Cheap, Quick, and Pretty:
Mass Digitization of Large Manuscript
Collections
Jody L. DeRidder
University of Alabama Libraries
jlderidder@ua.edu
Outline
• How difficult is it?
• What does it look like?
• How long does it take?
• What does it cost?
• How effective is it?
• What’s missing?
How difficult is it?
Each file name includes:
And sequence: 1, 2, 3 …
What
does it
look like?
(item)
What
does it
look like?
(EAD)
What
does it
look like?
(item
outside
Acumen)
How long does it take?
Old method: 8.25 min. / scan
New method: 4.34 min. / scan
Processing: reduced.
QC: reduced.
Metadata time: none.
47% LESS TIME!
What does it cost?
Old method: $2.47 / scan
New method: $0.80 /scan
Processing: reduced.
QC: reduced.
Metadata costs: none.
68% CHEAPER!!
How effective is it?
• Experienced researchers
prefer it!
• Those new to digital
collections found it easier!
 42% less time
 27% fewer clicks
 12% more success
• Foreign students found
the terminology difficult.
We still need…
Improved usability of
EAD interface:
• Terminology
• Search in page
• Navigation links
Then:
Establish learnability
Summary
• Easy: put info in file names;
run scripts
• Looks: pretty darn good!
• Time: 4.34 min. / page
• Cost: 79.5 cents / page
• Effectiveness: great for
scholars; surprisingly
good for novices
• Need: improved usability of
EAD interface
For More Information:
Upcoming American Archivist article??
• Jody L. DeRidder, “Leveraging EAD for Low-Cost
Access to Digitized Collections at the University of
Alabama Libraries,” Journal of Library Innovation, 2:1
(2011), http://www.libraryinnovation.org/article/view/69
• University of Alabama Libraries, “Septimus D.
Cabaniss Papers Digitization Project.”
 Project Site:
http://www.lib.ua.edu/libraries/hoole/cabaniss
 Wiki:
http://www.lib.ua.edu/wiki/digcoll/index.php/Cabaniss
 Display: http://acumen.lib.ua.edu/u0003_0000252
• University of Alabama Libraries, “Acumen Digital
Library Software.”
http://sourceforge.net/projects/acumendls/
References
Experienced researchers prefer the finding aid interface:
• Tim West, Kirill Fesenko, and Laura Clark Brown, “Extending the Reach of Southern
Sources: Proceeding to Large-Scale Digitization of Manuscript Collections,” Final
Grant Report for the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Southern Historical Collection,
University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, June 2009,
http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/archivalmassdigitization/download/extending_the_reach.pdf
• Cory Nimer and J. Gordon Daines III, “What Do You Mean It Doesn’t Make Sense?
Redesigning Finding Aids from the User’s Perspective,” Journal of Archival
Organization 6, no. 4 (2008), http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15332740802533214
Novice users experience a learning curve:
• Wendy Scheir, “First Entry: Report on a Qualitative Exploratory Study of Novice User
Experience with Online Finding Aids,” Journal of Archival Organization 3, no. 4
(2006), http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J201v03n04_04
• Joyce Celeste Chapman, “Observing Users: An Empirical Analysis of User Interaction
with Online Finding Aids,” Journal of Archival Organization 8, no. 1 (2010)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15332748.2010.484361