Digital Preservation of Rare Books and Manuscripts:
Annotated Bibliography
Sharon Reilly
INFO 522: Information Access & Resources
August 31, 2012
I certify that:
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This assignment is entirely my own work.
I have not quoted the words of any other person from a printed source or website without
indicating what has been quoted and providing an appropriate citation.
I have not submitted this assignment to satisfy the requirements of any other course.
Signature:
Sharon Reilly
Date:
August 31, 2012
Sharon Reilly
Introduction and Scope
The following bibliography covers information on aspects of the digital preservation of
rare books and manuscripts, covering frameworks to evaluate whether or not to attempt a
digitization project, what to digitize, what method to capture and store images and metadata,
barriers to success, special considerations due to the nature of special collections and cultural
heritage implications. The articles were published between 2001 and 2011, with most entries
published 2008 or later. Authors from around the world were included to help illustrate the
global access possible through digitization, greatly expanding use of materials that had been very
difficult to access due to their rarity. The transformative impact on scholarship is described by
several authors.
Description
Access to rare book and manuscripts has been limited due to factors such as their
location, great value or fragile condition. Use is often limited to scholars who must travel to the
libraries or archives and use the documents under the watchful scrutiny of the library staff. Also,
incomplete cataloging of some collections makes their contents hard to locate. Many documents
are at risk of being lost because of inadequate storage conditions, rough handling or their
physical composition. Digitization, the process of electronically capturing images of the
documents or optical character recognition scanning (OCR) them, along with creating metadata
files, hold the promise of solving some of the problems inherent in rare document collections.
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Summary of Findings
Digital technology holds the promise of greatly increasing access to rare books and
manuscripts while also serving to preserve these often fragile documents. Many important
cultural heritage documents exist only as manuscripts in places like Morocco, Iran and India.
Many of the Moroccan manuscripts are held by private individuals and are deteriorating rapidly
due to the lack of archival storage. Often they are subject to dust, insect and climate damage.
(Abdelhamid & Nieuwenhuysen, 2010) The same is true of many historic Persian manuscripts in
Iran, which are also at risk due to the political unrest in the region. (Madden & Seifi 2011). Less
dramatic but still very real is the damage to original documents that Forde describes, caused by
frustrated users carelessly rifling through boxes in search of uncataloged records. (2005).
Scholarship has advanced and new avenues of research have been opened by the access
digitization can provide. Ioppolo describes scholars being drawn to the study of manuscripts by
first viewing them online. (2004). The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland has digitized
their collection of Islamic manuscripts, and these are being used in a Qatar Foundation sponsored
program for K-12 students. (Bockrath, Case, Fetters & Herr, 2010). Scholars are now able to
access online materials they once had to travel hundreds, perhaps thousands, of miles to study—
if the trip was economically feasible at all.
Digitizing rare books and manuscripts provides much more of a challenge than digitizing
general collection. First of all, scholars may not feel the digital surrogates are adequate
substitutes for the originals. When Abdelhamid and Nieuwenhuysen surveyed members of the
history department of University of Abdelmalek Essaadi in Morocco, they indicated a reluctance
to use digital copies instead of directly accessing the originals, although the authors believe this
is partly influenced by the insight they receive from the private owners of the manuscripts.
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(2010). However, Nikolova-Houston and Houston argue that we have to distinguish between the
“intellectual content of a manuscript and its evidentiary and forensic values (2008, p. 110).”
They found that many scholars were satisfied with digital surrogates and some actually preferred
them. Even those concerned with the physical characteristics of the documents can benefit from
digitization. Ioppolo describes the way high quality digital images can be enlarged to show detail
hard to discern on the original, and the ability to compare handwriting from one document to that
in another. (2004).
Another potential drawback is the cost involved in digitizing rare books and manuscripts.
The Walters relied on grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to digitize
their collection of Islamic manuscripts. Their goal was to create the highest possible quality
images using a custom built state-of-the-art computerized camera and book cradle. (Bockrath,
Case, Fetters & Herr, 2010). On the other hand, the Jayakar Library determined they could do a
good quality scans in house for a modest budget, because they already possessed the
infrastructure to accomplish the task, including two Minolta PS 7000 book scanners. (Londhe,
Desale & Patil, 2011). Nikolova-Houston and Houston argue that “acceptable level” digitization
can be done in house without special equipment, and that the librarian has a duty to maximize
access to the collection, even if funds for high quality imaging cannot be obtained (2008). Some
organizations are entering into partnerships with outside organizations to conduct mass
digitization programs. Ceynowa describes the. Bavarian State Library’s partnership with Google
to conduct the mass digital capture of their seventeenth through nineteenth century books.
Google is covering the cost in exchange for a digital copy of each book to add to Google Books.
They decided the benefits of maintaining relevance by providing such robust digital resources
outweighed any risk that having the copies available on Google would decrease demand for their
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resources. An added benefit is that the availability of a digital surrogate will decrease the amount
of damage sustained by the original resulting from handling. Google benefits by obtaining huge
amounts of searchable content, making them more attractive to users. (2009). Rieger discussed
the challenges involved in adapting mass digitization methodology to rare book projects, which
are traditional done on much smaller scale with near one hundred percent quality control. She
raises issues that have to be considered such as the level of quality control that is acceptable and
methods to safeguard the books and manuscripts which are often in fragile condition. (2010).
Rare books and manuscripts often provide unique challenges to creating digital
surrogates, since they are often irregular, have leaves inserted or missing and include marginalia
which is valuable to scholars. Cameron and Mix describe the process of digitizing the manuscript
of the sixth edition of the Organon der Heilkunst by Samuel Hahnemann, which is an important
document in the history of homeopathic medicine. The manuscript consists of a copy of the fifth
edition with handwritten notes in the margins and sheets inserted throughout the book. They
decided to create a Flash flipbook file with icons which, when clicked, open the note sheets that
were inserted in the original at that spot. (2011). Kowal and Martyn describe another
complicated project undertake by the British Library to create electronic images of maps contain
within their rare books. The challenge they faced was which metadata system and standard
would work best for this type of project. Although other systems were considered, they decided
to stick with their integrated library system following the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules
(AACR) in the Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) format, since it already contained the
data for the books themselves, so the map data could be linked to the parent book file. (2008).
Digital technology holds great promise in preserving and allowing access to rare books
and manuscripts. However, it does not eliminate the need to preserve the physical copies of
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many documents. Many of these items have inherent value as physical objects, whether for their
beauty, cultural and historical significance, or scientific information to be obtained. However,
digital surrogates can help us protect the physical artifact by allowing access to the content
remotely, sparing these fragile, valuable items any more wear than necessary.
Entry 1:
Abdelhamid, B. M., & Nieuwenhuysen, P. (2010). Digital access to cultural heritage material:
Case of the Moroccan manuscripts. Collection Building, 29(4), 137-141. doi:
10.1108/01604951011088862
Abstract: “Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to study the readiness of academic researchers
in history in Moroccan universities to change their habits and ways of accessing old manuscript
collections from direct access to on/offline access to digitized versions of the same documents.
Design/methodology/approach - A survey was conducted with a sample population of about 30
researchers, both students and teachers. This survey used a questionnaire distributed directly.
Findings - This user study came to the conclusion that though people appreciate the possible
existence of a digital library for manuscripts (on- or offline), they have some hesitation to use it
solely because they are afraid of losing a precious and fruitful human interaction with the private
holders of manuscript collections.
Research limitations/implications - The study is considered as a basis for future studies that
could enhance the concepts and the methods. The limitations in this research are mainly due to
the local scope of the survey.
Originality/value - The survey is unique in the sense that it is the first one. The manuscripts have
been studied previously at several levels except a user needs perspective.”
Annotation: Overview of a small survey of members of the history department of the University
of Abdelmalek Essaadi of their attitudes about studying digital surrogates of historic Moroccan
manuscripts that are largely privately held and are often in poor condition due to lack of archival
storage and conservation. Although not a definitive study on the topic, the authors provide insight
into the cultural as well as financial and technological impediments to preserving cultural heritage
objects in a developing country.
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Search Strategy:
I chose the decided to try ProQuest Research Library to expand my
possible sources. I chose a keyword search to bring as broad a
selection as possible. I altered my search string from earlier strings
to focus on digital preservation, instead of my earlier concept of
both digital and conventional methods.
Database:
ProQuest Research Library
Method of Searching:
Keyword searching
Search string:
digitization OR digital AND (preservation OR conservation OR
restoration) AND all((rare book? OR manuscript?))
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed articles in scholarly journals
and journal is listed as refereed in Ulrich’s.
.
Entry 2:
Bockrath, D., Case, C., Fetters, E., & Herr, H. (2010). Parchment to pixel: The Walters Islamic
manuscript digital project. Art Documentation, 29(2), 14-20.
Abstract: “The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland, is nearing completion of an
initiative to digitize its Islamic manuscripts — a collection comprised of 128 codices and sixty
single leaves, dating from the ninth to the nineteenth centuries and containing extraordinary
treasures from the world of Islamic art and calligraphy. The project seeks to create full digital
surrogates of the entire collection, capturing preservation-quality, high-resolution digital images,
providing appropriate metadata, and making the results available at no charge online under a
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 license. This article details the
processes and procedures behind the ambitious plan and offers critical analysis of the role the
project will play in the collective digital management of visual resources.”
Annotation: This article, which won the 2010 Gerd Muehsam Award for articles written by
graduate students, provides an in depth, step by step description of the Walters’s digitization of
rare Islamic manuscripts. It provides a comprehensive roadmap to anyone interested in conducting
such a project by outlining the entire process, including the selection of imaging device and
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software, the selection of documents to image, the creation of the metadata to accompany the
images, the interim handling of the files, the permanent warehousing of the data and the intended
use and access to the data.
Search Strategy:
I chose the Library Literature & Information Science Full Text
(H.W. Wilson) database because I thought it would be a good
place to start looking for articles on the topic. I chose a keyword
search as it was one of my initial searches.
Database:
Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
Method of Searching:
Keyword searching
Search string:
(digitization OR digital preservation OR preservation OR
conservation OR restoration) AND (rare book? OR manuscript?)
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed journals. Also, Ulrich’s lists it
as a refereed journal.
Entry 3:
Cameron, K., & Mix, L. A. (2011). From Hahnemann's hand to your computer screen: building a
digital homeopathy collection. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 99(1), 51-56.
Retrieved from
http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA247880014
&v=2.1&u=drexel_main&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w
.
Abstract: “The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Library holds the unique
manuscript of the sixth edition of Samuel Hahnemann's Organon der Heilkunst, the primary text
of homeopathy. The manuscript volume is Hahnemann's own copy of the fifth edition of the
Organon with his notes for the sixth edition, handwritten throughout the volume. There is a high
level of interest in the Organon manuscript, particularly among homeopaths. This led to the
decision to present a digital surrogate on the web to make it accessible to a wider audience.
Digitizing Hahnemann's manuscript and determining the best method of presentation on the web
posed several challenges. Lessons learned in the course of this project will inform future digital
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projects. This article discusses the historical significance of the sixth edition of Hahnemann's
Organon, its context in UCSF's homeopathy collections, and the specifics of developing the
online homeopathy collection.”
Annotation: After a detailed history of the document and its significance, the authors provide an
overview of the process involved in evaluating the benefits of digitizing the document, the unique
challenges presented by the physical condition of the book and the options considered for
presenting the digital version. Although not a detailed guideline for completing such a project, it
provides a useful overall summary of the issues to be considered when planning to digitize a
historic manuscript.
Search Strategy:
I chose the Library Literature & Information Science Full Text
(H.W. Wilson) database because I thought it would be a good
place to start looking for articles on the topic. I chose a keyword
search as it was one of my initial searches.
Database:
Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
Method of Searching:
Keyword searching
Search string:
(digitization OR digital preservation OR preservation OR
conservation OR restoration) AND (rare book? OR manuscript?)
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed journals. Listed as refereed in
Ulrich’s, and listed as “international, peer-reviewed journal” on
publication’s website.
Entry 4:
Ceynowa, K. (2009). Mass digitization for research and study: The digitization strategy of the
Bavarian state library. IFLA Journal, 35(1), 17-24. doi: 10.1177/0340035208102031.
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Abstract: “The Bavarian State Library is one of the largest European research libraries. The
Library`s unique collection profile is characterized by extremely precious manuscripts, rare
printed books and comprehensive special collections from thousands of years of cultural
heritage. Responding to the challenges of the digital age, it is a primary strategic objective of the
Bavarian State Library to digitize as soon as possible its unique collections, which are a good
part of written cultural heritage, and to make them usable for the world. Aiming for this strategic
objective, the library undertakes several large-scale digitization projects, which will bring more
than 1.2 million books online during the next few years. The deployment of state-of-the-art
robotic scanners as well as a public-private partnership with Google which are part of this
digitization strategy are described in detail. The implications for the future role of libraries especially as `bricks and books' institutions - in the rapidly changing information landscape is
also briefly discussed.”
Annotation: The Deputy Director General of the Bavarian State Library in Munich makes the case
for a large scale digitization program of their seventeenth through nineteenth century copyrightfree collections in cooperation with Google and in which Google covers the cost in exchange for a
digital copy of the items scanned. He makes a strong argument that the library benefits by being
able to provide greater access to materials and remain relevant in an increasingly internet based
environment, but also that the program is allowing them to preserve the contents of books that will
soon be lost due to rapid deterioration and spare other fragile books the damage that would result
from handling because the digital copy is available for use.
Search Strategy:
I decided to limit my search terms to the title in order to focus the
articles found. I believed LISA would have large number of
articles on my topic and did not want to be overwhelmed with
articles that only made brief reference to the topic.
Database:
Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA)
Method of Searching:
Title searching
Search string:
ti(digitization OR digital AND (preservation OR conservation OR
restoration)) AND all((rare book? OR manuscript?))
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed journals. Listed as refereed in
Ulrich’s, and publication website states they publish peer reviewed
articles.
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Entry 5:
Devi, T.S. (2008) Impact of information technology on the societal archive: A case study of
Manipuri manuscripts, The International Information & Library Review, 40 (3), 179-184.
Abstract: “Manuscripts are one of the precious materials of our cultural heritage, acting as a
valuable source of history and knowledge and offering perspective on contemporary society. In
Manipur, we are losing our manuscripts through decay and improper handling. Current progress
in the field of information and communication technology offers a potential solution to the
problem. Through large scale digitization projects, manuscripts can not only be stored and
preserved, but also made available to the public. This paper highlights the importance of the
Manipur Manuscripts collection and the necessity to preserve the collection for future
generations.”
Annotation: Calls for action to preserve by digitizing the approximately one thousand largely
privately held Manipuri manuscripts. Unfortunately, lacks detail about how this should be
accomplished, and suggests that digitization alone is sufficient preservation, without addressing the
value of the manuscript itself as a historic artifact.
Search Strategy:
I chose the Library Literature & Information Science Full Text
(H.W. Wilson) database because I thought it would be a good
place to start looking for articles on the topic. I chose a keyword
search as it was one of my initial searches.
Database:
Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
Method of Searching:
Keyword searching
Search string:
(digitization OR digital preservation OR preservation OR
conservation OR restoration) AND (rare book? OR manuscript?)
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed journals. Also, Ulrich’s lists it
as a refereed journal.
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Entry 6:
Forde, H. (2005) Access and preservation in the 21st century: What has changed? Journal of the
Society of Archivists, 26 (2), 193-200.
Abstract: “The opportunities for access to archives in the 21st century are the result of populist
interest in archives, technical advances making wider dissemination easier, better provision of
disabled access and the inclusion of archives in the government social agendas. Preservation
benefits since surrogacy and off-site storage are becoming more popular and funding bodies
increasingly recognise the importance of preservation. But there are still a myriad of smaller
archives where the access and preservation situation is getting worse, both for traditional types of
materials and especially for electronic records. Partnership and co-operation are needed to ensure
that all archives have the ability to offer access to well preserved materials.”
Annotation: The president of the Society of Archivists in Great Britain provides a well-reasoned
argument for the positive effect digitization has in improving access to documents in archives, but
also the positive impact this digitization has had in preserving the physical item. Accessing digital
surrogate not only limits the amount the items are handled and allows for offsite storage in better
protected spaces, but the extensive digital cataloging makes the originals easier to locate when
required, preventing unnecessary frustrated rifling through boxes of documents, which can result
in damage to those documents.
Search Strategy:
I found it in the references of an article on digitizing Moroccan
manuscripts and thought it was worth retrieving.
Database:
N/A
Method of Searching:
Footnote chasing
Search string:
Cited in:
Abdelhamid Boujdad M'kadem, Paul Nieuwenhuysen, (2010)
Digital access to cultural heritage material: case of the Moroccan
manuscripts. Collection Building 29:4, pages 137-141.
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Scholarly/Refereed Status: Ulrich’s lists it as a refereed journal. Also, publication’s website
describes it as peer reviewed.
Entry 7:
Ioppolo, G. (2004). Switching on the world of dramatic manuscripts. Shakespeare Studies, 32,
66-72. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/222412512?accountid=10559
Abstract: “Ioppolo discusses the future of early modern dramatic manuscript studies. The
digitization of dramatic manuscripts can provide one with radically new and much more precise
information about the author's composing, revising, and collaborative practices, as well as those
of the scribes, censors, actors, audiences, and printers. At the very least, digitization can provide
one with these things: an index to, and cross-referencing of, all extant dramatic manuscripts;
examples of various hands, which may allow one to identify particular authors as well as scribes;
among other things.”
Annotation: Interesting article by a manuscript scholar describing the boon to manuscript scholars
that digitization has proven, from the scientific advancements in studying the physical
characteristic of the document to the increased popularity and curiosity about manuscripts the
expanded access has engendered. Gives insight into the advancements in scholarship created above
and beyond the access and preservation benefits.
Search Strategy:
I chose the decided to try ProQuest Research Library to expand my
possible sources. I chose a keyword search to bring as broad a
selection as possible. I altered my search string from earlier strings
to focus on digital preservation, instead of my earlier concept of
both digital and conventional methods.
Database:
ProQuest Research Library
Method of Searching:
Keyword searching
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Sharon Reilly
Search string:
digitization OR digital AND (preservation OR conservation OR
restoration) AND all((rare book? OR manuscript?))
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed articles in scholarly journals
and journal is listed as refereed in Ulrich’s.
Entry 8:
Kowal, K. C., & Martyn, C. (2009). Descriptive metadata for digitization of maps in books: A
British library project. Library Resources & Technical Services, 53(2), 108-120.
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/216899442?accountid=10559
Abstract: “Hidden special collections are increasingly being made visible and accessible by
small digitization projects. In the project described in this paper, the British Library employed
existing library standards and systems to accomplish key functions of a project to digitize a
selection of maps contained within rare books. The integrated library system, using the AngloAmerican Cataloguing Rules (AACR) and Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC) format, acted
as a lynchpin, linking directly bibliographic descriptions of both the original and the digital
copies of the map, the book containing the map, the digital image, and preservation data and
strategy, making the items widely searchable and visible while uniting them with the broader
collections.”
Annotation: The Lead Curator, Map Library, the British Library examines in depth the factors
involved in selecting metadata systems and standards for a digitization project involving maps
contain in rare books in the library. Provides a detailed analysis of the advantages and
disadvantages of the various standards considered and describes the success of the project.
Provides a roadmap for other institutions attempting to digitize and catalog this type of “hidden”
collection.
Search Strategy:
I chose the decided to try ProQuest Research Library to expand my
possible sources. I chose a keyword search to bring as broad a
selection as possible. I altered my search string from earlier strings
to focus on digital preservation, instead of my earlier concept of
both digital and conventional methods.
Database:
ProQuest Research Library
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Sharon Reilly
Method of Searching:
Keyword searching
Search string:
digitization OR digital AND (preservation OR conservation OR
restoration) AND all((rare book? OR manuscript?))
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed articles in scholarly journals,
journal is listed as refereed in Ulrich’s and publication’s website
describes it as peer reviewed.
Entry 9:
Londhe, N. L., Desale, S. K. & Patil, S. K., (2011) Development of a digital library of
manuscripts: A case study at the University of Pune, India. Program: Electronic Library
and Information Systems, 45 (2) 135–148.
Abstract: “Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the technical know-how required
for digitization of manuscripts. It aims to discuss the digitisation process of manuscripts adopted
in the Jayakar Library, University of Pune in India and also to evaluate the digitisation software
used in this project.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper explains different steps of the digitisation process. It
also explains the process for creating metadata fields for easy retrieval of manuscripts and
evaluates the digitisation software.
Findings – Digitisation of manuscripts is a difficult process because of the fragility and
discolouration (yellowishness) of manuscripts. Creation of metadata and especially subject
headings for manuscripts is difficult and time consuming. QuickScan software is good for image
capturing and DSpace is good for providing access to digital contents.
Originality/value – The project details and use of different software in this project may be useful
for others carrying out digitisation projects.
Keywords Digital libraries, Digital storage, National cultures, Heritage, University libraries,
India
Paper type Case study”
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Sharon Reilly
Annotation: A clear, well written description of an in-house project to digitize over half a million
pages of manuscript. Walks the reader through every step of the process from feasibility study to
implementation.
Search Strategy:
I chose the Library Literature & Information Science Full Text
(H.W. Wilson) database because I thought it would be a good
place to start looking for articles on the topic. I chose a keyword
search as it was one of my initial searches.
Database:
Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
Method of Searching:
Keyword searching
Search string:
(digitization OR digital preservation OR preservation OR
conservation OR restoration) AND (rare book? OR manuscript?)
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed journals, Ulrich’s lists it as a
refereed journal and is listed as refereed on journal website.
Entry 10:
Madden, K. & Seifi, L. (2011) Digital surrogate preservations of manuscripts and Iranian
heritage: enhancing research. New Library World, 112 (9/10) 452-465.
Abstract: “Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a general review and historical
context for digitization and interdisciplinary research involving digital surrogates of historical
Persian manuscripts in the National Library and Archives of Iran and similarly engaged
institutions.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper explores interdisciplinary aspects of Persian art,
poetry, science, and philosophy, as revealed in the scrutiny of digitized manuscripts. It explores
the enhancement of Persian, Iranian and Islamic cultural heritage research. It discusses benefits
and concerns in conceptual contexts of library and information science literature. It references
some manuscript digitization projects involving Islamic heritage, including the HARAM online
manuscript service of the National Library and Archives of Iran (NLAI). It addresses issues of
availability and access in global contexts.
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Findings – Manuscript digitization, placed in the context of interdisciplinary research, reveals
modern correlations to the interdisciplinary nature of ancient Persian arts and sciences — and to
the purpose of digitization — as appropriate to an historical continuum of Persian written literacy
and traditional Islamic cultural heritage.
Practical implications – For future contexts of digital global research, research involving many
interrelated fields will benefit from use of digital manuscript surrogates. Institutional cooperation
will be necessary. The physical conservation of fragile materials also benefits. Historical
contexts should be observed, and preserved with the materials.
Originality/value – This paper shows that interdisciplinary research in international universities,
libraries, museums, archives, government agencies, and other public institutions uniquely
benefits from access to digitized manuscripts. It provides contexts for solving problems of
physical manuscript decay and destruction.”
Annotation: This well researched article provides a thorough description of the historical
significance and cultural value of Persian manuscripts. Makes a compelling case for the need to
digitize these unique documents before their contents are lost due to fragile condition as well as
risks due to instability in region.
Search Strategy:
I chose the Library Literature & Information Science Full Text
(H.W. Wilson) database because I thought it would be a good
place to start looking for articles on the topic. I chose a keyword
search as it was one of my initial searches.
Database:
Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
Method of Searching:
Keyword searching
Search string:
(digitization OR digital preservation OR preservation OR
conservation OR restoration) AND (rare book? OR manuscript?)
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed journals, Ulrich’s lists it as a
refereed journal and “refereed article” is printed above the title.
Entry 11:
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Neri, M. (2001) Putting the cart before the horse: Understanding the pros and cons of digital
preservation. Library & Archival Security, 17 (2) 59-64.
Abstract: “This article discusses the merits of preserving print material or digitizing it, and
presents different options for the upkeep of digital repositories. Should material stored on digital
media be refreshed periodically, or migrated to newer formats, or should software be created to
emulate older environments with new equipment?”
Annotation: Written by an MLS student in 2001, it gives an overview of the pros and cons of
digital preservation of original documents. Although some of the arguments against digitalization
are a bit outdated due to the age of the article, she provides a good outline of the steps involved in
digitizing a collection which are still relevant and could be useful to someone considering a digital
preservation project for the first time.
Search Strategy:
I found it in the references of a very thorough and well researched
article on digitizing Persian manuscripts and thought it was would
provide a useful viewpoint.
Database:
N/A
Method of Searching:
Footnote chasing
Search string:
Cited in:
Madden, K. & Seifi, L. (2011) Digital surrogate preservations of
manuscripts and Iranian heritage: enhancing research. New Library
World, 112 (9/10) 452-465.
.
Scholarly/Refereed Status: Ulrich’s lists it as a refereed journal. Also, publication’s website
describes it as peer reviewed.
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Entry 12:
Nikolova-Houston, T., & Houston, R. (2008). Building the virtual scriptorium. Policy Futures in
Education, 6(1), 109-121. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/pfie.2008.6.1.109
Abstract: “Manuscripts, archives, and early printed books contain a documentary record of the
foundations of human knowledge. Many elements restrict access to this corpus, from
preservation concerns to censorship. On the assumption that the widespread availability of
knowledge benefits the human condition more than the restriction of knowledge, elements
restrictive to the dissemination of manuscripts, archives, and early printed books should be
overcome, and the intellectual content of such items should be available to as wide an audience
as possible through the digital library equivalent of the medieval scriptorium, termed here the
‘virtual scriptorium’.”
Annotation: Makes compelling argument that some digitization is better than none and that
instead of waiting for grants that may never come, librarians should start themselves digitizing
manuscripts in the collection. Arguing that some scholarship only requires access to the content
and not the physical condition of the document, in house digitization can provide wide access with
limited cost.
Search Strategy:
I chose the decided to try ERIC because I though an educational
database would provide some good sources. I chose a keyword
search to bring as broad a selection as possible.
Database:
ERIC
Method of Searching:
Keyword searching
Search string:
digitization OR digital AND (preservation OR conservation OR
restoration) AND all((rare book? OR manuscript?))
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed articles in scholarly journals,
Ulrich’s lists it as a refereed journal and the publication website
states it is a peer reviewed international journal
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Entry 13:
Rieger, O. Y. (2010). Enduring access to special collections: Challenges and opportunities for
large-scale digitization initiatives. RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and
Cultural Heritage, 11(1), 11-22. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/742890527?accountid=10559
Abstract: “As we explore the evolving information landscape and institutional context of rare
and manuscript collections, one of the critical matters is to consider the implications of largescale digitization initiatives (LSDIs) for our programs. Although most LSDI efforts thus far have
focused on general collections, it is inevitable that the attention will soon be turned to special
collections. With the current networked information environment and increasing reliance on
digital content subscriptions, rare and manuscript collections increasingly define the uniqueness
and character of individual research libraries. The goal of this article is to characterize current
LSDIs and discuss the potential implications for special and rare collections based on the insights
gained through the first phase of LSDIs that have entailed general collections. Adapted from the
source document.”
Annotation: Thoughtful analysis of the lessons learned from large-scale digitization initiatives
(LSDls) of general collections which can be used to establish program for special collections such
as rare books and manuscripts. Provides detailed explanation of the issues that need to be resolved
in deal with rare books in terms of quality, methodology, security, preservation and access.
Provides valuable tool for any organization considering an LSDI.
Search Strategy:
I decided to limit my search terms to the title in order to focus the
articles found. I believed LISA would have large number of
articles on my topic and did not want to be overwhelmed with
articles that only made brief reference to the topic.
Database:
Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA)
Method of Searching:
Title searching
Search string:
ti(digitization OR digital AND (preservation OR conservation OR
restoration)) AND all((rare book? OR manuscript?))
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Sharon Reilly
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed journals. Listed as refereed in
Ulrich’s.
Entry 14:
Sheehan, J. K. (2009). Making the most of what we have: A framework for preservation
management in rare book collections. RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and
Cultural Heritage, 10(2), 111-121.
Abstract: “We are facing an uncertain future in special collections one that will most likely
continue to require us to make tough decisions. With cutbacks and limitations on resources
plaguing us, the expense and time required for item-level treatment make it necessary to set
preservation priorities within our collections. At the same time, digital initiatives continue to
expand in scope and resource allocation, creating new opportunities and challenges in
preservation management. Digitization has a valuable place in special collections as a
supplement to physical preservation, but the danger arises when the digital begins to supplant the
physical. So we need to ask ourselves in rare book collections, what exactly are we trying to
preserve? Do we maintain the physical object, or do we risk losing the information retained in its
inherent characteristics? When the "form" and "substance" of a given object are
indistinguishable, we are challenged to evaluate collection materials in terms of their inherent
value, which includes both the text and the intangible information the materials provide. Adapted
from the source document.”
Annotation: Attempts to provide an object framework to rank rare books in terms of how scarce
resources for preservation should be allocated. The weighted scores based on physical and
contextual value could prove a useful decision-making tool for curators deciding which items must
be maintain in physical form and which would be sufficiently preserved in digital form.
Search Strategy:
I chose the Library Literature & Information Science Full Text
(H.W. Wilson) database because I thought it would be a good
place to start looking for articles on the topic. I chose a keyword
search as it was one of my initial searches.
Database:
Library Literature & Information Science Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
Method of Searching:
Keyword searching
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Sharon Reilly
Search string:
(digitization OR digital preservation OR preservation OR
conservation OR restoration) AND (rare book? OR manuscript?)
Scholarly/Refereed Status: I limited my search to peer reviewed journals. Also, Ulrich’s lists it as
a refereed journal.
Conclusion and Personal Statement
Digitizing rare and valuable material is much more complicated a subject than I expected.
I was intrigued by the many approaches to digitization, including the range from high-end to
acceptable product made me realize how much control we have over the available resources. It
also made me consider, despite the feeling that there is nothing we can’t find on the internet, how
much information is still not available. I was struck by the assertion by Nikolova-Houston and
Houston (2008) that as librarians we had a duty to provide access to documents by digitizing
them, basically any way we can. I was reminded of the concept we discussed in INFO 520 that
information is a basic human right.
Searching for the articles was enlightening. It really taught me the importance of the
Boolean operators, field searches, truncation symbols and controlled vocabulary we learned. A
couple of times when trying to retrieve the abstract and citation information on articles I had
found earlier to fill in some information I missed, I got lazy and just cut and pasted the author
name and title in the basic search box. I was astounded by the garbage that came up: neither time
was the article I need amongst the top results. However, as soon as I went to the advanced screen
and properly identified the field, I quickly found what I needed. It definitely demonstrated the
power of using the proper tools. I even started using the Boolean operators and quotation marks
on Google, which greatly improved my results.
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