Creating Content Smithsonian Institution Libraries' Digital Library Program Martin R. Kalfatovic New Media Office and Preservation Services Smithsonian Institution Libraries

Overview of Library Digitizing Books are unique objects for scanning purposes Differ from 2 dimensional works (e.g. Photographs) Differ from 3 dimensional works (e.g. Artifacts) Codex has been around for over 1600 years The book format (title page, text, index, etc.) since the mid-16th century Web delivery of book objects has interesting challenges

Books are unique objects for scanning purposes

Differ from 2 dimensional works (e.g. Photographs)

Differ from 3 dimensional works (e.g. Artifacts)

Codex has been around for over 1600 years

The book format (title page, text, index, etc.) since the mid-16th century

Web delivery of book objects has interesting challenges

Book Digitizing Process Bound materials Quality issues Protects the material for future use Disbound materials Generally better scans Destructive

Bound materials

Quality issues

Protects the material for future use

Disbound materials

Generally better scans

Destructive

SIL Imaging Center Established 1999 2 digital scanning-back cameras BetterLight Phase I Flatbed scanners All Mac-based

Established 1999

2 digital scanning-back cameras

BetterLight

Phase I

Flatbed scanners

All Mac-based

SIL has used a variety of commercial vendors for non- and semi-rare materials Kirtas Technologies (Robotic APT 2400 Scanner) Preservation Resources PTFS, Inc. JJT TechBooks Digitizing Vendors

SIL has used a variety of commercial vendors for non- and semi-rare materials

Kirtas Technologies (Robotic APT 2400 Scanner)

Preservation Resources

PTFS, Inc.

JJT

TechBooks

Digitizing Partners Internet Archive HQ San Francisco Internet Archive Scribe Book Scanner

Digitizing Standards: Page Images DLF Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials 300 dpi, 24-bit color uncompressed TIFF, or lossless compressed images (e.g. LZW, JPEG2000)

Digitizing Standards: Text Conversion Re-keying or OCR with correction to 99.997% accuracy Standard mark-up schema (e.g. flavors of XML like TEI or structured databases)

Re-keying or OCR with correction to 99.997% accuracy

SIL Digitizing Statistics Approximately 350,000 scanned pages 700+ titles 1,100 volumes

Approximately 350,000 scanned pages

700+ titles

1,100 volumes

Who Is Using the SIL Digital Library? Sewing machine enthusiasts Researchers in Brazil School kids around the country Lepidopterists in Peru

Sewing machine enthusiasts

Researchers in Brazil

School kids around the country

Lepidopterists in Peru

Major Projects: Digital Editions History of Science Natural History History and Culture Art and Design

History of Science

Natural History

History and Culture

Art and Design

Major Projects: Trade Literature Trade Literature Collections Over 500,000 pieces, only a small fraction digitized 30,000 images from two collections Among SI Libraries’ most popular sites with over 15,000 visitors per month

Trade Literature Collections

Over 500,000 pieces, only a small fraction digitized

30,000 images from two collections

Among SI Libraries’ most popular sites with over 15,000 visitors per month

Major Projects: Image Galaxy SIL Image Galaxy Over 9,000 of SI Libraries’ most interesting images Serves as a gateway for product development and licensing Assists students and teachers in locating images for use in the classroom and other projects

SIL Image Galaxy

Over 9,000 of SI Libraries’ most interesting images

Serves as a gateway for product development and licensing

Assists students and teachers in locating images for use in the classroom and other projects

Major Projects: Scholarly Publications Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series Collaboration with Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press Currently over 65,000 pages online with another 80,000 in FY 2007

Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series

Collaboration with Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press

Currently over 65,000 pages online with another 80,000 in FY 2007

National and International Partnerships Aluka African history and culture Open Content Alliance

Aluka

African history and culture

Open Content Alliance

Internet Archive Scribe Scanner Single Scribe Machine Human operated 200 volumes per shift per week ~ 70,000 pages from a single machine per week

Single Scribe Machine

Human operated

200 volumes per shift per week

~ 70,000 pages from a single machine per week

BHL Scribe Facilities Boston Library Consortium (Boston Public Library) New York Public Library University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Natural History Museum (London) Smithsonian Inst. Libraries Missouri Botanical Garden (non-Scribe operation)

Boston Library Consortium (Boston Public Library)

New York Public Library

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Natural History Museum (London)

Smithsonian Inst. Libraries

Missouri Botanical Garden (non-Scribe operation)

Digitizing Philosophy Digital Curation Just as libraries keep books, so do libraries have a mission to preserve “born digital” material Digital Preservation through assisting in the transmission of digital content to future generations

Digital Curation

Just as libraries keep books, so do libraries have a mission to preserve “born digital” material

Digital Preservation through assisting in the transmission of digital content to future generations

Smithsonian Digital Repository DSpace Developed jointly by MIT and HP Open source software used in hundreds of academic libraries Preserves and makes available digital output of scientists, researchers, curators, historians, etc.

DSpace

Developed jointly by MIT and HP

Open source software used in hundreds of academic libraries

Preserves and makes available digital output of scientists, researchers, curators, historians, etc.

Needs for Enhancing the SIL Digital Library Program Petabyte storage system for source files Effective system for archiving of digital material (byte preservation) Enhanced capacity for storing/delivering web-deliverable images Central programming support for enhanced XML data delivery

Petabyte storage system for source files

Effective system for archiving of digital material (byte preservation)

Enhanced capacity for storing/delivering web-deliverable images

Central programming support for enhanced XML data delivery

Smithsonian Institution Libraries