Building a Collaborative Digitization Project Using CONTENTdm:

An Overview of The Technology Used for the HBCU-CUL Digitization Initiative

May 22, 2006 Ira Revels, CUL Professional Development Week

22 May 2006 Ira Revels, CUL PD Week 2

Covered in this presentation…

• Project Overview• Defining CONTENTdm• Why CONTENTdm?• Feature demonstration• CONTENTdm users and

collections

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Project Overview

What is the HBCU-CUL Digitization Initiative?

Goal is to link digitized collections found at HBCU’s through a shared web accessible portal.

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Project Overview, cont.

• Objectives– build a cadre of HBCU library

staff who have been taught digital imaging

– construct digitized collections at each of the ten participating institutions

– create a plan for a cooperative HBCU Library Alliance digital library built on digitized collections

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Project Overview, cont.

• Major Partners– CUL - (responsible for grant

administration and project management, training, consultation, and workflow support )

– The HBCU Library Alliance - (supports training and meeting logistics as well as the project website)

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Project Overview, cont.

• Major Partners, cont.– The Southeastern Library Network

(SOLINET) – (responsible for aspects of project administration)

– The Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center – (responsible for administering the CONTENTdm database and because of its central location in Atlanta, Georgia to many of the institutional participants it has provided meeting space for our past two meetings of the project Advisory Committee. The Library also serves as the current base of operations for the HBCU Library Alliance)

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Project Overview, cont.

• Other Partners– Institutional Partners –

(responsible for production, which includes selection and digital image and metadata production; administering their sub contract agreement with Cornell; hiring and training scanning technicians; and reporting their issues, concerns, and successes.)

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Project Overview, cont.

• Alabama State University• Atlanta University Center• Bennett College for Women• Fisk University• Grambling State University• Hampton University• Southern University-Baton Rouge• Tennessee State University• Tuskegee University• Virginia State University

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Project Equipment

• Scanners – Epson Expression 16000 XL-Photo 12.2”x17.2” and transparency adapter

• Computers – Dell Optiplex GX620 MT, 2GB RAM, 80 GB SATAII hard drive (3GHz DC, 2x1M, 800MHz FSB)

• Storage – Backup storage on second hard drive. 160GB SATA HD, 16X DVD+/-RW

• Monitor – Dell 19” VGA/DVI Flat Panel

• Network – Ethernet connection

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Project Software

• System - Microsoft® Windows ® XP Professional, SP2

• Productivity – MS Office 2003• Scanning – Silverfast v6• Image Editor – Adobe Photoshop

CS2• Manipulation – ABBY FineReader

v7, Adobe Acrobat Professional, CONTENTdm Acquisition Station

• Calibration – Kodak 20 step grayscale target and Monaco EZColor target

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What is CONTENTdm?

CONTENTdm is a digital collection management system that provides tools for organizing, managing, publishing and searching digital collections over the Internet.

-http://www.contentdm.com

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What is CONTENTdm?, cont.

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Why CONTENTdm?

• Collection management and access is a major issue for HBCUs

• We needed to identify a product that would facilitate the individual needs of the institutions involved, yet offer a common platform that facilitated collection-building in a fairly short period of time.

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Why CONTENTdm?, cont.

• Affordable• Could be quickly set up and easy

to use, intuitive user interface• Could be used by more than one

institution (a true collaborative tool)

• Facilitated the creation and use of common vocabularies

• Scalable• Supports Common Standards

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CONTENTdm DEMO

Configuring a new collection

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CONTENTdm Customers and Collections

• Appalachia College Association – Digital Library of Appalachiahttp://www.aca-dla.org/index.php

• University of Utah– Mountain West Digital Library

http://www.lib.utah.edu/digital/mwdl/