Title Index by IndexTitle : M

• Managing Born-Digital Special Collections and Archival Materials, SPEC Kit 329 (August 2012)
  Title: SPEC Kit 329: Managing Born-Digital Special Collections and Archival Materials (August 2012)
  Abstract:

  This SPEC Kit explores the tools, workflow, and policies special collections and archives staff use to process, manage, and provide access to born-digital materials they collect. It also looks at which staff process and manage born-digital materials and how they acquire the skills they need for these activities, and how libraries have responded to the challenges that managing born-digital materials present.

  The management of born-digital materials is still relatively new for ARL libraries, and the survey results show that good practices and workflows are still evolving. New tools are emerging rapidly, and the once solid line between digitized content and born-digital content is beginning to blur. Survey responses indicated that the library and archives profession lacks a common definition of what born-digital content is and a common understanding of who within the organization should manage this content.

  This SPEC Kit includes documentation from respondents that describe digital specialists’ job responsibilities, collection policies, gift/purchase agreements, format policies, and workflows.

  Nelson, Naomi L., Seth Shaw, Nancy Deromedi, Michael Shallcross, Cynthia Ghering, Lisa Schmidt, Michelle Belden, Jackie R. Esposito, Ben Goldman, and Tim Pyatt. Managing Born-Digital Special Collections and Archival Materials. SPEC Kit 329. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, August 2012.

• Managing Digitization Activities, SPEC Kit 294 (September 2006)
  Title: SPEC Kit 294: Managing Digitization Activities (September 2006)
  Abstract:

  This SPEC Kit investigates the purposes of ARL member libraries’ digitization efforts, the organizational structures these libraries use to manage digital initiatives, whether and how staff have been reassigned to support digitization activities, where funding to sustain digital activities originated and how that funding is allocated, how priorities are determined, whether libraries are outsourcing any digitization work, and how the success of libraries’ digital activities has been assessed.

  The survey, which focussed on the digitization of existing library materials, rather than the creation of born-digital objects, was distributed to the 123 ARL member libraries in February 2006. Sixty-eight libraries (55%) responded to the survey, of which all but two (97%) reported having engaged in digitization activities. Only one respondent reported having begun digitization activities prior to 1992; five other pioneers followed in 1992. From 1994 through 1998 there was a steady increase in the number of libraries beginning digital initiatives; 30 joined the pioneers at the rate of three to six a year. There was a spike of activity at the turn of the millennium that reached a high in 2000, when nine libraries began digital projects. Subsequently, new start-ups have slowed, with only an additional one to five libraries beginning digitization activities each year.

  This SPEC Kit includes documentation from respondents in the form of organization charts, mission statements, job descriptions, policies and procedures, and selection criteria.

  Mugridge, Rebecca L. Managing Digitization Activities. SPEC Kit 294. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, September 2006.

• Managing Public Computing, SPEC Kit 302 (November 2007)
  Title: SPEC Kit 302: Managing Public Computing (November 2007)
  Abstract:

  This SPEC Kit explores the management of library public computing, i.e., those computers that are located in public spaces for use by patrons, as distinct from staff computers and servers. By jointly looking at the scale of the public computing operations, the staffing and organizational structure, budgets, upgrades, maintenance, security, polices, and assessment, the survey pulls together and expands on issues covered in several previous SPEC Kits.

  The survey was distributed to the 123 ARL member libraries in July 2007. Sixty-nine libraries (56%) responded to the survey. The survey respondents were primarily library deans, directors, and heads of library information technology or library systems departments. All 69 respondents indicated that their library contains public computers that need support. Responsibility for the support, service, repair, and replacement of computers in public library spaces falls solely on library staff in 44 of the responding libraries (64%). Support is shared with non-library staff in 21 of the libraries (30%); in four libraries (6%), the institution’s central IT staff provides sole support. In none of the libraries is computer support contracted out or provided by a consortium’s IT staff.

  This SPEC Kit includes documentation from respondents in the form of job descriptions, public computing policies and procedures, and organization charts.

  Cook, Michael, and Mark Shelton. Managing Public Computing. SPEC Kit 302. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, November 2007.

• Manuscript Collections on the Web, SPEC Kit 307 (October 2008)
  Title: SPEC Kit 307: Manuscript Collections on the Web (October 2008)
  Abstract:

  This SPEC Kit investigates how many manuscript collections are held in ARL member libraries; what percentage of these collections are represented on the Web; what types of information about the collections are available in finding aids and on the Web; what formats are used for finding aids on the Web; how many library staff are working on manuscript collections, the challenges and benefits of migrating collection information to the Web, and whether and how usage of manuscript collection information is tracked.

  The survey was distributed to the 123 ARL member libraries in February 2008. Seventy-two libraries completed the survey by the March 31 deadline for a response rate of 59%. The survey responses indicated that the respondents are all managing to get at least some information about their manuscript collections onto the Web. Most of the comments indicated that they want to get more there, but are unable to do so for a variety of reasons, primarily staff and time constraints. Almost all respondents are creating MARC records for their collections; fewer are creating EAD finding aids. A select few have all their manuscript collections represented on the Web in some way, either as a MARC record, a brief blurb in HTML, or an EAD finding aid.

  This SPEC Kit includes documentation from respondents in the form of manuscript collection Web sites, finding aid Web sites, arrangement and description guidelines, and Web processing procedures.

  Walton, Donnelly Lancaster. Manuscript Collections on the Web. SPEC Kit 307. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, October 2008.

• Metadata, SPEC Kit 298 (July 2007)
  Title: SPEC Kit 298: Metadata (July 2007)
  Abstract:

  This SPEC Kit investigates how metadata is implemented in ARL member libraries: which staff are creating metadata and for what kinds of digital objects, what schemas and tools they use to create and manage metadata, what skills metadata staff need and how they acquire them, and the organizational changes and challenges that metadata has brought to libraries.

  The survey was distributed to the 123 ARL member libraries in February 2007. Sixty-eight libraries (55%) responded to the survey, of which 67 (99%) reported creating metadata for digital objects at their institutions. The primary factor driving the creation of metadata is the responding libraries’ involvement in digitization projects (66 of 67 responses or 99%). Metadata also plays an important role in institutional repositories (54%). Other initiatives and projects that have promoted the use of metadata are: Web content management, datasets, subject-based and educational repositories, metadata registries, digital media labs, EAD-finding aids, and online journal publishing. Metadata is being created to describe and provide access to a wide variety of digital resources, including images, text, collections, audio, maps, video, datasets, EAD finding aids, theses, and Web pages.

  This SPEC Kit includes documentation from respondents in the form of mission statements, organization charts, job descriptions, and policies.

  Ma, Jin. Metadata. SPEC Kit 298. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, July 2007.

• Metastatic Metadata: Transferring Digital Skills and Digital Comfort at UMass Amherst (RLI 283, 2013)
  Title: Metastatic Metadata: Transferring Digital Skills and Digital Comfort at UMass Amherst
  Content Type: RLI Article
  Publication Date: 2013-10-22
• MIT Libraries Liaison Program: A Paradigm Shift (RLI 294, 2018)
  Title: MIT Libraries Liaison Program: A Paradigm Shift
  Content Type: RLI Article
  Publication Date: 2018-06-21
• Mitigating Health Misinformation: Potential Roles for Academic Libraries (RLI 303, 2022)
  Title: Mitigating Health Misinformation: Potential Roles for Academic Libraries
  Content Type: RLI Article
  Publication Date: 2022-07-06
• Model Deed of Gift (RLI 279, June 2012)
  Title: Model Deed of Gift
  Content Type: RLI Article
  Publication Date: 2012-08-07
• Model Deed of Gift, including Mixed IP Rights (RLI 279, June 2012)
  Title: Model Deed of Gift, including Mixed IP Rights
  Content Type: RLI Article
  Publication Date: 2012-08-07
• Model Digitization Agreement (RLI 279, June 2012)
  Title: Model Digitization Agreement
  Content Type: RLI Article
  Publication Date: 2012-08-07
• Model Language for Author Rights in Library Content Licenses (RLI 269, April 2010)
  Title: Model Language for Author Rights in Library Content Licenses
  Content Type: RLI Article
  Publication Date: 2010-04-30
• Moving from Subject Specialists to a Functional Model (RLI 294, 2018)
  Title: Moving from Subject Specialists to a Functional Model
  Content Type: RLI Article
  Publication Date: 2018-06-21
• Moving Special Collections Forward in an Age of Discovery: Themes from the ARL-CNI Forum (RLI 267, Dec 2009)
  Title: Moving Special Collections Forward in an Age of Discovery: Themes from the ARL-CNI Forum
  Content Type: RLI Article
  Publication Date: 2009-12-31
• Multi-Method Assessment to Improve Library Instruction (RLI 290, 2017)
  Title: Multi-Method Assessment to Improve Library Instruction
  Content Type: RLI Article
  Publication Date: 2017-03-14