A Research Study of Four Digitisation
Projects in the United Kingdom
Mandy R. Simon
LIS 587
Dr. Teresa Welsh
September 15, 2007
Introduction
“The pressing and increasingly urgent need for advocacy and awareness-raising and to raise the profile of digital preservation among a much broader community” was the main reason for the creation of the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) in the United Kingdom. This coalition was created to investigate the needs and situation concerning digital preservation efforts in the United Kingdom. From this statement, it is understood that the goals of digitisation are to increase awareness as well as preserve information into another accessible format. By digitising collections, not only would information be preserved, but also it would be widely available to a world-wide audience. In 2003, the DPC conducted a survey assessing the attitudes towards digital preservation activities by various individuals and organisations in the United Kingdom. From this survey, the DPC published a report entitled Mind the Gap: Digital Preservation Needs in the UK which serves as a foundation for understanding digital preservation efforts throughout the region. “When you digitize materials that normally have restricted availability, you automatically increase access to these resources” . Though digital preservation does not physically preserve the item, it does allow individuals to have access to the item with less opportunity for wear-and-tear or handling of the actual book/manuscript, thereby increasing the physical longevity of the item as well.
Purpose of Study
As the main goals of digital preservation are to provide wider access as well as retain information in a sustainable format, it is evident that the United Kingdom and its treasures of historical manuscripts and books would be a prime area to begin a national digitisation effort. Though this has not happened as of yet, the DPC works to raise awareness of the risks associated with the failure to address digital preservation challenges, engage senior policy and decision makers who are involved in awarding funding for preservation activities, identify a list of key recommendations for further digital preservation action and identify who might take these forward. Though the Mind the Gap report identifies many obstacles and issues associated with the problems of digitisation projects, there are four key digitisation efforts underway that will be outlined in this paper. The four projects are separate entities, and all of the organisations work in different ways to achieve the same overall goal: to digitally preserve precious items and allow people from all over the world to view them. The purpose of this study is to compare the digitsation efforts, each varying in processes and results, and demonstrate that, though the organisations may operate differently, their efforts are worthwhile and succeed (as best they can) in achieving the overall goals of the institutions and digital preservation. In the following pages, Guildhall and the City of London's COLLAGE digitisation program, the British Library's Turning the Pages program, The National Archives of Scotland's image library digitisation program, and the National Library of Scotland's John Murray exhibit will all be explicated and discussed in regards to their efforts to digitally preserve their collections.
Literature Review and Methodology
Literature reviewed for this study includes articles/reviews outlining the various locations as well as first-hand user experiences visiting the websites and physical sites offering digital versions of collections. The National Library of Scotland's John Murray Exhibit and the British Library's Turning the Pages exhibit both have separate digital programs for their on-site locations. Their on-site locations include the digitised works displayed through computer kiosks with touch-screen technology so visitors may peruse the works on their own. The John Murray Exhibit in Scotland also includes physical copies of the works displayed behind glass, along with other physical items relating to the time period and/or individual who wrote the work. The British Library's digital Turning the Pages Exhibit compliments those items housed in the Treasures room. Computer kiosks are strategically placed throughout the British Library's high-traffic visitation areas, so tourists and visitors may experience Turning the Pages technology while visiting the physical location. Both programs help to promote their respective website traffic, directing patrons to go to the institutions' websites from home to witness the same technology on their own computers. Methodology for retrieving this information also included personal and email discussions with curators and directors of digital projects being carried out with certain institutions, in addition to scholarly literature outlining various aspects and highlights of the digitisation processes, overall goals, objectives and end-results. When human subjects were not available for consultation regarding their digitisation objectives and projects, research relied heavily upon the informational background portions of the institutions' websites, articles outlining user and institutional experiences, and personal experiences by the author. The goals of preservation were outlined by articles such as Digitisation 101 by K.M. Dames and the Mind the Gap report published in 2006 by the Digital Preservation Coalition in the United Kingdom (the latter article overviews the report and also assesses the needs of digitisation for institutions within the UK).
Research Questions
The major question considered for this study is: “Do the following four institutions carry out digitisation efforts and projects with the overall objective of preserving physical items and increasing availability/access to a wider patron population?” In addition to this question, informal questions were addressed to two individuals regarding specific processes and handling of projects: Nat Edwards, John Murray Archive Program Manager, at the National Library of Scotland, and John Simmons, Image Library Manager, at the National Archives of Scotland. Questions directed to the John Murray exhibit at the National Library of Scotland included the following: “What is the name of the software program used to digitise the items in the John Murray collection for the touch screen technology? What file-type is used upon the initial digitisation (.pdf, .jpg, etc.)? Is this an exclusive software program developed by the library, or an outside vendor? Is the program on the NLS website that allows visitors to peruse the Gallery the same program that is used in the exhibit for the touch screen technology? Given the "multiple points of access" ideal that was integrated into the planning of the exhibit, how does the National Library of Scotland plan to integrate this into their website? Right now there is an effort to digitise 15 thousand additional items from the collection. How will this be accomplished? Who handles the physical digitisation process? What is the digitisation goal of the John Murray collection? And, is there a roundabout figure per year that the library hopes to digitise or is that dependent upon funding?”
Questions directed John Simmons at the National Archives of Scotland included: “Of the three major digitisation initiatives for the NAS: the Registers Archive Conversion Project, the Church of Scotland Records, and the Image Library Project. Are any of these initiatives working together to have a cohesive organisation process, or are they being carried out separately? How are items being selected for digitisation? Is there a particular numbered goal for the digitisation of these items (i.e. a certain number of items per year, etc)? Or, is that number dependent upon funding? What type of software program is used for digitisation of these documents? Who carries out the digitisation processing? Will these items be organized on the website or available on the Online Public Access Catalogue? And, will they be available for patrons to access outside of the archives (from home)?”
Both sets of questions were returned to the author electronically, and answered to the best of the individual’s ability based on their personal experiences heading the digitisation projects. Their answers are integrated into the background information written about the organizations below.
COLLAGE: Guildhall Library & the City of London
Guildhall Library's roots begin in the 1400's, when the people of London began compiling and collecting items related to the City of London. The collection originally held theological books and manuscripts, as well as public records. “Guildhall houses the greatest collection devoted to London. It includes History, English local history, Parliamentary matters, early law reports, family history, etc. Many guilds (about 95 companies) gave their collections over to Guildhall Library, including Clock and Watch-making guilds, Livery Guilds, Blacksmiths, etc.” In addition to these documents, the Guildhall library houses a multitude of visual printed items such as paintings, prints and maps relating to the City. In an effort to increase the availability of viewing these works, Guildhall Library partnered with the City of London to digitise over 30,000 of these works of art. The effort was entitled COLLAGE, an acronym for: 'City of London Library & Art Gallery Electronic'. The items that have been digitised are now available to peruse and purchase prints on the COLLAGE website, http://collage.cityoflondon.gov.uk/. The City of London's Libraries and Art Galleries Department assisted in the effort to continually digitise the collection which includes the entire Guildhall Art Library, along with thousands of caricatures, maps, drawings and paintings. A user may now access and view these items easily by visiting the website and perusing the database of digitised works. Users may also wish to purchase reprinted versions of the items within the database, or digital copies of the items as well. With inexpensive costs, users may not only view but also maintain their own copies of works (many of them original and owned only by Guildhall) to enjoy. If a user would happen upon this website, unknowing of the holdings or collection, one may search using the following subject headings or “suggested themes”: Abstract Ideas, Archaeology &Architecture, History, Leisure, Military & War, Natural World, Politics, Religion & Belief, Society, or Trade & Industry. Searchers may also perform searchers by clicking on Engravers/Publishers, People or Places. Users may also specify works between a certain time period, or utilize a keyword search to find works of their interests.
(Image is a screenshot of the COLLAGE website search page,
illustrating suggested themes and further search options for users.)
With COLLAGE’s beginnings in 1994, Barry Cropper, Assistant Director of the Corporation of London, was the individual who began handling the idea of this massive digitisation project. The Corporation of London's Libraries and Art Galleries department agreed to fund the project and invested over nine-hundred-thousand pounds which was (at the time) “the largest non-mainframe IT project in the Corporation's history.” The project would be carried out through two phases: the actual digitisation and cataloguing of images, and then implementation of the public delivery system (or search mechanism) for the website. “The Corporation also employed eight temporary staff to index, photograph and digitise material at an average rate of 150 works of art per day.” The storage system that functions as the working database for the COLLAGE website is offered by iBase, a company that specializes in digital media storage. The first part of the digitisation project included using iBase's “image and digital media asset management software, suitable for building an image database, online image or picture library system, or a secure searchable archive.” Between 1994 and 2004, the project grew into an enormous task, and issues regarding copyright, technical issues, processing images, and training staff to utilize and work on the project was straining. However, the end-result has improved other aspects of the Library itself. Staff are more knowledgeable of the collections' holdings, marketing and public interest have improved, and revenue is generated by print and digital sales of the items, to name only a few of the improvements.
Clear search methods and organization of the website itself allows users to not only view the artwork that makes up the Guildhall collection, but may also own a piece of that collection by purchasing a copy of it. The website that is maintained by Guildhall Library and the City of London provides instantaneous access to individuals who may not otherwise be able to physically visit the collection. “Resource discovery is the primary driver for the project,” and the ten year digitisation effort has not only increased access but also awareness of the resources available through the Guildhall's website. The information and works provided on the COLLAGE website also limits the overall physical handling of these items, thereby increasing longevity and availability of the item from a preservation standpoint. Though a taxing and expensive endeavor, the overall goal of increasing access to materials and preserving the physical items has been achieved by COLLAGE.
National Library of Scotland: The John Murray Exhibit
Through a partnership between the Heritage Lottery Fund, the government of Scotland, and other donors, the National Library of Scotland acquired the John Murray archive for over thirty-two million pounds. Evidence of Scotland's long history with literature and publishing, the John Murray exhibit holds such priceless letters and manuscripts from the likes of Jane Austen, Darwin, and Lord Byron to name a few. The exhibit itself needed to be physically displayed in a way that would best benefit its users and visitors, so the National Library of Scotland began creating an exhibit that would adequately reflect the value of the collection. In addition to the physical display of the items they hold, the National Library has chosen to digitise all of the items that are physically on display and offer touch-screen computer technology for visitors to read, zoom in on text, scan or transcribe the letters and manuscripts. The individual leading the John Murray Exhibit digitisation project is Nat Edwards, John Murray Archive Program Manager. The software utilized in the digitisation project for the items on physical display is “a purpose-built Macromedia Flash interface that uses XML data, which can be easily updated by the Library. Digital resources themselves are in standard cross-platform formats (ie JPG, MP3 etc).” Though the library has digitised all works on display, they are also working diligently to provide the same digital versions of items in a searchable format on the National Library of Scotland's website, http://www.nls.uk/jma/index.html. Though the projects have the same goal regarding preservation and increased access and availability, the software program that is utilized to digitise items on the Libray's website is not the same as the physical display digitisation project. Though the content is the same (the items are virtually the same items that are scanned in when they are on physical display at the library), the software program used for digitisation of the website images is quite different.
According to Edwards:
“The exhibition programme includes a series of AMX instructions, embedded in the XML script, which communicate with electrical hardware in the exhibition (e.g. triggering lighting effects) – so it is very “site specific”. The website is designed to be accessible on a number of different browsers and platforms and therefore The website is currently a very scaled down version of what will eventually be available – a sort of holding arrangement. It is intended that there will be different points of access for digital content (eg interpreted/thematic content, a search interface and direct access via 3rd party applications). The Gallery is a taster which will hopefully evolve considerably.”
The process of digitising (or physical image capture) is handled by the National Library of Scotland's Digital Library team. A third party supplier then transcribes the item, and it is then checked by library staff. “Mark-up of the digital objects is carried out in-house, although different items are prioritised and will be marked up in different ways.” The Library currently has 5,000 images captured and are undergoing the first portion of the transcription and marking up process. The end-goal of the Library is to digitise 15,000 images over the first 4 years, and then review the process and project. Though they are currently handling the process in-house at this point, when they review the project, they are open to finding a third party collaborator or vendor to help digitise on a greater scale. The overall goal of this project is simple: create availability to users on a global scale to witness the items in their valuable collection. Due to the limited amount of physical exhibition space at the National Library, digitising these items also permits a larger portion of the collection to be seen when it may have have otherwise never been displayed or accessible by library visitors and patrons.
British Library: Turning the Pages Exhibit
Perhaps the most popular of the digitisation projects in the United Kingdom is the Turning the Pages exhibit at the British Library. In 1996, the British Library began thinking about how they could digitise their treasures and make them available to the wider public. Partnering with Armadillo systems (a media consultant that focuses on cultural heritage), they worked together to create a digitisation project that would change user expectations regarding viewing digitised objects. The partnership was built on a “methodology of approaching bibliographic projects that encompasses thinking about the book in 5 ways: the book as object, the book as content, the book as icon, the book as window into the past, and the book as gateway to future learning.” With this philosophy in mind, Microsoft tech-whiz Bill Gates volunteered to assist by providing his own copy of Leonardo DaVinci’s Codex Leicester (which he purchased in 1994 for 30.8 million dollars) to be the guinea pig for the project. The results have been dramatic and impressive. The British Library offers kiosks in the building that permit patrons to view high-definition images of books and manuscripts held in the British Library's Treasures Room and Archives. By placing one's hand on the screen and dragging it across in a page-turning motion, the pages magically turn on the screen. The software also offers zooming capabilities, transcription and even a mirror to read DaVinci's backwards print. The same software capabilities are available on the Library's website. Though users do not have the touch-screen technology on their home computers, a website visitor may use their computer mouse to mimic the page-turning motion and view the digitised items.
(Above: Screenshot of Turning the Pages technology accessible through the British Library’s website)
There are several reasons that this project has gained such high international recognition and praise. The program is different, and the “clarity of the reproduction and the technology that enables the pages to be turned” make it so. This is a result of combining digital images and animation, which adds a completely different feel and experience for the user. The British Library's Creative Projects Manager, Clive Izard, says, “there has been a conscious effort to expose the Library's collection to the broadest possible audience.” Though the goal may be increased access, it is evident that much of the Library's focus is providing technology that best supplies the user with an experience that is detailed and realistic. With a collection that includes Lewis Carroll’s original Alice in Wonderland and original sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci, it makes sense that the Library would want to retain the artistic details and quality of the original works. With the launch of the new Microsoft Vista operating system, Turning the Pages 2.0 has also launched on the website, providing users an even more realistic experience while paging through the digitised works online. The new operating system (through Microsoft Vista) “offers users a 3D feel and see-through windows, improved security and connectivity.” To stay informed of the ease-of-use or usability of the British Library's online Turning the Pages exhibit, staff works with an outside user-experience research consultant firm called WUP (Web Usability Partnership). By continually testing the project and software, as well as questioning users about their experiences, Turning the Pages can remain at the forefront of the digitisation revolution. The website itself was designed for the user, and providing them with the best experience possible via virtual means. Using WUP, the British Library can discover “how users achieve their goals, the usefulness and relevance of the content, and assessment of behaviours and attitudes.” The key to web usability is to continually test the program as time passes and software changes.
The British Library's Turning the Pages exhibit places itself ahead of the race to digitise their collection, by providing state-of-the-art technology (animation) and continually adapting to software updates and web usability testing. These efforts combined with the objective to create the best possible experience for the user, perfectly illustrate the proper goals of a digitisation project: providing wider access and preservation of the original physical objects.
National Archives of Scotland: Scotlandimages.com
The National Archives of Scotland is another United Kingdom organization that is working diligently to digitise public records and other items of interest to their users. Admittedly their collection is utilized most often by family historians and genealogists. However, many of the image holdings in their collection include treasures of sorts. A partnership between several organizations (the National Library of Scotland, The National Archives of Scotland, National Museums of Scotland, The National Trust for Scotland and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland) has been headed up by John Simmons (Image Library Manager, National Archives of Scotland). The goal is to create a collaborative online image library of their holdings. Though the goal is to create a collaborative library, right now the projects are all being carried out separately as the digitisation process begins. The National Archives of Scotland has already selected 1,000 items for digitisation. Each organization in the partnership will be selecting 1,000 images for the first unveiling of the image library collection. From that point onward (beginning with a sum total of 5,000 digitised items), organizations will aim to digitise 250 to 500 images per month to continue collection development. Criteria for selecting images to be digitised by the National Archives of Scotland are outlined by Simmons who says, “The selection criteria used were that the image should: be visually interesting; be historically important; be a NAS treasure; require little or no conservation treatment; be likely to be commercially popular; be copyright cleared; attract the Scottish interest market; reflect the diverse range of subjects of Scottish life, topography and industry; contain famous people or reflect famous events.” Right now, the NAS digitisation project is being “developed as a business to business service targeted at picture buyers”19 which also influences the images that are selected for digitisation. In the future, Simmons believes “that the NAS will likely select images that tie in with upcoming events, anniversaries, exhibitions and that can related to complementary material in other partners' collections.”19
All images located online will be made available at 400 dpi/ppi to provide a better viewing experience for the home user. The digitisation process is carried out in-house by the Digital Imaging Unit. When possible, the Archives uses existing electronic images created for another purpose by an external party in order to further preserve the physical object, and not expose it to the digitisation process (further handling for digitisation purposes). Simmons says, “The project will be delivering a shared branded externally hosted website called http://www.scotlandimages.com, hosting high resolution images and image metadata full searchable by keywords, themes for reuse and periods for direct download to the customer. There will be an e-commerce facility to allow online payments for images. The image library will facilitate the licensing of images for reuse, but also allow non-commercial users to purchase an image for a basic flat fee.” Though the website is not current active, the National Archives of Scotland predict that this project will not only provide further access to a wider audience, but may also generate some revenue from individuals wishing to purchase prints of the digitized images. This objective (generating revenue) is yet another way the projects may thrive and continue to exist as the institutions take on the digitisation processes as continual (and potentially un-ending) projects.
Results/Summary of Findings
In each institution, the overall objectives match up with the original question posed at the beginning of this study: “Do these projects work with the overall goal to preserve the physical items as well as provide further access to their holdings and collection to a wider audience?” As stated above, the institutions go about the processes and presentation of their respective digitised collections in different ways, however they all benefit from achieving their stated objectives. Both COLLAGE and the National Archives of Scotland seek to generate revenue for their organizations by offering copies of the digital images to the wider public for purchase (and in the case of the Archives, also more affluent/business clientele). Both the National Library of Scotland’s John Murray Exhibit and the British Library’s Turning the Pages exhibit focus on the in-person user-experience, utilizing touch-screen technology that allows patrons to not only read the digitised items, but also examine them as best as possible with high resolution zoom technology, animation, and other features. Though all four institutions work towards the goal in different ways, and provide incredibly different search options and experiences, they all create digital versions of their collections with the objective of increasing awareness of their holdings for a public that exists across the globe, not just individuals residing within the United Kingdom.
Conclusion
Though the end-products, processes, holdings and organizations differ, the main objective of digital preservation and creating wider access is achieved by these four organizations within the United Kingdom. Though the Digital Preservation Coalition’s Mind the Gap report suggests that many improvements should be made regarding the Digital Preservation initiatives in the UK, it is evident that these four organizations are doing the best they can with the resources they have to implement preservation projects at their institutions. The report takes into consideration how different sectors approach digital preservation in regards to funding, regulated industries, and methodologies. As seen from the background information and answers to questions posed by the author, these institutions are diligently working to lessen the gap between where the digital preservation initiatives in the UK are, and where they should be.
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