Laserfiche WebLink
li1' PERSPECTIVES <br />which aims to provide a single interface to <br />access a wide range of content. As of May <br />2011, the database contained records from <br />nearly 400 institutions; with IMLS' <br />participation, and with an expansion of the <br />DCC project, the organization could be a <br />major player in aggregating digitized <br />materials from public libraries or serve as a <br />model for a new independent repository <br />under the auspices of another entity.' <br />Incorporating smaller institutions in <br />programs of state -level organizations or <br />regional consortia. Entities such as Ohio <br />Memory and the Metropolitan New York <br />Library Council often work with smaller <br />institutions, involve public- private <br />partnerships, and include materials from <br />multiple states or communities. <br />Although these organizations represent an <br />attractive option in several ways, funding <br />remains a serious problem, and many <br />programs already are stretched to their <br />limits. Additionally, a repository limited to <br />state or regional <br />materials would not <br />reach as many people <br />as a nationwide <br />program. <br />Developing a mobile <br />digitization unit. This <br />solution could be part <br />of a national- or <br />state -level program, <br />and it could be an <br />ideal way to capture <br />these kinds of local materials. <br />It would facilitate on -site digitization, which <br />is the Library of Congress' National Digital <br />Library Program's preferred method for <br />handling materials, and having equipment <br />and expertise that can travel from one site <br />to another would significantly lower the <br />Case Study: Finding a Starting Point <br />in Honey Grove, Texas, the Bertha <br />Voyer Memorial Library has "an entire <br />room full of collections including <br />photographs, ephemera, deeds and <br />wills, audio recordings from the <br />foundation's founder, and Valentine's <br />Day cards from the early 1800s. "I just <br />don't know where to start it's so <br />overwhelming!" wrote the library staff <br />member. <br />6 Digitizing Hidden Collections in Public Libraries <br />barriers to entry in many digitization <br />projects. Combining the benefits from both <br />on- and off -site scanning, therefore, could <br />result in a cost effective solution: creating a <br />single lab that can be moved from site to <br />site, digitizing materials "semi -in- house" <br />without extra risk to rare materials but with <br />high-quality equipment and expert help. <br />Some digitization specialists and <br />contractors, such as ArcaSearch and the <br />genealogy Web site Ancestry.com, offer on- <br />site scanning services or mobile units. The <br />idea of a library or cultural- heritage <br />institution creating a similar unit has been <br />raised a few times in recent years. An LSTA <br />grant in fiscal year 2009 even awarded <br />$13,804 for a mobile digitization center at <br />the Joliet Public Library in Illinois. <br />Although the idea clearly resonates with the <br />library community, the idea of a mobile <br />digitization unit has not yet gained traction <br />on a large scale. <br />Funding <br />Approaches <br />Funding possibilities <br />obviously depend <br />on the focus and the <br />size of the program, <br />but a variety of <br />creative options <br />could make a <br />cohesive digitization <br />initiative become a <br />reality. <br />Options range from a major congressional <br />appropriation for a new program to a small <br />grant from a private foundation for a <br />regional consortium. Making a program a <br />priority in an existing federal or state <br />government program is another possibility, <br />but the outlook for public funding at all <br />