About the Digitization and Cataloging Program

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The Denver Public Library

C. Partnerships

One of the goals of project PA-22924-97 was to digitize and catalog 7,000 historic photographs from the Colorado Historical Society collection and add them to the Library’s collection.  In order to do this, a partnership was created in which the Colorado Historical Society would be responsible for:

  • Selection of individual items
  • Organizing paperwork with the registrar for the transfer of materials to the Library’s scanning facilities
  • Providing necessary background information about collections being processed
  • Coordinating the organization of original materials upon their return

The Denver Public Library’s responsibilities included:

  • Hiring, training and supervising project staff
  • Maintenance and selection of equipment
  • Grant administration
  • Administration of the digital database

                       

No additional program staff was hired for processing Historical Society material.  Staff at the Historical Society initially included Eric Paddock, Curator of Photography.  As the project progressed, Judy Steiner, the Curator’s Assistant, became increasing involved in helping select and safely transfer materials to the Library.

In addition to the partnership created to complete grant PA-22924-97, the Library also established partnerships with the Denver Art Museum and 18 Colorado public libraries through a Department of Commerce grant and with the Colorado Digitization Project.

Based on the experience gained through these projects, the following advice is offered for collaborative digitization projects:

  • Clearly establish the project goals and the responsibilities of each partner.  Make sure each partner is aware of the progress toward goals and any changes that are made.  If partners are not involved in all phases of the project, make an effort to keep them informed and involved.

  • It can be difficult to maintain momentum and enthusiasm for a long-term project.  This is especially difficult when one partner must endure long periods of inactivity.  Try to keep all partners involved and informed during the life of the project. Ideally, all partners will be involved in the project on a regular basis. For a brief period during the NEH grant, the cataloging staff worked at the Colorado Historical Society.  Computer terminals were set up at the Museum and the program staff interacted with CHS staff.  This physical presence led to better communication and generated enthusiasm for the project.  Unfortunately, problems with space, the need to repair the laser link (due to damage caused by skateboarders!) and the need to access Library research tools led to moving the research operation back to the Library.

     

  • Make sure each partner is aware of the project schedule and any changes to the schedule.

  • Make an effort to understand the organizational structure and key contacts of each partner institution.  At the Library, there is a close connection between the reference desk, the digitization and cataloging staff, the curatorial staff, and the photo reproduction staff.  The photo curator is involved in each of these areas and could often make decisions and distribute information.

    At the Historical Society, curatorial staff, reference library staff, and image reproduction staff belonged to different divisions.  Communication and decision making had to be done in a different manner.  After beginning the project, we discovered that some divisions, who would be affected by the project on a daily basis, needed additional training and assistance.

  • Although it is relatively simple to provide scanning service for another institution, providing cataloging services is much more complicated.  Research and cataloging staff need to be able to communicate easily and often with the staff who understands and cares for the material being described.

  • Transporting fragile materials, even a short distance in Denver’s relatively mild weather, was often a challenge.  Numerous meetings to collect or return materials were cancelled due to ice, snow, rain or wind.  Moving the Jackson mammoth glass plates was especially difficult.  A detailed plan for how fragile materials will be transported and who will be responsible for moving them is needed.

  • Joint databases can be the best and the worst ideas. The Denver Public Library and the Colorado Historical Society have decided to digitally unite both photo collections into one database.  This means that although each institution retains ownership and reproduction rights to its holdings, the digital images and catalog records will be found in one location.  In many ways, this makes a great deal of sense.  The content of the collections is very similar.  Researchers looking for images of the Western United States will want to know about both institutions. Our collections contain the work of many of the same photographers and locations.  This decision was also convenient for Colorado Historical Society staff who could utilize, free of charge, a system that was accessible to the general public.

There are, however, some disadvantages to the joint system.  It is extremely frustrating for researchers to find out that there are different rules associated with images in the same database.  For example the Library and Historical Society have different procedures and policies for ordering prints, different rules for publishing images and provide different types of reference services. 

In order to help on-line users differentiate between images owned by the Historical Society and images owned by the Library, material from CHS is designated by a copyright statement in the catalog record and by a call number prefix “CHS.”  Information about how to contact the Colorado Historical Society and how to order prints is provided throughout the information pages.  The on-line order form for Denver Public Library materials clearly states that we cannot fill orders for Colorado Historical Society materials.  Nevertheless, we receive numerous orders and requests for information about this material.

Similar advantages and difficulties have arisen with our participation in the Library of Congress American Memory site and Colorado Digitization Project’s Heritage databases.