Planning Your Digitization Project
Schedule pending -- please check back later
Instructor: Hillary Theyer
Planning Your Digitization Project
Libraries are looking more and more for digital solutions for preserving fragile material, making resources available to remote users and improving access to special collections. This course will introduce participants to the ways digitization can be used in their library to improve the services provided to patrons, to augment the library’s collection and to protect valuable library assets.
The process of digitizing and planning one's digitization project will be explained to the person unfamiliar with the relevant vocabulary, concepts and definitions. Participants will be taught how to begin incorporating digitization into their library’s technology plan for preservation and access. The life cycle of a digitization project will be explained and budgeting, staffing and critical technical issues addressed.
Workshop Description: This full-day, survey course will introduce the participant to the world of digitization, enabling them to determine how this emerging technology fits into their library environment. The goal is to enable participants to take the first steps necessary for planning their own digitization project including preparing a project description, timeline and budget.
Highlights: Through lecture, discussion and demonstration participants will:
- Evaluate existing digitization projects and discuss the benefits they provide for the hosting institution
- Learn the public service impact of integrating digitized materials with other library collections
- Decide whether digitization is a good choice for one or more of their collections
- Explore reasons for choosing to digitize a collection
- Learn the steps involved in taking a digitization project from conception to completion
- Discover the resources available to assist them throughout their digitization project’s life cycle
- Learn who in one's library to mobilize when initiating a digitization project
- Understand the standards, technical specifications, integration and access issues that must be addressed for every digitization project
- Learn financial resources available to California libraries for digitization projects
Who Should Attend: Anyone interested in digitization. This Level 1 course is suitable for general professional development as well as people who will go on to the second course in this series, Implementing Your Digitization Project.
Prerequisites: None. This course is a prerequisite to Implementing Your Digitization Project which will be offered later in the year.
