the luminary library experience: large scale digitization at toronto public library agenda...

The Luminary Library Experience: Large scale digitization at Toronto Public Library

Agenda

• Introduction• Background• The project• Current status• Implementation• Issues and lessons• Next steps


Uncharted waters

• Microfilming• The Internet• Digitization of

collections• Scaling up

digitization – Large scale versus mass


Definitions

• Mass digitization

- Conversion of whole libraries

- Minimal human intervention

- Google, Internet Archive• Large-scale digitization

- Creation of collections

- Complete document sets

- JSTOR, ECO


Robotic equipment

New opportunities• Treventus• Qidenus• 4DigitalBooks• Kirtas

http://digitisation.jiscinvolve.org/files/2008/10/automated-book-scanners-munich-2008-final.pdf


Before new technology• Books needed to be unbound or flattened• Preservation issues• Labour intensive and high cost

With new technology• Provides open-book capture,robot page-turning,

dual camera capture, processing software• Reduced preservation issues• Less human intervention on standard items


The Luminary Library Project

• Partnership 2007• Kirtas, Ristech and Amazon

with various university and public libraries (initially University of Maine, Emory University, Cincinnati Public Library, and TPL)

• Digitize for Print-on-Demand (POD)


Our goal

To digitize and make available, both freely online and for print-on-demand,10,000 volumes of our pre-Confederation Canadian imprints over the next five years.

• Driver is access• Primary sources exposed in new ways to new users• Users can search for and purchase titles via Amazon• Library receives royalties for each copy reprinted

• Challenges of the collection• Workflow• Web-ready versus print-ready


Print on Demand (POD)

• Library digitizes and sends books with metadata to Kirtas

• Kirtas processes and sends content to Amazon• Amazon loads content on “Historical

Reproductions” – printed books are available for purchase

• TPL retains copies of files, can repurpose its content as desired


Current status

• Orientation to production• 1,000 books delivered as of

end 2008• 650 books online on

Amazon.com• Languages – English 78%,

French 18%, German 1.7%, Other 2.3%


Project Implementation

• Kirtas video• Collection Selection• Digitization Process• Issues and Lessons

Learned


Collection Selection

• Focus on Special Collections – Baldwin Room• Copyright-free, public domain• Pre-Confederation Canadian imprints• Almost 10,000 titles documented in A

bibliography of Canadiana (5 vols., 1934-89)• Many well known titles 1512-1867• Detailed guidelines for selecting – constraints

from Amazon, Kirtas, TPL• Many challenges with historical books (e.g.

fragile, heterogeneous, foldouts……)


Digitization Process

Before Digitization Acquiring ISBNs Access database designed for:

- tracking items through the workflow

- entering metadata (Special Collections and Digitization staff)

- identifying each item uniquely (barcode, bibliography number)



Access Database



Workflow – Digital Conversion Examination of books Setup in Kirtas APT BookScan 2400 Software setup – APT Manager Scanning – automated vs. manual Operator tasks Troubleshooting problems (e.g. multiple pages

turned at the same time)



Kirtas APT BookScan 2400 –

TPL workstation



Kirtas APT Manager software



Workflow – Image Editing Output of scanning = raw JPEG images Templating right and left-hand pages –

BookScan Editor software Batch processing multiple books – SuperBatch Output of batching = bitonal TIFF images



Kirtas BookScan Editor software – templating raw images

Raw JPEG image

cropping raw image



Workflow – Image

Quality Control Initial processing includes crop,

contrast, deskew Editing bitonal TIFFs after

SuperBatch Global and individual page

adjustments in BookScan Editor software

Historical books require more editing!



Kirtas BookScan Editor software – editing bitonal TIFF images

BEFORE and AFTER



Workflow – Delivery Metadata generation – ONIX xml file Conversion of bitonal TIFFs to a single PDF Delivery of PDFs, metadata to Kirtas weekly via

FTP

Statistics Snapshot for 2008 - averages No. pages/book = 159 No. books delivered/week = 27.4 No. staff FTE devoted to project = 1.7


Issues and Lessons Learned

New Technology Adopting new hardware and software Steep learning curve for staff

Historical Collections Many scanning challenges: fragility, size,

foldouts, faded text, bleedthrough,…. Numerous books did not meet guidelines Order of production did not match original plan More manual than automated page turning


Historical Collections - Issues



Cataloguing and Metadata Missing information in MARC records Spine title a librarian decision for each book Pricing model decisions

Production Levels Numerous ramp-up challenges 2007-08 Nature of materials prevents higher levels of

production using automated page turning Average unit time to produce one book is 2.2

hours



Communication Open communication, planning is key Alignment across departments of

understanding, resources, expectations Staff dedicated to both collections and

access

Partnership Library/vendor relationship is still new Different kind of partnership – centralized Mutual support among libraries is growing Challenges of working with a large

commercial organization


Implications/Next steps

• User group• User interface and OCR• Production 2009• Explore DOD options

(digitization-on demand)• Repurposing of Kirtas

Content on TPL website


?Questions?

• Johanna Wellheiser

Manager Preservation and Digitization Services, Toronto Public Library

[email protected]• Andrew Lofft

Dept. Head, Canadiana Dept., Toronto Public Library

[email protected]

the luminary library experience: large scale digitization at toronto public library agenda...

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