To Preserve a Legacy…
DIGITAL INITIATIVES
Of the
The HBCU Library Alliance
Janice R. Franklin, Ph.D.
HBCU Library Alliance 2nd Membership Meeting
October 30, 2006
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Ira Revels
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Presentation Goals
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Review of the “Values Statement”
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Update on building the Digital Library
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Business Models
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10/30/2006
Ira Revels, Project Manager, Cornell University
Kate Nevins, Executive Director, SOLINET
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HBCU Libraries
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Shared Mission with Institutions Served
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American Treasures Within Their Walls
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Repositories for Cultural Heritage Artifacts and
Traditions
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Teaching, Learning and Outreach Role Related
to Their Special Collections and Archives
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The Rationale
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HBCUs: Mission and Educational Legacy
The HBCU Library Alliance: A Model for
Preserving and Strengthening Bonds
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The Alliance Has Goals In Support of:
Archiving, Preservation, and Access
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Current Digital Initiatives
Website Presence
 Building the Digital Library: Partners
with Mellon, SOLINET, and Cornell
 Subject Collections
 Tool Kits and Training Programs
 Partnerships
 Business Plan: Building Sustainability
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How Rich Is this Legacy?
Recognizing the Need for
Shared Values:
Insuring Integrity in
Preservation of Archival
Collections
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Draft Values Statement
-The HBCU Library Alliance-
GOALS AND VALUES FOR THE
PRESERVATION AND ACCESS OF
CULTURAL MATERIALS IN HBCU
LIBRARIES
 Preservation and Access to Cultural
Materials: An Introduction
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10/30/2006
Cooperative action among the HBCU libraries
could improve preservation, maintain integrity of
materials, establish value and enhance access to
these special collections, advancing their use in
research, teaching and learning opportunities.
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Building Collections,
Building Services, &
Building Sustainability
REPORT on A Collaborative Model for the HBCU
Library Alliance
October 30, 2006
Ira Revels, Project Manager, CUL-HBCU Digitization Initiative
Covered in this presentation…
Project Overview
 Project Milestones
 Image Database: CONTENTdm
 Our Participants
 Next Steps
 Questions
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Project Overview
What is the HBCU-CUL Digitization Initiative?
Goal is to link digitized collections found at HBCU’s
through a shared web accessible portal.
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Project Overview, cont.
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Objectives
build a cadre of HBCU library staff who
have been taught digital imaging
 construct digitized collections at each of the
ten participating institutions
 create a plan for a cooperative HBCU
Library Alliance digital library built on
digitized collections
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Project Overview, cont.
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Major Partners
CUL - (responsible for grant administration
and project management, training,
consultation, and workflow support )
 The HBCU Library Alliance - (supports
training and meeting logistics as well as the
project website)
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Project Overview, cont.
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Major Partners, cont.
 The Southeastern Library Network
(SOLINET) –
responsible for aspects of project administration
 participant travel & local logistical arrangements
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The Robert W. Woodruff Library of the
Atlanta University Center –
administers the CONTENTdm database
 provided meeting space for our past two
meetings of the project Advisory Committee
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Project Overview, cont.
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Other Partners
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Institutional Partners –
responsible for production, which includes
selection and digital image and metadata
production;
 administers their sub contract agreement with
Cornell;
 hires and trains scanning technicians;
 reports on their issues, concerns, and
successes
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Project Overview, cont.
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Alabama State University
Atlanta University Center
Bennett College for Women
Fisk University
Grambling State University
Hampton University
Southern University-Baton Rouge
Tennessee State University
Tuskegee University
Virginia State University
10/30/2006
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Project Milestones
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Trained 14 HBCU Library staff in digital imaging
Selected “A Celebration of the HBCU” as the
theme of the digital collection
Conducted site visits with partner libraries
402 images & metadata records currently in the
database!
JCLC Presenters:
Lucious Edwards, VSU;
Andrea Jackson, AUC;
Cedric Davis, ASU
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What is CONTENTdm?
CONTENTdm is a digital collection
management system that provides tools for
organizing, managing, publishing and
searching digital collections over the Internet.
-http://www.contentdm.com
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What is CONTENTdm?, cont.
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Why CONTENTdm?
Collection management and access is a
major issue for HBCUs
 We needed to identify a product that
would facilitate the individual needs of
the institutions involved, yet offer a
common platform that facilitated
collection-building in a fairly short period
of time.
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Why CONTENTdm?, cont.
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Affordable
Could be quickly set up and easy to use,
intuitive user interface
Could be used by more than one institution (a
true collaborative tool)
Facilitated the creation and use of common
vocabularies
Scalable
Supports Common Standards
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Next Steps
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Create a customized interface for the
collection
Add language on use and access to
collection of HBCU images and metadata
Select 10 new project participants
Submit grant for Project 2 to begin in April
2007
Final Project 1 closeout is August 2007
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Questions???
Juanita Roberts, Library Director and Tuskegee
University scanning staff.
Dr. Yildiz Binkley, Library Director and Tennessee State
University scanning staff in digitization room with Ira.
Virginia State University scanning staff in digitization room
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