go first to look for this kind of
information?” and then, market there
• Upload a few digitized images to Flickr with descriptions that
point back to your related digital and physical collections.
• Contribute to relevant pages on Wikipedia and include references
pointing to specific digital materials.
• Request that the Chamber of Commerce and other
relevant local organizations link to the new digital
collections from their websites.
• Send a press release to local media

115. EVALUATING IMPACT
Understanding current users…




Online survey instrument
Web analytics
Email subscriber lists
Visitor forms
Understanding future users…
 Special interest groups (AASLH, SAA, etc.)
 Listservs
 Workshops and conference sessions

116. WRAPPING UP – FINAL THOUGHTS
Commencement, 1978
UW-Madison Archives

117. ROLES
• Project Manager
• Scanner
• Cataloger
• File Manager
• IT Specialist
• Outreach Specialist
• Other?
"Deering Ideal" Stripper Harvester Catalog Cover
Image ID: WHi-27577

118. TIMELINE
• Set final date for project
completion
• Establish goalposts –
break project into smaller
steps/phases/goals
• Set timeframe for
meeting each goal
• Regularly revisit project
progress and modify
schedule as needed
• Always budget extra time
IH General Office Mail Room
Image ID: WHi-12016

119. TIMELINE
• Timeline will vary greatly
depending on…
•
•
•
•
Project scope
Types of materials
Staff experience
Available resources
• One model:
• 1/3 reformatting
• 1/3 metadata
• 1/3 management, quality
control, etc.
• Source: Steven Puglia, ”The
Costs of Digital Imaging
Projects,” RLG DigiNews v. 3,
no. 5 (1999)
WHi-4352

120. 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
• Have firm deadlines to help
me stay on track
Langlade County Historical Society

121. NEXT STEPS/TO DO LIST
• Review collections and set priorities for digitization.
• Consider developing a written selection policy.
• Determine the copyright status of any materials you
plan to share online and secure permissions from
copyright holders if materials are not in public
domain.
• Acquire scanning equipment or make other plans for
conversion.
• Familiarize yourself with good, useful metadata by
looking at other online collections.

122. NEXT STEPS/TO DO LIST
• Develop a file naming convention document.
• Develop a storage management policy
• E.g., number of copies, locations
• Monitor copies of content for errors/changes
• Evaluate technology to determine your preferred
access platform
• Develop a marketing plan
• Determine how you will evaluate the success of
your marketing plan

123. THANK YOU!
• Sarah Grimm, Wisconsin
Historical Society
sarah.grimm@wisconsinhistory.org
608-261-1008
• Emily Pfotenhauer, WiLS
emily@wils.org
608-616-9756
• Slides and handouts
available at
http://recollectionwisconsin
.org/wla2013
South Wood County Historical Museum