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

Smithsonian Institution Libraries 20 branch libraries (New York to Panama) 1.5 million volumes; 50,000 rare books; 500,000 trade lit items ~120 staff Web presence since 1995 3 million web visitors per year 80% from outside the Smithsonian network

20 branch libraries (New York to Panama)

1.5 million volumes; 50,000 rare books; 500,000 trade lit items

~120 staff

Web presence since 1995

3 million web visitors per year

80% from outside the Smithsonian network

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)

Books are unique objects for scanning purposes

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

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

Overview of Library Digitizing 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

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. Thomson 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.

Thomson

TechBooks

Digitizing Partner Internet Archive Scanning services File Storage File delivery Technical development Internet Archive Headquarters The Presidio, San Francisco

Internet Archive

Scanning services

File Storage

File delivery

Technical development

Digitizing Standards: Page Images 300 dpi, 24-bit color uncompressed TIFF, or lossless compressed images (e.g. LZW, JPEG2000)

DLF Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials NISO Framework for Digital Collections Digitizing Standards: Page Images

DLF Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials

NISO Framework for Digital Collections

Digitizing Standards: Text Conversion Re-keying or OCR with correction to 99.997% accuracy

Re-keying or OCR with correction to 99.997% accuracy

Digitizing Standards: Text Conversion Standard mark-up schema (e.g. flavors of XML like TEI or structured databases)

SIL Digitizing Statistics Approximately 400,000 scanned pages 700+ titles 1,100 volumes

Approximately 400,000 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 “ Aloha. I live on the Big Island of Hawai’i …I’ve been looking for this text for over TWENTY YEARS. Mahalo nui loa for all your hard work. Reading these pages means so much to me and many others …”

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

Biodiversity Heritage Library 10 member libraries Goal: digitize corpus of heritage taxonomic literature (300 million pages) $3 million grant as part of Encyclopedia of Life in hand www.biodiversitylibrary.org

10 member libraries

Goal: digitize corpus of heritage taxonomic literature (300 million pages)

$3 million grant as part of Encyclopedia of Life in hand

Internet Archive Scribe Scanner Single Scribe Machine Human operated 200 volumes per shift per week ~ 70,000 pages from a single machine per week Located in the Natural History building and working on BHL project

Single Scribe Machine

Human operated

200 volumes per shift per week

~ 70,000 pages from a single machine per week

Located in the Natural History building and working on BHL project

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

DSpace

Developed jointly by MIT and HP

Open source software used in hundreds of academic libraries

Smithsonian Digital Repository Preserves and makes available digital output of scientists, researchers, curators, historians, etc. Coordinated with Smithsonian Scholarly Bibliography to track Smithsonian staff publications

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

Coordinated with Smithsonian Scholarly Bibliography to track Smithsonian staff publications

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

Needs for Enhancing the SIL Digital Library Program Implementation of Web 2.0 technologies Focus on reuse and re-purposing of legacy data and metadata Enhanced service to the various Smithsonian audiences (internal and worldwide)

Implementation of Web 2.0 technologies

Focus on reuse and re-purposing of legacy data and metadata

Enhanced service to the various Smithsonian audiences (internal and worldwide)

Smithsonian Institution Libraries Image Credits All book and material images available through the Galaxy of Images ( www.sil.si.edu/imagegalaxy ) Other images by Martin R. Kalfatovic

Image Credits

All book and material images available through the Galaxy of Images ( www.sil.si.edu/imagegalaxy )

Other images by Martin R. Kalfatovic