DIGITIZATION PROJECT SURVEY
Must be completed prior to submitting any grant application committing D-CARP equipment or services and before requesting technology or other digital collection/repository services
Provide all of the following information
Survey Questions with Detailed Checklist Examples
Purpose of project:
1. What are the goals of your project/what do you hope to accomplish?
• Is the main goal increased access or decreased handling of fragile originals? Or both? Or something else?
• Will the digital images replace or supplement existing originals?
• Will the digitized materials complement existing collections in online or print form?
2. For what purpose do you want to use the digitized materials?
• What are the benefits of having this collection in digital form?
• Is there a demand for the content of these materials in digital form?
• Will the project address a specific need for digitized materials in a certain unique subject or topical area?
3. Will the original print (documents, photos, etc.) be retained or discarded after they have been scanned?
Audience:
1. Who is your intended audience?
2. What are the needs of your intended audience and how can you best serve them?
• What will be the modes of access (web, CD, other)?
• What search and browsing features will be most helpful to your users?
• How will the digital files be used?
Copyright:
1. Are the materials in the public domain? If not, who owns the materials and have permissions been secured?
2. Who will conduct the copyright research and seek permissions, if necessary?
3. What type of permission statements need to accompany the digital images?
4. How and to whom should requests for re-use, linking and copies be directed?
Access and Searching:
1. Who will determine the best way to make the digital files accessible to users? (e.g. selection of a database and search interface)
• Will the images be linked to existing bibliographic systems, or will it be necessary to develop a new access system?
• Who will configure the search interface, supply metadata?
2. How will you distribute your collection:
• Will the database be available on the web, at dedicated CD-ROM stations, etc.?
• Will access be open, restricted or password protected?
Metadata: Refer to document:
METADATA INFORMATION: CATALOGING/DIGITAL LIBRARY PROGRAM TASK FORCE REQUIREMENTS
Metadata - General Project Information Needed:
1. Does metadata or descriptive information already exist for the collection? Yes / No
• If yes, what type of description already exists and at what level (e.g. item level, collection level...)?
• If yes, in what format is the metadata available (e.g. spreadsheet, Voyager MARC records, index cards) and at what level (item level, collection level...)
2. Are you required to use a certain metadata standard/schema for your project?
• Does your grant provider specify a metadata schema to be used? Yes / No
• Will your collection be deposited in an existing digital library or resource management system maintained by parties other than the UHM Library? Yes / No
• Do you plan to expose the metadata to OAI service providers? Yes / No
• What level of description will you implement within the chosen scheme (minimal, full)?
3. What metadata scheme is or will be used (e.g. Dublin Core, MARC, VRA, EAD, etc.)? Who will supply metadata?
Funding:
1. How much will the project cost? Do you have cost formulas?
2. Have you secured a funding source for this project? Have you considered local, state, national, philanthropic, and collaborative sources?
3. If the funding source is a grant, what is the grant period? Are matching funds required?
4. What parts of the project will require funding support?
• Physical resources (e.g. dedicated space, furniture, utilities, network access)
• hardware
• software
• personnel
• vendor services/outsourcing
• supplies, etc.
5. Is there ongoing funding committed to the digital project, i.e. to maintain access into the future?
For cooperative projects with other organizations:
1. Would UHM Library participation in a cooperative project involve a matching contribution of library staff time as part of the agreement?
2. Who will be the library’s representative to work with partner(s)?
Physical description of the collection:
1. What is the physical condition of the materials? Will originals need special handling during scanning?
2. What is the format of the material to be scanned (negatives, black and white, color, text and graphics, etc.)?
3. What size are the materials? Do you need the capability to scan oversize materials?
4. How many items will be scanned and what percentage of the collection will be digitized?
Timeframe:
1. Are there grant application deadlines or fiscal year activities that need consideration?
2. What is the project proposed durations and expected completion dates?
Staffing:
1. Who will be responsible for supervision, and/or performance of:
• selection and physical evaluation of the materials?
• preparation of materials prior to scanning?
• image capture, quality control, and post-scanning manipulation of images (if any)?
• indexing and cataloging of image records?
• writing and filing reports, fiscal accounting?
2. How will staff be funded?
3. Will special programming or other IT support be needed?
Equipment/Supplies/Workspace/Online storage:
1. What equipment and supplies are needed for each step of project?
2. Where will the digitizing take place? If off-site, does the vendor have adequate,
safe storage facilities?
3. How much permanent online storage space is required for the final collection of digital files?
Processing, Pre and Post digitization:
1. What pre and post digitization processes are required?
• Will materials have to be disbound? If so, will materials be rebound or rehoused?
• If serials are incomplete, will you search for issues to complete volumes? Will you try to borrow issues? How will you arrange for transportation, disbinding, etc.?
• Do master copies (e.g. microfilm) need to be located/ordered/duplicated?
3. How much, and what kind of temporary online storage space is needed? How and where will you store working copies?
Digitizing standards and quality control:
1. What is the level of image quality (resolution) you hope to obtain (according to user needs and the quality of originals you are digitizing)? What resolution will you scan at?
• Are there limitations of your hardware and software (file size, file format standards, proprietary file formats, interoperability, scanner functionality, etc.) that must be considered?
• Are there technical guidelines specified by your funding source that you must adhere to?
2. Will you perform any manipulation of the images post-scanning (faithful reproduction vs. image optimized for presentation)?
3. What is your criteria for an "acceptable image" when performing quality control?
4. Will you create an "archival image" as well as derivative files for viewing and downloading? Will the archival image be stored "dark" or made publicly available?
Maintenance of the collection into the future:
1. How do you plan to store archival images and where?
• In what format will the digitized images be stored?
• What media will be used for storage? If you intend to store images online, do you have appropriate server space?
• Will a commercial service (e.g. OCLC Digital Archive) be used?
2. What level of long-term institutional commitment have you secured?
• Do you have commitment for funding and other resources needed for maintenance of the digitized collection into the future?
• What kind of a backup mechanism do you have in place in case of hardware/software failure?
• What plans have you considered for data migration and refreshment?
