Digitization Services Planning Committee
Annual Meeting

January 25-26, 2001. Gainesville, FL
 Florida Center for Library Automation (Gainesville, FL)

Each of the ten SUS institutions and FCLA was represented by at least one individual.  The State Archives was represented by an observer.  Attendees represented a mix of collection managers and special collections curators, public services librarians, and technical services librarians.

Business Meeting
Day One : January 25, 2001

  1. Round-robin on local projects and project plans
    • Local projects and plans were listed.  Most of those listed are components of the projects cited in the Three Year Plan.   This exercise allowed individuals, who had previously discussed projects only by email, to meet and further cooperative project conception.  
    • The group identified a number of types of collection commonly held, where cooperative projects might be possible: theatre, newspapers, geology/ecosystems/everglades, archives & university histories, local business & economics, children's literature.
  2. Review of workflow and standards for PALMM projects
    • FCLA presented a regularized workflow for handling digitized resources.  This workflow is available on the PALMM web site at http://susdl.fcla.edu/strucmeta/workflow1.html.
    • Review of image creation standards resulted in agreement to expand documentation to include tips/best practices.
  3. New Metadata Exchange Format (MXF)
    • FCLA review both the function of the forthcoming Metadata Exchange Format (MXF) and the client devised to support data entry.
      • The MXF will replace the DataSet.TOC by January 2002.  The DataSet.TOC lacks the depth required to adequately handle complex serials and archive collections.  (See item 9 for discussion of archival description schemes.)
      • Three member institutions agreed to beta test the client.
  4. Conversion to text
    • UCF reviewed its experience converting the Florida Historical Quarterly from electronic image to text.  Other members share similar experiences.  Contingent upon multiple image and type variables, conversion to text can be a laborious activity.
    • Members who are beginning to explore vended conversion and mark-up agreed to share information via the DSPC list.  Potential products include a specification for bid of services.
    • Other members agreed to test in-house conversion and mark-up of important or highly used resources and to continue sharing experiences in hopes of compiling tips/best practices.
  5. Demo/discussion of XPAT Text Class and Image Class
    • FCLA noted that it has XPAT's Text Class (based on TEI-Lite/Text Encoding Initiative) in test.
    • FCLA demonstrated sites with text behind images (for pages with type & layout artifact value) and text in-front of images (or without images).  
    • UCF, USF, UF, and FCLA will get together to agree on minimal markup specs for fulltext to be searched via XPAT.
    • Members reasserted previous agreement to develop text behind images first.
      • Text behind image can be "dirty", i.e., may be OCR (optical character recognition) output without text correction to 99.95% accuracy.  The advantage, being that some access to key word searching is provided immediately while or until text correction can be completed.
  6. DSPC Business meeting:
    1. Budget Request Form
      • The simplified budget form was approved.
      • Support for text conversion and mark-up was added as the DSPC prepares to take advantage of XPAT.
    2. Statistics: what type, how often
      • FCLA reviewed current statistics .
      • Members asked for more specific reports to assist in analysis of digital collections use.
      • Members agreed to provide monthly image production reports beginning with expenditure of this year's funds.
    3. DSPC Three Year Plan was discussed.  
      • Funded projects remain on track. 
    4. Review of FCLA 2001 work-plan
    5. Election of new Chair and Chair-elect 
    6. Discussion of Other Topics as time allows
      • FCLA noted that it had both PURL (persistent URL) and SID (scalable graphics) servers in test.
      • Membership asked FCLA to revise resource descriptions in WebLUIS interfaces for PALMM collections.  Collection users often do not know which of two available formats is best for their needs.
        • "Electronic resource (JPEG)" should become "Electronic resource (JPEG) -- for viewing"; and
        • "Electronic resource (PDF)" should become "Electronic resource (PDF) -- for printing"
      • Members agreed to provide their (generic) letters requesting copyright clearance as models for posting on PALMM pages.
      • Members suggested to add a link to LTQF search on the PALMM Guidelines page. This is now available: WebLUIS Search (LTQF).
      • Some users of digital collections have noted long download times.
        • Members, in response, agreed to provide tips/best practices for derivative file formats (e.g., JPEG, PDF, SID) as instruction in creation of smallest possible optimal images.
      • Members, scanning institutions in particular, agreed to share information about their new hardware and services.  
        • Given the price of some recent hardware acquisitions, the DSPC hopes to broaden system-wide services without incurring unnecessary duplication.
        • By the end of the calendar year, the system should have several regionally disbursed scanning institutions, at least two institutions with high-speed scanning services, at least two institutions with very-high resolution and scaleable image creation services, at least two institutions with multi-media digitization services, and likely three institutions with text conversion and mark-up services.

DSPC meeting with Curators of Special Collections
Day Two : January 26, 2001

  1. Special Collections Task Force
    • First meeting of the Task Force.  The Task Force decided to operate without a chair.
    • Membership will share the DSPC list.
    • Charge (in brief): 
      1. Review issues of collections arrangement and description as precursor to digitization;
      2. Identify and prioritize collections for digital collections development;
      3. Monitor granting agencies and investigate funding opportunities for digitization projects; and
      4. Assist in construction of digitization projects and grant proposals.
  2. Panel for the Identification of Florida Heritage
    • Discussion of difficulties staffing the Panel with K-12 teachers and the problematic nature of compiling a bibliography was followed by agreement to redefine the task of monitoring development of the Florida Heritage Collection, and to establish a replacement committee.  
    • The charge of the replacement committee, a Review Board for Florida Heritage Resources, has been posted on the DSPC web site.  In brief, the replacement committee, formed of three Florida history specialists (tentative membership: James Cusick [UF], Dean DeBolt [UWF], and Pat Riordan [USF]), will 
      1. Review and assess the contents of the Florida Heritage Collection with reference to the Collection's own stated criteria of coverage and scope and with reference to standard bibliographies of Florida history and culture;
      2. Develop of bibliography of bibliographies for posting on the Florida Heritage Collection's sidebar; and
      3. Provide advice and coordination in the selection of manuscript collections on Florida history as necessary or when requested. 
    • As regards the K-12 component of the Panel, see item 11, Learning Modules.
    • The majority of funds reserved for Panel meetings would be released for digitization.
  3. Archival description schemes
    • Archival collection description schemes were listed, in wide variety, among the members.   Schemes from card catalogs and calendars to MARC21 and HTML finding guides were assessed for hooks to digitized collection resources.
    • Encoded Archival Description (EAD), a scheme specifically designed for the Internet, was discussed.  Alternatives -- other structural metadata schemes -- were briefly considered but dismissed as inadequate.
    • Members concluded that they needed more information before they could agree to adopt EAD.  They requested a workshop, presenting a description of EAD, its uses and structure, a review of coding methods and tools, etc.
  4. Cooperative Digital Collection Development and Grant Planning
    • Discussion resulted in a list, posted on the PALMM pages, of agencies funding digitization projects.  The list provides a brief description of each agency's funding objectives and a link to agency web pages.
    • Members reviewed projects cited in the Three Year Plan and those listed during the round-robin against a list of agencies funding digitization projects.
    • Discussion married several projects to particular funding agencies, spending the most time on the two agencies with the earliest deadlines: the Library Services and Technology Assistance (LSTA) program administered by the State Library and Archives (deadline: March 15, 2001) and the National Endowment for Humanities' Preservation and Access program (deadline: June 1, 2001).
    • Members agreed to investigate development of at least two LSTA projects immediately:
      1. Archives Manuscripts Cataloging (MARC21 cataloging) project system-wide, with a limited demonstration project using Encoded Archival Description; and
      2. Comprehensive planning documents digitization project, with a map and aerial photography component.
    • Members agreed to explore other grant opportunities:
      • Everglades (supplementing RTE and FEOL)
      • Florida Newspapers
      • French Carribean
      • Calendars of Spanish Colonial Records
      • Florida Biography Index
      • Snapshot of Florida History (1880s or 1900s)
  5. Learning Modules
    • Linking Florida's Natural Heritage planners discussed its use and construction of learning modules.  The project contracted a natural heritage graduate student and worked with the student's major professor to develop learning modules now undergoing classroom tests.
    • The State Archives' representative discussed its program and staff resources for building education components and learning tools into its Florida Memory Project site.  The State Archives employs a librarian with teaching credentials and experience, who has worked with schools to build resources for classroom use.
    • Membership, in general, decided that they lacked expertise in this area.
      • Members agreed that they needed to develop liaisons with their Colleges of Education, education technology centers, etc. and to invite their use of the Florida Heritage Collection and other PALMM collections for their grant proposals.