Issues in managing a digitization project

State agency serial publications with large color and foldout maps

by Carol La Russa and Karen AndrewsUniversity of California, Davis

ASEE ELD Session 3241

Description

Selected 2 California state agency bulletin series for digitization:– California Division of Mines & Geology– California Division of Water Resources

Large, old sets still in demand No copyright issues Of broad interest throughout the

state

Opportunity

Grant money paid for digitization First attempt at digitizing a

monographic serial First attempt at digitizing large maps Preserve fragile material Make maps and text freely available

to the world

Description Issues Analyzed serial set has volumes with

individual titles and authors

The series was done by different state agencies over time = title changes!

Unclear as to what individual volumes were really part of series

Project Issues

Tight deadline Needed to involve staff from 4 units Logistics of staff location vs books Conflicting project demands Needed expertise in multiple areas

Managerial Issues

Determine effective staff utilization Make decisions involving trade-offs Obtain missing volumes Resolve earlier cataloging errors Monitor workflow and progress

Staff Workload Issues

Locate an OCLC catalog record for each individual volume

Finding the right record was tricky! Evaluate book condition Prepare spreadsheet entry for each

item

External Issues

Communication with IA production staff

IA data processes not set up to accommodate monographic serials

Differing specifications from two organizations: IA and CDL

Metadata Issues

Need for multiple finding points– Author and title of individual volume– Series title, plus volume, issue number

and date Software enhancement will allow

future upgrades to minimal records (Wonderfetch)

Quality Control

Complete review of one series as a testbed

Staff developed procedure to review digital images for adequate quality

Developed efficient method for catching problems

Options exist to correct some problems

Common Issues

Entities doing mass digitization haven’t worked much with government documents and technical reports

Data extraction algorithms are not set up to extract series names and report numbers in addition to author and title

For engineering sources, these are vital! Best linking practices needed Readers need cues on how best to browse

and view pages within books

Outcomes

Nearly 1,000 volumes from 2 series were digitized, including large maps

Anticipate expanding using one-time funding

Digitized volumes already receiving high use!

Conclusion

There’s gold in them thar hills! Researchers in environmental and

civil engineering find the maps and 24/7 digital access useful

The public wants to see the maps and tables

Enhancements desired It isn’t perfect, but it’s a good start.