The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
William Reese
Rutgers University
Spring 2014
MLIS 553 – Digital Libraries
Professor: Tefko Saracevic
Term Project - Final
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The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
Abstract
The goal of this paper is to present a detailed proposal of the North American Saxophone
Alliance (NASA) Digital Library. An organization of professionals and students, NASA works to
educate and inform saxophonists with biannual conferences and competitions. With the
addition of a digital library, I hope to greatly expand the reach and influence of NASA by
providing information in six saxophone-related categories: history, compositions, pedagogical
materials, recordings, NASA conference materials, and purchasing a saxophone. Already
established membership fees would, at least in part, support the digital library and a position
would need to be created to implement and maintain it. Costs will be relatively low, as few
materials will need permissions since much of the information already belongs to the NASA
organization. This paper explores the content, function, needs, and design of the North
American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library.
Keywords: saxophonist, saxophone pedagogy, permissions, access, purchasing a saxophone,
recordings, composition, and evaluation.
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The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
Table of Contents
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XV.
XVI.
Abstract
Purpose
a. NASA Mission Statement
Objectives
Design
Organization of Home Page
Content/Organization of Home Page
a. Home Page
b. About
c. History
d. Compositions
e. Pedagogical Materials
f. Recordings
g. NASA Conferences
h. Purchasing a Saxophone
Digitization
a. Standards
b. Further Discussion
c. Equipment Costs
Metadata – Dublin Core
Content Management
Access
Restrictions and Copyright
Search Engine
Evaluation
Preservation and Management
Conclusion
Works Cited
2
4
5
5
6
7
12
12
13
13
14
17
17
19
22
23
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
30
32
34
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The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
I.
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PURPOSE
Invented in 1846, the classical saxophone is still a relatively underrepresented
instrument in the classical music world. Because of this lack of representation in orchestras and
universities, there is little literature and few resources for saxophonists.
The NASA Digital Library will be filled with resources designed to provide information for
saxophone professionals and students, incorporated into the NASA website. Some of the
information found in the digital library includes: fingering charts for altissimo notes, history on
performers and compositions, descriptions of works, links to recorded performances, and lists
of useful recordings. At NASA conferences, professional saxophonists present lectures and
master-classes, imparting music-related wisdom on novices. However, after the conference,
much of the information is lost, as little is recorded or compiled. Potentially, information such
as handouts from lectures, links to related websites, and even inspirational quotes and advice
from professionals can be found on this database, preventing lost information.
This is important to saxophonists, as it would be the first real resource designed with
their specific needs in mind, designed by saxophonists for saxophonists. With a resource such
as this, saxophonists will be exposed to varied approaches and procedures and might help
instructors reach out to each other in order to collaborate and share teaching techniques,
creating a more cohesive and balanced community. Below I am including the mission statement
of NASA.
Mission statement to be included on Home Page
“The North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) is a Non-profit organization comprised
of performers, teachers, students, scholars, and enthusiasts of the saxophone.
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
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The mission of the Alliance is to provide resources for saxophonists at all levels of skill,
of all ages and backgrounds, and of varied musical styles by disseminating information
about saxophone performance and pedagogy, by providing opportunities for music
making, by fostering and facilitating the creation of new repertoire, by providing a
communication network, and by promoting the musical activities of its members.”
(NASA website)
II.
OBJECTIVES
As stated above, the North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library would be a
resource for saxophonists and saxophone students that is part of the NASA organization.
Because of this, the database would be linked to the parent NASA website, making access easy.
Ultimately, I decided that the digital library needed to be reserved for members of NASA, due
to costs and access rights.
Members of NASA, primarily saxophonists and saxophone students, are the intended
user community for this database. The justification behind the creation of the NASA digital
library is that a resource where saxophonists, especially students, can find information on
performers, compositions, and other saxophone-related information does not exist for
saxophonists. The benefits of the NASA Digital Library are great, as saxophonists will be able to
easily access important information, resulting in an informed saxophone community that will
develop a stronger bond between NASA members; important for the success of such an underrepresented music community.
III.
DESIGN
The NASA digital library would be incorporated into the larger NASA website. A link,
found on the home page or in the top-level categories of the NASA website, would take users to
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The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
the NASA database. Both sites would need to be linked together in order to maximize
interoperability and effect; ideally the NASA Digital Library would be housed on the
Personally, I would like to work on changing the appearance and functionality of the
NASA website, but for now I would attempt to match the appearance of the NASA digital library
with the website’s. Since the digital library would be linked and, potentially, housed within the
parent NASA website, I would incorporate a smaller version of the NASA logo into the home
page of the digital library, probably in the top-left corner; smaller in order to differentiate
between the digital library and the parent site. For the digital library, I would incorporate the
light blue, gray, and white colors that are prominent on the parent NASA website, while using a
red “you-are-here” indicator as opposed to black. Eventually, I would hope to update the colors
and design of both websites to feel more modern and to have more color, but for now my goal
is to match what is already created. Figure 3.1 is a screenshot taken from the NASA homepage,
providing an example of the overall aesthetic of the database. Figure 4.6 on page 11 shows a
prototype of the NASA Digital Libraries home page, sharing a connection with Figure 3.1.
Figure 3.1
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
IV.
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ORGANIZATION OF THE HOME PAGE
Figure 4.1
Similar to Figure 4.1 (Lynch and Horton), the NASA Digital Library will have tabs across
the top that users can navigate between regardless of where one may be within the website. In
reference to Figure 4.1, Lynch and Horton state that the “global (tabs below the header)
navigation systems provide a flexible and easy to understand navigation system,” allowing users
to view a hierarchy of information while also being able to access different information
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
8
anywhere on the website by clicking the top-level tabs. Each tab, the “history” tab for example,
takes users to a page with a listing of browsable entries.
There are eight options in the header navigation: a home page tab, a link to an “about
page”, and the six top-level categories of the database. Below is a table representing the
header navigation as well as descriptions of each and explanations of why each was chosen.
Each tab will be present on all pages and will have a “you-are-here” indicator, in which the
words will appear red, letting the user know which page they are on; this helps significantly
with navigation between pages within the database. Figure 4.2, found below, is a chart showing
the eight main tabs found at the top of the home page. The NASA logo will be integrated into
the digital library as this will show the connection between the main website and the database.
Figure 4.3 below is an image of the logo.
Figure 4.2
Home
Page
About History Compositions Pedagogical Recordings NASA
Purchasing
Materials
Conferences a
Saxophone
Figure 4.3
The home page should be easy for users to navigate (seen in Figure 4.6) and I have
decided to make this possible by creating a very simple, compact home page. Users can easily
navigate to another page within the website simply by clicking one of the other tabs at the top
of the page. I decided to have a “home page” tab permanently in the top-left corner of the
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website in order to allow users to return to the home page at any point they wish. A standard
search bar will be in the center of the home page, as this is what users would use to search all
collections. A drop-down menu to the right of the search bar will enable users to choose a
particular field, such as composer, focusing their search if they wish. Users can also search
without using the drop-down menu if they do not wish to limit their search to a particular field.
Listed below are possible options:









Author
Subject
Title
Performer
Composer
Location
Conference
Date
Record Label
The column to the far left of the home page will include two items and will be present
on every page within the website. The first is brief mission statement describing the purpose of
the digital library; the second is a search bar that not only links to the parent NASA page, but
also allows users to search the internet for music, performers, and other content. Figure 4.4
found below, taken from webstyleguide.com, shows what this search bar will look like.
Figure 4.4
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The column to the far right will also be divided into two sections. The first section has a
picture of a saxophone, courtesy of creative commons, and a help button. I chose to put the
help menu next to the saxophone picture to draw attention to it, as help menus tend to be
difficult to find on many websites. I have not yet designed the help menu, but I plan to
integrate it into the parent NASA website.
Another important addition to the home page will be the adoption of the
username/password login from the NASA website which allows members to use the digital
library. This will be elaborated on in the IX: Access section. Figure 4.5 shows what the
username/password login will look like on the digital library home page.
Figure 4.5
On the following page (Figure 4.6) is a representation of what the home page would
look like, designed to match the main NASA website.
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The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
Figure 4.6
HOME
PAGE
ABOUT
HISTORY
COMPOSITIONS
PEDAGOGICAL
MATERIALS
RECORDINGS
NASA
CONFERENCES
PURCHASING
A
SAXOPHONE
This collection is
designed to provide
education and
enrichments through
resources specifically
for saxophonists
both professional
and students.
Help
Click logo to return to
NASA website

NASA 2018 Biannual Conference to be held on the Moon

Saxophonist invents new floating neck strap

Reed shortage in New Hampshire concerns local saxophonists

Rutgers student wins Yamaha Young Artist Competition
2014 North American Saxophone Alliance.
William Reese - Digital Library Curator/Web Master
Contact: wreese@saxalliance.org
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
V.
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CONTENT/ORGANIZATION OF PAGES
Content in the NASA Digital Library is limited to saxophone-related resources. The
majority of the information being digitized was either presented at NASA conferences or is in
the public domain, meaning licensing should not be costly. Some saxophone-related images and
saxophone articles published by scholars will need to be licensed. I am hoping that by limiting
content to resources NASA members will use and can contribute, I can limit the costs of
licensing. By contributing their work, such as Tim McAllister’s Altissimo Chart, artists and
professors gain recognition within the saxophone community and can educate and influence
more saxophonists, an incentive for donating conference handouts and other pedagogical
materials.
Some music that can be included in the digital library is in the public domain, such as
Claude Debussy’s Rhapsody for Orchestra and Saxophone. Potentially, the music could be
digitized and added to the digital library under the repertory section, enabling members of
NASA to download and use the music. Access to older, more difficult to find music through the
database could be extremely beneficial to performers having difficulty finding rare, elusive
music.
Below is a description of the content that will be incorporated into the NASA Digital
Library, divided into eight top-level categories.
SECTION 1: HOME PAGE
See section IV. Organization
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SECTION 2: ABOUT
The North American Saxophone Alliance has a rich history that stretches over forty years
and this page will give background information such as when the organization began, how
many members it has, and what the organizations goals are. Following this opening paragraph
will be a description of what the purpose and objectives of the NASA Digital Library are and why
each top-level category was chosen. Basically, this section will include information found in
sections I. Purpose and II. Objectives.
SECTION 3: HISTORY
The history section of the NASA Digital Library will have four sections, enumerated below.
i)
Adolphe Sax
The first section will be devoted to the saxophone creator Adolphe Sax, providing
bibliographic information as well as a timeline of his life. There will be a prose section, acting as
a short bibliography followed by a timeline of important dates, such as June 24, 1846, when he
patented the saxophone.
ii)
Timeline of Saxophone History
This next section will be a timeline chronicling the invention and major changes to the
saxophone itself. Because changes are made to the saxophone periodically, this section would
require updating as new important dates occur.
iii)
Listing of Performers
Saxophone students especially frequently search for a comprehensive list of saxophone
performers. In this section of the database, users will find an alphabetical listing of saxophone
performers, from 1846 to present. I would like to provide a chronological listing option by the
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
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date of birth of performers, but that could be problematic due to vague and inaccurate
information about some early performers. Regardless, I would try to include this as an option,
with an alphabetical listing being the default. For more recent performers, who give permission,
links to their own personal and university websites will be provided below their name.
Potentially, short biographies of each performer would be available by clicking the performers
name, taking the user to a page devoted to that performer. This would be a very time
consuming process, but could be useful to students especially.
iv)
Articles About the Saxophone
The final section of the history category would consist of member-contributed articles
about the saxophone, loosely pertaining to history and innovations made to the instrument.
Posting articles written by NASA members would encourage students and professionals to read
the work of fellow saxophonists, building a community of saxophone scholars that is currently
lacking when compared to other academic fields.
SECTION 4: COMPOSITIONS
When a user clicks on the “compositions” tab of navigation bar, they will be taken to a page
on which saxophone compositions will be listed alphabetically either by title, the default
option, or by composer. To the right of the search bar there will be an option to change the
organization method from title to composer.
The compositions category consists of three subcategories: a listing of works and related
information, descriptions of works, and famous recordings. By clicking on a composition, users
will be taken to a listing with appropriate metadata. An example is found in Figure 5.2 on page
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The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
15. Below the primary navigation bar will be a smaller navigation bar for the subcategories
beginning in the far left, portrayed in Figure 5.1 below.
1) Listing
Figure 5.1
Listing (you-are-here
indicator)
Figure 5.2
Title
Composer
Opus/ Catalogue
Numbers
Movements
Publisher
Date of Publication
Copyright
Average Duration
Style
Instrumentation
Dedication
Description/ History
Famous Recordings
Rhapsody for Orchestra and Saxophone
Claude Debussy
CD 104 ; L.98
1
Durand
1919
Public Domain
10 min.
Impressionism
Alto saxophone, orchestra or piano
Elise Hall
Information presented in a table like the listing above allows users to quickly scan organized
data about the work, a tool especially useful for students preparing for a performance
evaluation or a professional preparing a program, as they would need to know basic
information about the work being performed.
2) Description/History
Each applicable entry would have a description section to include information that may not
be appropriate to go into the table in Figure 5.2. The information in this section would be
presented in bullet form in order to read facts quickly. Below is an example of information
about Rhapsody for Orchestra and Saxophone that is not appropriate for the table in Figure 5.2.
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Figure 5.3 - example of subcategory navigation bar with “you-are-here” indicator
Listing
Description/ History
Famous Recordings
Description/History

Rhapsody for Orchestra and Saxophone by Claude Debussy was commissioned in 1901
by French socialite and amateur saxophonist Elise Hall who was responsible for the
commission of many works for saxophone.

Though he received the commission in 1901, Debussy worked on Rhapsody from 1901
until 1919, when it was performed.

There have been several arrangements and edits to this work, most notably an
arrangement by Eugene Rousseau.
3) Related Recordings
Below is the format for the third section called related recordings. Each composition listing
would have an index of related recordings of the work. The title would be formatted with the
title followed by the composer and an alphabetical listing of recordings.
Figure 5.4 – example of subcategory navigation bar with “you-are-here” indicator
Listing
Description/ History
Famous Recordings
FAMOUS RECORDINGS
Rhapsody for Orchestra and Saxophone
Claude Debussy



Recordings will be listed alphabetically by the last name of performers in this fashion.
Next listing
Next listing
SECTION 5: PEDAGOGICAL MATERIALS
The “pedagogical materials” category will be organized into subcategories that will include
digitations of saxophone pedagogical materials that have the appropriate permissions as well as
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
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links to member websites that include appropriate material. Potential subcategories include:
extended techniques, fundamentals, jazz exercises, improvising, and vibrato. Appropriate
information includes:

Guides to improvising

Altissimo fingering charts

Help with extended techniques such multi-phonics, circular breathing, and slap tonguing

Vibrato exercises
Some examples that would be available are:

Saxophone professor Tim McAllister’s Altissimo Fingerings

Saxophonist and Jazz Educator Jaime Aebersold Jazz Handbook
The above resources are extremely valuable and provide tools to help young saxophonists as
they tackle learning altissimo and improvisation. Many of the documents in this section will be
donated from saxophonists or licensed to be included.
SECTION 6: RECORDINGS
The “recordings” category will act as a comprehensive guide of all saxophone
recordings. It will be a long list of records with an internal search bar for users who know what
they are looking for. Once users find a record, they can click on the record and find detailed
information about the recording, such as composer, performers, record company, recording
date, and more. Recordings will be organized by performer or by title, depending on the user’s
preference, and performers and titles can be listed alphabetically (by last name) or
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
chronologically by record release date. I find chronological listings useful as users can view
recordings chronologically allowing them to see patterns and changes that have occurred
throughout the years to particular compositions.
Some of the Artists included are listed below.
i) Delangle, Claude
ii) Frigo, Connie
iii) Hemke, Frederick
iv) Leaman, Clifford
v) Londeix, Jean Marie
vi) Lulloff, Joseph
vii) Marsalis, Branford
viii) Mule, Marcel
ix) New Century Saxophone Quartet
x) Prism Saxophone Quartet
xi) Rascher, Sigurd
xii) Rousseau, Eugene
xiii) Sinta, Donald
xiv) Sugawa, Nabuya
Recordings
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
viii.
Classical Bouquet
Devil’s Rag
Double Vision
Le Patron
Light of Sothis
Serenade
Tableuax de Provence
Tenor Excursions
Detailed information on each record includes:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
record name
track listing
artists on record
instrumentation
liner notes
composers
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The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
vii.
viii.
ix.
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record label
potentially sound clips
location (was it at a conference, school, etc.),
SECTION 7: NASA CONFERENCES
The NASA Conferences section is designed to maintain information on NASA history and
document conference proceedings and performances. Currently this category will have three
subcategories: Conference History, Handouts and Conference Proceedings, and Recordings of
Masterclasses and Performances. Many of these performances are already recorded and can be
claimed as property of NASA as long as that is made clear, so uploading mp3s to the database
should not be too costly. For the NASA Conferences section, I have turned to The Piano Bench
Digital Library of Auburn University for inspiration. Information would be represented in a
thumbnail format, seen in Figure 5.5, as these are easy to navigate. This section will not have
long lists of information, so the thumbnail format will work fine and not be overwhelming.
Figure 5.5 – Auburn University’s Piano Bench Digital Library
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
Below is an outline of the conference information that would appear in the digital library.
(1)
Conference History – presented as a timeline
Timeline/Information on past conferences
(i) 1976 - First NASA Conference, organized by Frederick Hemke at
Northwestern University.
(ii) 1978
(iii) 1980
(iv) 1982
(v) 1984
(vi) 1986
(vii)
1988
(viii)
1990
(ix) 1992
(x) 1994
(xi) 1996
(xii)1998
(xiii)
2000
(xiv)
2002
(xv)2004
(xvi)
2006
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The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
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(xvii)
2008 - At the University of South Carolina, in Columbia, SC.
(xviii)
2010 – At the University of Georgia in Athens, GA.
(xix)
2012 – At Arizona State University in Phoenix, AZ.
(xx) 2014 – At the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, IL.
(2)
Handouts and Conference Proceedings (some examples are found below)
(a) Tim McAllister’s Altissimo Fingerings
(b) The document describing the 2010 Closing Performance by Eugene Rousseau
and Claude DeLangle. This was a tribute to Kenneth Fischer who has died
suddenly the previous year. He was the professor of saxophone at UGA (the
host of the 2010 conference) at the time of his death. They performed works
dedicated to or commissioned by Kenneth Fischer.
(3)
Recordings of performances – There would be a link to recordings section and
vice-versa as these recordings are specifically from NASA conferences and not
professionally made with record companies.
This would need to be done gradually as many conferences have few recordings. Any I
could get a hold of would be uploaded (with permissions…although I think they belong to NASA
as it stands now) and could be accessed via the “recordings” page of the collection. Recordings
and performances would be listed chronologically based on the conference and year they
occurred. Potentially a link to the performer’s personal page if there is one or to the school
page where they work can be included as these performances can be used as recruiting tools
because potential students tend to be in the audience at these concerts and would be listening
to the performances. An example of a recording would be the 2010 masterclass featuring
Joseph Lulloff and student participant Tyler Flowers, which took place at the University of
Georgia.
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SECTION 8: PURCHASING A SAXOPHONE
This last section will require constant updating as listings become available or instruments
sell. I would like to set this up like a forum, allowing users to post links to saxophones they have
found for sale. The web master/digital library curator would need to sift through and edit the
information regularly to avoid scams or inappropriate material. Also, if it was possible, I think
having a geographic listing of saxophones for sale would be extremely helpful, as this would
allow users to know what is available where. This section of the digital library in particular
should be completely open to the public. I am not sure how to make that happen, but I believe
this will be of the most use to the general public who might be looking to buy a used saxophone
for less money than a music store would sell it. There would be four subcategories in this
section:
1) Purchasing a Saxophone – the section described above
2) Descriptions of different types of saxophone and the pros and cons of each
3) How much to expect to pay for different brands to avoid being taken advantage of
4) Geographic search tool to find a “saxophone near you”
Of all of the sections of the digital library this one would require the most upkeep as the
information changes constantly. This section also excites me the most and, I think, has the most
potential for being useful. There is not a site that goes into this kind of detail and is designed for
someone who may not be familiar with saxophone brands and pricing.
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VI: DIGITIZATION
Standards
I want to digitize the musical scores, images, and handouts that would be part of the
database at the highest standards possible. With high quality machinery and set standards, I
think this can be done. My two biggest concerns with digitizing materials are to guarantee longterm preservation and not deteriorate the originals in any way. I do not want to risk loosing
information because I chose poor standards or equipment.
I turned to the New Jersey Digital Highway for digitizing standards and specifications, as
they are trusted and proven. In Figure 6.1, I have listed the standards provided by the NJ Digital
Highway for color photos and documents, black and white documents with gray tones, and
black and white documents with pure text, which can be found at this link.
The NJ Digital Highway states:
Figure 6.1
Color photos and documents:
 Should be scanned at minimum 600 dpi for archival purposes.
 Color space should be sRGB, at least 24 bit truecolor. 8 bits per channel is preferred.
 Archival files should be in TIFF format, encoded with no compression or (where available) a
lossless compression algorithm.
Black and white documents with gray tones, or black and white photos:
 Should be scanned at a minimum of 600 dpi.
 Color space should be grayscale. RGB is acceptable, but contributes nothing to pure grayscale
images and only increases file size.
 Archival files should be in TIFF format, encoded with no compression or (where available) a
lossless compression algorithm.
Black and white documents with pure text:
 Should be scanned at a minimum of 400 dpi.
 Color space should be 2 bit color (black and white), but should be converted to grayscale if the
documents are to be digitally resized.
 TIFF format for archived images.
(Found in paragraph 2 at http://www.njdigitalhighway.org/image_requirements_libr.php)
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
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These standards should be appropriate for digitizing the handouts and other documents for the
NASA Conferences section of the website as well as musical scores. I might choose TIFF 6.0
images for long-term preservation, but am considering PDFs as well.
Standards must also be set for archiving music recordings and videos. Finding the
appropriate standards would need to be done in order to implement this database effectively.
Isaiah Beard and others of RUcore provide recommended standards for preserving audio
recordings. For now, I have chosen to implement these standards as they have a track record of
success within RUcore. Figure 6.2 shows the recommended standards from RUcore..
Figure 6.2
Recommended Standards for NJDH and RUcore Audio Sampling
Audio/Video Standards Working Group: RUcore and NJDH Standards Analysis for Audio Objects
I. Beard, I. Bogus, N. Gonzaga, B. Nahory, R. Sandler 2 Last update: 8/21/2006
Minimum sampling rate: 44.1kHz 16-bit (CD Audio). This is the minimum acceptable rate to ensure a good
preservation master. Most Compact Discs (CDs) are mastered at this rate. As such, all audio obtained from CDs will
be archived at this rate. Additionally, 44.1kHz is a suitable sampling rate for RUcore partners when mastering
recordings of spoken-word speech (i.e.interviews, speeches, press conferences and lectures), that are not
accompanied by high-fidelity sound or music.
Recommended Sampling rate: 96kHz, 24-bit audio. This is widely considered an ideal rate for high quality audio
recordings, including DVD-Audio. For most audio formats, this sampling rate is the maximum sampling rate that
also supports Quad (Dolby 4.0) and Surround (5.1) audio. When repository content partners are making a first
generation sample of musical or high-fidelity recordings from an analog master, it is recommended that this
sampling rate be used whenever technically possible.
High Level (Maximum) Sampling rate: 192kHz, 24-bit audio.
(Found on page 2 at http://www.njdigitalhighway.org/documents/njdh-audio-object-standards-analysis.pdf)
Further Discussion
I admit to not being very familiar with digitization and before I make any final decisions on
digitization standards for audio or print, I will further explore appropriate standards. The above
standards are provided by trusted sources, but I have yet to attempt to digitize any materials
with these standards. Therefore, I feel an obligation to test and explore multiple standards
before I commit to any in particular.
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Equipment Costs
In order to digitize the documents that would be uploaded to the digital library, NASA
would need to invest in equipment, a fairly expensive undertaking. Imaging equipment needed
would include: a digital camera costing around $300.00, at least one flatbed scanner at close to
$400.00, a slide and film scanner at near $150.00, and a sheet-fed document scanner costing up
to $2,200.00. Obviously there are major price fluctuations depending on the quality of the
equipment, but NASA would be looking at spending about $3,000.00-$4,000.00 for equipment
alone. Since most of the content being digitized would be handouts and conference
proceedings pertaining to NASA, it would be appropriate to use NASA funds to purchase
equipment. In addition to equipment, NASA would need to invest in digital imaging software
such as ABBYY FineReader, OCR software designed to turn scanned documents into formats
that can be edited and reformatted, which costs about $99.00. Personally, the document
conversion software I find most effective is OmniPage; however, at $500.00 plus this is a huge
investment that I realistically do not think NASA would be convinced to purchase. Regardless of
which software is chose, NASA would probably be spending between $200.00 and $800.00 on
software depending what they purchased.
Depending on what equipment is bought and how much scanning the NASA digital
curator does, scanning costs are another expense to consider. The Internet Archive estimates
the cost of scanning at about ten cents a page, which could add up quickly, especially when
scanning lengthy musical scores that exist in the public domain (http://archive.org/scanning).
Overall, costs associated with digitization equipment and scanning costs are a manageable and
worthwhile investment for NASA.
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
26
VII: METADATA – DUBLIN CORE
For metadata schema, I have decided upon using the simple Dublin Core standard, partially
because I am familiar with it and also because it is flexible and easy to use. The fifteen-element
set used to describe metadata “are broad and generic, usable for describing a wide range of
resources” (http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/). These elements are:















title
creator
subject
description
publisher
contributors
date
type
format
identifier
source
language
relation
coverage
rights management
The reason I chose to stick with these fifteen elements is because they are easy to use and,
being that this is a very focused database, less metadata elements would keep the organization
of terms from getting too complex. When deciding what index terms would be appropriate for
the NASA digital library, I decided on more broad terms. With metadata elements such as
“language”, the answer will most likely be English, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, or
Italian, as these are the most common languages for saxophonists. I like this kind of
classification system because the answers are easy to provide and specific. Another element I
considered was “audience” but I ultimately decided against it because the audience for the
entire digital library is clear: saxophonists. I want to keep indexing as simple as possible and I
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
27
think by using the Dublin Core schemas, documents can easily catalogued and searchable
because of the generic terms used. In Figure 7.1 an example is shown of an object that would
appear in this database using Dublin Core standards.
Figure 7.1
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<metadata
xmlns="http://example.org/myapp/"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://example.org/myapp/ http://example.org/myapp/schema.xsd"
xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
<dc:title>Distances Within Me</dc:title>
<dc:creator>John Anthony Lennon</dc:creator>
<dc:subject>Postmodern work for alto saxophone and piano</dc:subject>
<dc:description>A 12 minute work for alto saxophone and piano in a postmodern style. The work is largely in a
free-form requiring constant communication between the two performers.
</dc:description>
<dc:publisher>Dorn Publications</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>1981</dc:date>
<dc:type>Instrumental chamber work</dc:type>
<dc:format>About 20 pages of 11by17 inch staff paper</dc:format>
<dc:identifier>Dorn006</dc:identifier>
<dc:source>Print version</dc:source>
<dc:language>English</dc:language>
</metadata>
In Figure 7.1 the metadata for the saxophone composition Distances Within Me is formatted in
a controlled, maintainable, and comprehendible manner.
VIII: CONTENT MANAGEMENT
MySQL Workbench
Content being added to the database will need to be stored and managed and this can
be done through MySQL, an open-source relational database management system. Personally I
use the MySQL workbench, which is free to download, to visually design and manage
databases. The workbench provides instant access to schemas making it very easy to store and
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
28
manage content. MySQL is easy to use and accessible and will not add to the costs of
developing the database.
IX: ACCESS
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library would be accessed by providing
the same login information used to access the main NASA website into the username/password
bars on the home page of the database website. Users with appropriate login credentials would
then be able to peruse the database. Originally, I intended for the database to have
unrestricted access for all, but realistically, someone needs to pay for this and the best way to
do this is through annual memberships to the NASA organization, providing regular and
continuous funding. I still hope that the “purchasing a saxophone” section can have
unrestricted access, but the rest would probably be restricted unless more funding can be
found.
One possibility is to have restricted access to non-members allowing them access to
portions of the website, similar to how many university digital libraries operate. At Rutgers
University, one must provide login information to access databases but can search the library
from the home page without restrictions. If users decide they would like to access more of the
digital library, they can become members, potentially increasing membership and funds. The
digital library would definitely increase NASA membership among saxophonists as students and
professionals learn more about this valuable, unique resource for classical saxophonists. The
NASA Digital Collections would have its own homepage but would also be accessible through
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
29
the main NASA website through a link, further cementing its association with the parent
website.
X: RESTRICTIONS AND COPYRIGHT
The majority of the information listed in the recordings, compositions, performers, and
purchasing a saxophone sections should not require copyrights, as most of it is indexed
information and not necessarily providing an actual documentary unit. If excerpts from
recordings were included, then permissions would absolutely be needed and might cost a great
deal of money depending whether the recording was published through a label or privately.
Many professors create recordings using university facilities and therefore tend to provide
copies for libraries and for educational purposes. Permissions and legal protection would be
needed to access certain pedagogical materials. If the library were able to use Jamey Aebersold
accompaniment tracks for use through the pedagogy section, permission from Aebersold would
be needed and may cost a significant amount of money. Resources taken from NASA
Conferences should be protected by optional clauses inserted in the membership agreements
stating that NASA can use any recordings made or handouts presented as part of the digital
collection. NASA needs to emphasize the educational drive behind this database to encourage
professors to donate materials. The history section may require legal action due the inclusion of
articles about the saxophone and the need to reference resources to give a comprehensive
guide to the history of the saxophone. Many of the scholarly articles written about the
saxophone are likely authored by NASA members. Whether or not the article could be used
probably depends on which journal published the article. Some musical scores and recordings
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
30
are in the public domain; so beginning with the inclusion of these materials will help get the
digital collection established before tackling some legal discussions.
XI: SEARCH ENGINE
The search bar function is one of the most important aspects of this database. Besides
browsing the various sections, users must be able to search content with ease. For that reason,
I am considering trying to incorporate Google Custom Search Engine into my database. I have
heard mixed reviews, but users who are already comfortable with Google will find the digital
collections easy to navigate. To use this search engine, NASA would need to pay about $100.00
a year. Paying a fee this high may discourage me from choosing to use an outside party’s search
engine and I ultimately may decide to install my own PHP search engine script. This is the ideal
decision, but would require maintenance and some know-how. What search engine to use is
something I am presently debating.
XII: EVALUATION
Evaluation is important to the success and effectiveness of any product or service, including
digital libraries. My goal is to reach as many saxophonists as possible and provide them
information they cannot find anywhere else. To make certain I do this, I have chosen six criteria
to use for evaluating the NASA Digital Library. I based many of my selections on sections of
Tefko Saracevic’s article Evaluation of digital libraries: An overview, in which he describes
the importance of evaluation and possible methods of evaluating digital libraries. The
chosen criteria and some of the functions that would be evaluated are listed below.
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
1. Usability
a. Access
b. Search bar function
c. Ease of finding information
d. Organization
e. Functionality
f. Error rate
g. Time spent
h. Download speed
2. Content
a. Relevant information
b. Organization
c. Content geared toward the needs of saxophonists
d. Presented in a logical manner
e. Varied
f. Accuracy, factual
g. Clarity and transparency
h. Accessibility
3. Technology
a. Performance
b. Costs
c. Ease of access
d. Updated
e. Necessary software and hardware
4. Format
a. Consistency
b. Visual appeal
c. Tab/category representation
d. Ease of navigation
5. Process
a. Ease of navigation
b. Tab navigation effectiveness
c. Error rate
d. Confusion
e. Time to reach goal
f. Ease of browsing
g. Search bar function
h. Learnability
i. Overall ease of use
6. Cost Analysis
a. Copyright fees
b. Digitization fees
c. Membership fees
d. Overall operating budget
31
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
32
e. Salaries
f. Equipment
To properly evaluate the above criteria, I would employ a number of varying methods including:









Anonymous surveys from users
Usage analysis
Analysis of usage between different sections
Records analysis
Requesting feedback
Download records
Personal observations
Pre-scripted interviews
Focus groups
I am open to other methods and would adapt and change methods as needed, as I feel that
continuously using the same methods of evaluation will not give a comprehensive conclusion.
Evaluating from different angles is important to the continued effectiveness of any digital
collection. With constant evaluation, I can be certain that the NASA Digital Library will be an
invaluable resource.
XIII: PRESERVATION AND MANAGEMENT
Constant and detailed management is needed in order to maintain the NASA Digital
Library due to the rapid growth of the classical saxophone community and frequent additions to
recordings and compositions. Because the classical saxophone is a relatively new addition to
the music community, this database would be the only major resource for classical
saxophonists. Currently, NASA has a “web master”, an elected officer who is generally a college
professor and member of the organization who maintains the website as best he/she can. As is
true with many voluntary positions, the “web master” has limited resources and time to work
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
33
with. Added funds would need to be allocated to the organization to develop the digital
collection and create a “digital library curator” position or change the role of the “web master”
position. Increasing the membership fee from $35 a year to $45 or moving money from the
conference budget to the digital library budget can help create these necessary funds. Initially
the financial hit would be significant, but long-term costs should be minimal as there are not
many ongoing licensing fees. The majority of the resources that would be part of the NASA
digital collection would be owned by NASA and would therefore not need to be paid for. Also, a
clause can be added so that members know that any materials or recordings pertaining to
performances, lectures, or classes that occur at NASA conferences must be made available for
use to the NASA Digital Library. Most members would not have an issue with this because NASA
would only need access to their use, not necessarily own the items, but if any member has an
issue with their materials being used, they can opt to not be included in the digital library. Also,
all of these materials are used for educational purposes and are not used for monetary gain, so
most members are already happy to pass along past handouts and recordings. NASA would
need to make these regulations clear to members and the “digital library curator” or “web
master” would be responsible for keeping track of all legal documents and agreements
between members pertaining to resources.
At $35 annually, membership is at a low cost compared to other professional organizations
and could realistically be increased with little uproar if members are convinced they are
receiving a resource that could positively impact so many students and professionals. Below is a
list of other professional organizations and their annual fees for membership.

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) costs $49 annually for membership.
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal

34
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) charges $83 annually for their
“classic membership”, the lowest level of membership.

The American Society for Indexing has an annual fee of $175 for membership.

The Association for Computing Machinery charges $99 annually for “professional”
membership.
All of the above organizations, with the exception of The American Society for Indexing, employ
a tiered membership system for users, seemingly to great success. NASA could adopt a multilevel membership system as well with perks for those who choose the higher levels, such as
having the donor’s name listed on the NASA website as a supporter or receiving a free box of
saxophone reeds (this may seem a strange incentive but saxophonists will do most anything for
free reeds).
The NASA Digital Library would ideally be housed on the main NASA website and
hopefully use the same server, greatly cutting costs. I have been attempting to contact the
current “web master” at NASA to find more information on what server NASA uses, bandwidth
information, and related costs and hope to know more soon.
IV. CONCLUSION
My motivation for creating the NASA Digital Library is to create a resource that provides
needed information to saxophonists and especially saxophone students. The NASA Digital
Library will be unique, as there is not another database of its likeness for saxophonists. All of
the information provided on this database is chosen to fit the specific needs of classical
saxophonists, whether pedagogical materials or information on the history of the saxophone. In
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
35
the article I discussed the purpose, content, functionality, costs, standards, and methods of
evaluation of the NASA Digital Library. Many areas still need to be addressed, including
assigning index terms, limiting browsing options (not an immediate concern due to the initial
small size of the collection), providing more display options for results, and adding copyrighted
material such as mp3 recordings and instructional method books.
To my regret, I do not see a way to provide free access to this database; without NASA
membership support, the library cannot grow nor be sustainable. The exception to the
restricted access policy is the “purchasing a saxophone” section, which must be free to nonmembers, as this would be a great resource for both finding an affordable used saxophone and
learning about appropriate pricing and characteristics of different saxophones. I am taking
several steps to one day implement this database. Currently, I am corresponding with the
president of the North American Saxophone Alliance, my former private instructor and
employer, and I have reached out to the web master of NASA in order to discuss the need and
potential of this resource. Eventually, I would like to look into the possibility of forming a
partnership with reed companies such as Rico and Vandoren, instrument makers Selmer Paris
and Yamaha, and Jamey Aebersold, who creates and owns hundreds of instructional materials
for beginning jazz musicians. Having financial support from large companies that receive
constant business from saxophonists could help the database flourish.
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library would be a major resource for
saxophonists. Access to historical information, NASA conference information, pedagogical tools,
and recording listings would allow saxophonists to be exposed to information they would not
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
have found without the digital library. With this database the saxophone community can
continue to grow and flourish in the musical community.
36
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
37
Sources
ABBYY FineReader for Personal Use Product Page. Found at: http://finereader.abbyy.com/
American Society for Indexing. Membership information. Found at:
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Association for Computing Machinery. Membership information. Found at:
http://www.acm.org/membership/dues
Banach, M.; Shelburne, B.; Shepherd, K.; Rubenstein, A. (2011). Guidelines for Digitization.
Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Amherst. Found at:
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Debussy, C. (1919). Rhapsody for Orchestra and Saxophone. Paris: Durand.
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Google Custom Search Engine Sign-up page. Found at: https://www.google.com/cse/
IMSLP.org. Information on Rhapsody for Orchestra and Saxophone. Found at:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Rapsodie_for_Orchestra_and_Saxophone_%28Debussy,_Claude%
29
Leaman, Clifford. Professor of Saxophone at the University of South Carolina, Acting
President of NASA
Lynch, P. J.; Horton, S. (2008-2011). Information Architecture: Site Structure. Web Style
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MySQL Product Description. Found at: http://www.mysql.com/products/workbench/
North American Saxophone Alliance websites. Found at: http://www.saxalliance.org/
Piano Bench Digital Collection. Part of Auburn University’s Digital Library.
Found at: http://diglib.auburn.edu/collections/pianobench/
Professional Bowlers Association. Membership information. Found at:
http://www.pba.com/Join/
The North American Saxophone Alliance Digital Library Proposal
Quam, E. (2007). 15 Dublin Core Element Attributes. Bridges. Found at:
http://mn.gov/bridges/dcore.html
Reese, William. Six-year member of NASA
Saracevic, T. (2004). Evaluation of digital libraries: An overview.
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October 2004, Department of Information Engineering, University of Padua, Italy.
Report: pdf Slides: PowerPoint
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Borders (151-156). Urbana-Champaign, IL: Mortenson Center for International Library
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Society of Automotive Engineers. Membership information. Found at:
http://www.sae.org/membership/join/
38