Digitizing Rare and Unique Resources: The ‘Long Tail’ Role of Libraries in Digital Scholarship 24 May, 2008 Presented by Christine Madsen DPhil Student Oxford Internet Institute Dilemmas of Digitization

24 May, 2008

Strategy? Digitization Access Use Are they being used?

Digitization

Access

Use

Are they being used?

3 Parts Status quo Why focus on unique holdings? Conditions for & barriers to success

Status quo

Why focus on unique holdings?

Conditions for & barriers to success

Part 1 :: Status Quo :: Big Projects Characteristics of large-scale projects Size => large Production speed => fast Cost => low per page Findability => Great!

Characteristics of large-scale projects

Size => large

Production speed => fast

Cost => low per page

Findability => Great!

Part 1 :: Status Quo :: Big Projects Characteristics achieved how? Selection by size, format, condition, proximity Text => priority Images => by-product Understand search

Characteristics achieved how?

Selection by size, format, condition, proximity

Text => priority

Images => by-product

Understand search

Big Projects: Pros & Cons Easily retrieved Not easily used Important indices, but NOT ‘digital libraries’ Do not meet the conditions for the possibility of web scholarship Quoting § Consensus § Dissemination / Preservation

Easily retrieved

Not easily used

Important indices, but NOT ‘digital libraries’

Do not meet the conditions for the possibility of web scholarship

Quoting § Consensus § Dissemination / Preservation

Part 1 :: Status Quo :: Smaller Projects Characteristics of small-scale projects Well-crafted & thorough, browsable Include rare materials Attention to ‘object’ Cost => high per page Findability => Poor!

Characteristics of small-scale projects

Well-crafted & thorough, browsable

Include rare materials

Attention to ‘object’

Cost => high per page

Findability => Poor!

The State of Digital Humanities: Inlink Analysis First, some definitions: ‘Inlink’ = any link to a web site site A other sites [site A has 4 inlinks] Measuring inlinks = citation analysis

First, some definitions:

‘Inlink’ = any link to a web site

The State of Digital Humanities: Inlink Analysis 1. http://www.gutenberg.org Project Gutenberg 2. http://memory.loc.gov LC American Memory 3. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ BNF Gallica 4. http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/index.html Cornell Making of America 5. http://www.ulib.org/ Carnegie Mellon: Million Book Collection 16% 4%

Part 1 :: Status Quo :: Small Projects Characteristics achieved how? Understanding of users (scholars) Understanding of materials Forgetting what it is to be a library

Characteristics achieved how?

Understanding of users (scholars)

Understanding of materials

Forgetting what it is to be a library

So…what next?

So…what next?

Scholarship vs. Research

Scholarship vs. Research

“ it does not matter how many books you have, but how good they are” - Seneca

“ it does not matter how many books you have, but how good they are”

20% of collection 80% of users

Is the ‘Long Tail’ Applicable to Libraries? Yes , but …

Yes , but …

Barriers to Success? ACCESS!

ACCESS!

Amazon Model vs. the Bookstore Model

Amazon Model vs. the Bookstore Model

‘ Google Generation’ ‘ The information literacy of young people has not improved with widening access to technology’

Books are for use Every reader, his or her book Every book its reader Save the time of the reader A library is a growing organism Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science

Books are for use

Every reader, his or her book

Every book its reader

Save the time of the reader

A library is a growing organism

Learning from Ranganathan BOOKS ARE FOR USE “ no rack shall be higher than what can be reached by a person of average height, while standing on the bare floor” don’t make it difficult for people to get to the materials build easy to use interfaces understand your users

BOOKS ARE FOR USE

“ no rack shall be higher than what can be reached by a person of average height, while standing on the bare floor”

don’t make it difficult for people to get to the materials

build easy to use interfaces

understand your users

Learning from Ranganathan “ In no country where the concept, ‘BOOKS ARE FOR USE,’ has taken root in the Public Mind, will any library be allowed to close until the majority of humanity go to bed and cannot use it” build a stable infrastructure if users find a place ‘closed’ too many times, they will stop coming back

“ In no country where the concept, ‘BOOKS ARE FOR USE,’ has taken root in the Public Mind, will any library be allowed to close until the majority of humanity go to bed and cannot use it”

build a stable infrastructure

if users find a place ‘closed’ too many times, they will stop coming back

Learning from Ranganathan “ The majority of readers do not know their requirements, and their interests take a definite shape only after seeing and handling a well-arranged collection of books” Build collections that can be easily navigated Allow for serendipitous discovery of materials

“ The majority of readers do not know their requirements, and their interests take a definite shape only after seeing and handling a well-arranged collection of books”

Build collections that can be easily navigated

Allow for serendipitous discovery of materials

Learning from Ranganathan “ a library that is keen about its books being fully used will plant itself in the midst of its clientele ” Market your collection or community Go where your patrons are Understand your users Understanding the essential vs. the accidental

“ a library that is keen about its books being fully used will plant itself in the midst of its clientele ”

Market your collection or community

Go where your patrons are

Understand your users

Understanding the essential vs. the accidental

“ It is no wonder that, when the library has been extending its scope, changing its outlook and altering its very character and functions, there should not be adequate understanding among the public as to what has been going on.”

“ It is no wonder that, when the library has been extending its scope, changing its outlook and altering its very character and functions, there should not be adequate understanding among the public as to what has been going on.”