western writers series

Wrangling a Digital Collection into Existence: The Boise State

Western Writers Series Digital Editions

Rick Stoddart

I am not..

A digital collections guru

A Special Collections Librarian

I am only a librarian

Warm-Up

Match the Moo Cards to the Covers

Answer the questions

First group to Finish = Prize Basket!

Br – O – N – C ­ O

What we did is what we did

There is the right way

Then there is what we did

It all started with a…

Cost

23 titles @ 50 pages = cheap

If it is that cheap, why involve the library?

Cataloging – gets these in OPACS

“Natural Fit”

Library has the technology to create and support

Shared cost – Common interest

Prestige

WIN – WIN - WIN

Got the Okay

< Smile >

Get a MOU!

What’s a Mou?

To OCR or not to OCR that is the question!

Copyright, right?

Decide on format (PDF)

Take to Print Shop

< breathe >

Hold your horses!CHANGE FORMAT

(ARCHIVE PDF)

New Hire in Special Collections

Enter Content-DM wearing a white hat

Meanwhile back on the ranch…

Catalogers help with OCLC records

<breathe>

EXCEPT!!!!ContentDM upgrade changes

URLS

Catalogers Freak!

Meanwhile back on the ranch…Splash Page – Too many cooks

What does WEST mean?

Which begs the question…

Nobody likes the Splash Page

Flaming arrows of promotion

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everybody freaks out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Circle the Wagons!

Launch?

On campus?

FOOD?

Cost?

Enter THE CABIN (stage right)

< breathe >

All done right?

It disappeared into the dust-cloud of the web!

After launch…

Why bother?

THIS IS LIBRARIANSHIP

Website is up & in ContentDM

Launch was a success on many levels

Lessons• Never enough communication

– Don’t be the only conduit

• Planning is fine but expect things to change.– Don’t lock yourself in

• Put the collection before perfection– It won’t be perfect – accessibility should be your

goal

• It is a process – it really never ends

• Celebrate your victories

It might be helpful to think of the project like this:

Instead of this: website+digitization=WWS

Digitization

Wikipedia Website

LaunchParty

CatalogRecords

WWS

Don’t let it die on the virtual shelf!

• Upcoming– Wikipedia links– More digitized volumes possibly coming

• Move to Scholar Works?

So… What did I do right/wrong?What would you do different?

http://guides.boisestate.edu/digital

Links to standards, collections, & resources for Digital Collections

It all started with a…