This document discusses digitization processes and systems. It describes three key IT systems used in digitization: 1) a workflow management system called Goobi that tracks production, 2) a digital object repository called Preservica for storage, and 3) a front end player for access. Goobi automates workflows to make the production process efficient and scalable. Preservica ingests content from Goobi and creates administrative metadata for preservation. The player provides a single access point for delivering content from Preservica. Overall, the document emphasizes that digitization supports strategic goals and having systems and processes in place helps manage the end-to-end production and delivery of digitized content.

1. Digitisation;
Systems & processes making
order out of chaos.
Digitisation Open Day, May 2014
Dave Thompson
Digital Curator, Wellcome Library

2. Opportunity to buy lots of cameras…?

3. Ohio State, Large Binocular Telescope
http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/LBT/

4. Lets be clear. Sticking
something under a
camera or onto a
scanner ain’t the issue
here.

5. Digitisation supports the business
• Digitisation supports your users needs.
• Digitisations supports your strategic goals & aims.
• Digitisation aligns with your existing services.
Remember, digitisation shouldn’t be at odds with your collection policy & it
shouldn’t be in conflict with other services that are on offer. Access to
digitised material doesn’t necessarily replace walk-in or other forms of access.

6. Digitisation – process overview
Plan project
Identify
material
Identify resources
Plan
process
Digitise
process
Deliver
Refine & review processes document & share
Document &
share
Funding, staff, equipment, IT,
storage, data management
planning
Digitisation
Open Days
Strategy, plans, user services, etc

7. Thinking conceptually … OAIS
http://www.fachlabor-gubler.ch/eng/consulting/underlying-principles/the-oais-reference-model.html
http://public.ccsds.org/publications/archive/650x0m2.pdf

8. There are simpler models…
http://www.library.cornell.edu/dlit/MathArc/web/StoryFrameset.html

9. Digitisation uses three IT systems…
1. Workflow management system – ‘Goobi’ =
PRODUCTION.
2. Digital object repository – ‘Preservica’ =
STORAGE.
3. Front end - ‘the player’ = ACCESS.
Remember, this doesn’t include cataloguing or bibliographic systems. Here
we’re just talking about the process of creating, storing & delivering digital
content. You have to assume that those other systems are also in place.

10. Goobi
• Manages & tracks the production of content.
• Workflow driven. Highly automated. Project
based.
• Allows us to set very granular access conditions.
• Scalable & highly adaptable to different projects.
Goobi is our workflow tracking & management system for the production of
digital content. Automating as many of Goobi’s processes as possible allows
our work to be both efficient & scalable. Goobi is also the system with which
humans interact the most.

11. How Goobi works – a workflow

12. How Goobi works – METS editing
Pagination as per original
Descriptive metadata
from imported
MARC
Structure
(Pagination &/or
Sections)

13. Preservica
• Workflow based easily ‘talks’ to other systems.
• Content agnostic.
• Creates administrative metadata on ingest.
• Preservation orientated.

14. How Preservica works

15. How Preservica works – out the back
• No direct public access to SDB.
• Little direct staff access to SDB content.
• High levels of automation of ingest, Goobi.
• Platform for dissemination mediated by the player.
A centralised repository of & for digital content is a key part of both
preservation of & access to your content. It’s a single place where we both
store & manage our content.

16. The player
Wellcomelibrary.org/player

17. How the player works
• Makes HTTP request to SDB for content based on
Preservica PUID (Objects unique & permanent
ID).
• Draws & implements access conditions from
METS file.
• Permitted user actions drawn from METS.
• Draws DMD from live catalogue + from METS.
The player acts as a single point of access to our content, we have a unified
delivery mechanism through which all content is delivered. Aim is to provide
as seamless & as easy as possible access to all digital content. Easy for the
user to understand & an interface with which they can quickly become familiar.

19. So, to wrap up…
• Digitisation supports strategic goals & aims.
• Systems & processes help us manage the end-to
end production & delivery of digitised content.
• Need to think about the whole activity not just one
part.
• Above all else digitisation is an exercise in project
management.

20. Thank you
Questions now, questions later…?
Dave Thompson, Digital Curator
Wellcome Library
d.thompson@wellcome.ac.uk - @d_n_t
http://wellcomelibrary.org/