A Newspaper/Periodical Digitization Project in Mongolia: Creating a Digital Archive of Rare Mongolian Publications
Subject
Curation
Description
This journal article describes a two-year digitization endeavor implemented to digitally publicize and preserve limited amounts of endangered Mongolian newspapers and periodicals into a collection by the Press Institute of Mongolia, expanding its accessibility through the Internet. These scarce samples of newspapers document all manner of records ranging from economic to political alterations within Mongolian society after the fall of communism in the 1990s. The digitization process for newspaper items poses a great number of challenges primary because of the complexity of page layout, a print of poor quality, and a sizeable format. The archive utilized Greenstone for its creation, an open-source digital library software program set, which offers multilingual support in the development and preservation of such rare Mongolian publications. Supported by a grant from the Endangered Archives Programme at the British Library, the project focused on overcoming the challenge of properly preserving these records, while at the same time trying to build an effective search function that would work in the Mongolian language and display characters in the Cyrillic alphabet. This article explains the background of the project, its goals of providing access for the public and preservation to these long-lost materials, its decision process in digital imaging and the assemblage of the collection itself.
Creator
Matusiak, Krystyna K. and Munkhmandakh, Myagmar
Publisher
The Serials Librarian, Taylor & Francis Online
Date
2009-07-09
Contributor
Taveras, Sabrina
Type
Journal Article
Identifier
ISSN: 0361-526X (Print) 1541-1095 (Online)
Bibliographic Citation
Krystyna K. Matusiak & Myagmar Munkhmandakh. "A Newspaper/Periodical Digitization Project in Mongolia: Creating a Digital Archive of Rare Mongolian Publications." The Serials Librarian, July 09 2009. 57:1-2, 118-127, doi: 10.1080/03615260802669136.
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One solution for scholarly institutions countering restricted access has been to create institutional repositories. Although these measures facilitate research and scholarly exchange, they do not meet the larger public's rights to information and creative expression. As each of the Carnegie Mellon studies reveal, the status of copyright permission for digitizing individual books is often unknown or unattainable, erring on the conservative side and therefore, rendering such books unavailable. Covey provides sources for locating copyright status and suggests diplomatic means for requesting and securing rights to digitize and make available previously printed books.]]>2016-06-28T05:10:28+00:00
Title
Acquiring Copyright Permission to Digitize and Provide Open Access to Books
Subject
Copyright
Description
Scholarly communications librarian Denise Troll Covey elaborates the difficulties and challenges of digitizing and providing access to books. Reporting on three separate studies sponsored wholly or in part by the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, Covey cites the labor and time intensive work behind securing publisher and author permissions for not merely digitizing, but also providing access to previously printed works. Despite the open access initiatives by scholars and international consortium, such as the Budapest Open Access Initiative in 2002,she reports fewer than half of the targeted collections become available to the public. While continuing to encourage and promote efforts to secure copyright permissions for digitizing and publishing books, Covey acknowledges current U.S. copyright laws must be changed and advocates lobbying legislative officials to develop both laws and technologies that do not impinge upon the public's right to know. Notwithstanding recent measures to curtail "copyright misuse" (overly restrictive practices by copyright holders), Covey notes that legal protection for creative expression and doctrines such as Fair Use and library copying privileges have weakened in response to aggressive publisher and author tactics to secure and restrict access to digitized books.
One solution for scholarly institutions countering restricted access has been to create institutional repositories. Although these measures facilitate research and scholarly exchange, they do not meet the larger public's rights to information and creative expression. As each of the Carnegie Mellon studies reveal, the status of copyright permission for digitizing individual books is often unknown or unattainable, erring on the conservative side and therefore, rendering such books unavailable. Covey provides sources for locating copyright status and suggests diplomatic means for requesting and securing rights to digitize and make available previously printed books.
Covey, Denise Troll. Acquiring Copyright Permission to Digitize and Provide Open Access to Books. Washington, D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources, 2005.
Acts of Translation: Digital Humanities and the Archive Interface
Subject
Web archiving
Description
Elish and Trettien argue the interface of digital collections transfers meaning through its design and acts as a metonym for the sponsoring web site. They scrutinize the visual interface and usability of three web sites housing large digitized collections and focus on the ideologies associated with the representation and mission of each site. By applying what they refer to as “visual epistemology,” Elish and Trettien identify the tools and visual markers that facilitate access to and navigation through three digital archives: NINES (Networked Infrastructure for Nineteenth-century Electronic Scholarship), “Objects of History” (George Mason University), and SFMOMA Art Scope (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art). Both presentation of the items and navigation through the site work in tandem to produce meaning, with the preferred result being a minimizing of the interface and a maximizing of the content. In this article, the authors underscore the “expressive potential of digital form” and offer a method for designing and critiquing digital archives.
Abstract
At this formative moment in the field of Digital Humanities, this paper seeks to intervene with the question: how does visual epistemology inform and influence the ways of accessing artifacts (broadly construed) in a digital space? As Research Assistants for MIT’s Hyperstudio, we have helped to design, plan and implement Digital Humanities projects; as scholars and students of art, literature and media, we have used digitalarchives in our own research. Drawing on these experiences, we explore the ways in which three recent web-based Digital Humanities projects draw on visual conventions and interface design to translate user interactions into archival access.
Elish, Madeleine Claire and Whitney Trettien. "Acts of Translation: Digital Humanities and the Archive Interface." Paper presented at the MIT 6 Conference. Boston, MA, April 2009.http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit6/papers/Elish.pdf
Analog the Sequel: An Analysis of Current Film Archiving Practice And Hesitance to Embrace Digital Preservation
Subject
Archives
Description
This article explores the reasons that many archivists overlook digital preservation when archiving films, particularly focusing on the risks of digital preservation compared to its physical counterpart. Current methods of film preservation are highly comprehensive. The industry uses strict guidelines on the selection, funding, maintenance and accessibility of archived films. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a leading non-profit organization in film preservation, sets many of these standards and explains that there are too many disadvantages in digitally preserving films to make any investments into it. One of the biggest problems that is present is the rapid obsolescence of digital files. Using 35mm cold film stocks, preservationists and archivists are able to safely keep films for over one hundred years, which is a lifespan that most digitally preserved films cannot match. In addition to this, many archives struggle with the storage of digital files. Films, especially ones with high quality, can take an immense amount of storage, and this can be exacerbated when keeping multiple copies of one film. Archivists also struggle with the cost of digitally preserving films. The standards for this practice are in their infancy, and many are hesitant to provide any investments to it, especially since the current methods work so well. However, Conrad warns that this refusal to address these problems will only delay the realities of the industry, as more and more films are not able to be properly preserved with physical methods.
Creator
Conrad, Suzanna
Date
2012
Contributor
Rahman, Sabiha
Type
Journal Article
Bibliographic Citation
Conrad, Suzanna. "Analog the Sequel: An Analysis of Current Film Archiving Practice And Hesitance to Embrace Digital Preservation." Archival Issues 34, no. 1 (2012): 27-43. www.jstor.org/stable/41756160.
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I found the information within this article and, further, within their study, to be extremely informative of and pertinent to the study of digital archiving and the challenges that arise from the format of language. The focus on the user and user-based design is a step towards personalizing and adapting existing archives while also setting a new standard for language archives. As mentioned prior, this study not only analyzed existing archives, but it also uncovered flaws within the archiving practice. This showcases the relevancy and need for this study and I believe it also warrants the inclusion of such an item within the showcase.]]>2020-05-02T17:22:53+00:00
Title
Bringing User-Centered Design to the Field of Language Archives
Subject
Curation
Description
Within this academic journal, Wasson et al provides the reader with both research and findings from their self-conducted workshop that sparks conversation between “fields of user-centered design (UCD) and language archives” (Wasson et al). Within the article itself, there is emphasis on the challenges of digital archiving in regard to language archiving, navigating cultural practices, and then using the understanding of these concepts to make informed archive design decisions. These concepts all arise within their workshop, “User-Centered Design of Language Archives.” Specifically, a very important discovery that is made within the workshop is how, “most language archives are not meeting the needs of most users” (Wasson et al).
I found the information within this article and, further, within their study, to be extremely informative of and pertinent to the study of digital archiving and the challenges that arise from the format of language. The focus on the user and user-based design is a step towards personalizing and adapting existing archives while also setting a new standard for language archives. As mentioned prior, this study not only analyzed existing archives, but it also uncovered flaws within the archiving practice. This showcases the relevancy and need for this study and I believe it also warrants the inclusion of such an item within the showcase.
Creator
Wasson, Christina
Holton, Gary
Roth, Heather S.
Publisher
University of Hawaii Press
Date
2016-11-16
Contributor
Meagan Roge
Type
Online Journal
Identifier
ISSN: 1934-5275
Bibliographic Citation
Wasson, Christina, Gary Holton, and Heather S. Roth. “Bringing User-Centered Design to the Field of Language Archives.” University of Hawaii Press, (2016): 0-41. Accessed April 8, 2020.
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.C23ADAFF&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Deegan and Tanner explain that primary source materials come in all forms, and to digitally capture these materials, one must carefully consider certain aspects. In the article, they explore numerous materials: documents, visual materials (glass, canvas, film, fabric, etc.), three-dimensional objects, and audio/video recordings. They contend there is more than one method for capturing original source materials, and therefore, careful planning is required, as is the assessment of cost, quality, conservation, and usage. They discuss the advantages and disadvantages of digital capture and conversion. The main piece of advice is to consider the purpose. What is it is that the digitization is aiming to capture? They list numerous digital capture methods (such as OCR) and discuss the pros and cons of each. The last topic discussed is editing that material that is captured, and they explain the different software tools available for this endeavor. Deegan and Tanner conclude with advice: understanding the capture process of primary sources is important even if one never plans to carry out these activities directly because it is vital to understand the various implications and consequences of the decisions that have to be dealt with in any project.
Database Archiving: How to Keep Lots of Data for a Very Long Time
Subject
Archives
Description
With the amount of data a business accumulates now doubling every 12 to 18 months, IT professionals need to know how to develop a system for archiving important database data, in a way that both satisfies regulatory requirements and is durable and secure. This important and timely new book explains how to solve these challenges without compromising the operation of current systems. It shows how to do all this as part of a standardized archival process that requires modest contributions from team members throughout an organization, rather than the superhuman effort of a dedicated team.
Digital Archive converts paper, microfiche and film to a digital format. We use state of the art hardware and software in our document scanning process.
Burdick centers her book on what is digital humanities? Digital humanities is a vague term. As an emerging field, Burdick takes on the challenge in uncovering a more specific definition of what it is. But she also mentions how people use this field through projects. She has a section at the end of the book where she provides various examples of the structure and methodology digital humanities project takes on. Her goal is to give more insight on how this field works within academia and outside as well. It is the duty of the humanists to make something out of this emerging field and sustain its existence. Without taking the time to know what this field consists and contains, then the field will lose its meaning and purpose.
Creator
Burdick, Anne
Publisher
MIT Press
Date Copyrighted
2012
Contributor
Ortiz, Samuel
Type
Book
Identifier
ISBN: 0262018470, 9780262018470
Bibliographic Citation
Burdick, Anne. Digital Humanities. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012.
Digitizing Collections: Strategic Issues for the Information Manager
Subject
Curation
Description
This book presents information managers with all the strategic and practical issues to consider when making the decision to digitize their collections. It runs through the digitization process step by step, outlines the different techniques available to deal with a wide range of library resources, and explores the opportunities offered by a collaborative approach to digitization. Fully case-and evidence-based, the text is supported by examples of digitization projects carried out in various types of libraries around the world, and by an extensive list of sources of further information. This key international text offers information managers the benefit of a fully strategic approach to digitization and substantial experience drawn for leading digitization projects. It is also essential reading for managers in heritage institutions such as museums, galleries and local archives, and for students of information science.