14 · SPEC Kit 294
The sources of funding for start-up costs are
most often the library’s budget (85%), grants (57%),
and one-time supplemental funds (40%). Less than
a third of the respondents received funds from
gifts, the parent institution, or information tech-
nology units. A few respondents received income
from fees, consortial money, and development
funds. Sources of funding for ongoing costs for
digitization activities are mostly the library’s bud-
get (97%), grants (49%), and gifts (33%). Less than
a quarter of respondents receive support from one-
time supplemental funds, the parent institution, or
information technology units. Some receive income
from contract scanning, from hosting journals, and
other fee-based services. As digitization activities
move from start-up to ongoing status they increas-
ingly rely on the library’s permanent budgets, gifts,
and information technology funds. Another note-
worthy trend is the reliance on fee-based service
income to support ongoing costs for digitization
efforts.
Budget allocations for digitization activities dif-
fer somewhat from start-up to ongoing operations,
as is to be expected. Hardware and software acqui-
sition and staff are the major expenses during start-
up, followed by vendor fees. Ongoing operations
shift a higher percentage of their budgets to staff-
ing and benefits, vendor fees, and hardware and
software maintenance they decrease the percent-
age for hardware and software acquisition. Only a
few respondents expend any funds on promotion
or assessment of digitization activities and then
only a small amount.
The survey asked how operational costs are
covered when there is not a dedicated budget for
digitization activities. Most of the respondents re-
ported that all or part of the expenses are absorbed
by the library’s operations budget several also
rely on gifts and grants. One respondent replied,
“Creatively.” Some libraries allocate and manage
funds on a project-by-project basis. Funds are dis-
tributed through unit budgets. This is to be expect-
ed as the majority of responding libraries’ digitiza-
tion activities are managed in a distributed fashion,
and as was noted above, much of the ongoing costs
are staffing and benefits.
Over the past five years, the majority of respon-
dents have seen expenditures for staff, hardware,
software, and vendor fees increase. Expenditures
for hardware and software maintenance, promo-
tion, and assessment have remained more level.
Only a few report any decease in expenditures in
any category.
Material Selection
A wide variety of materials are being selected for
digitization. The most popular include still images
and photographs, archival material, manuscripts,
rare books, monographs (complete volumes), au-
dio recordings, and moving images and videos.
Fewer than half, but still a substantial number,
of the respondents digitize parts of monographs,
complete issues of journals, and journal articles.
Other materials selected for digitization range from
art works to university photographs and include
maps, newspapers, 3D objects, slides, prints, and
theses and dissertations. It is noteworthy that the
materials most likely to be digitized (still images
and photographs, archival materials, manuscripts,
and rare books) are those for which access would
be extremely limited without digitization.
An item’s subject matter is the top criterion
for selection for digitization, followed closely by
whether it is part of a collection that’s being digi-
tized, and its rarity or uniqueness. Items that fit the
criteria of a cooperative digitization project, or are
in suitable physical condition or format are also
likely candidates. Other respondents select items
based on requests from users, faculty or student
needs, a high demand for or use of the material, or
its research value, among other criteria.
Material Digitization
Sixty percent of respondents reported that they out-
source some or all parts of digitization production
work. A wide variety of vendors were identified,
including OCLC Preservation Services, TechBooks,
Apex CoVantage, Backstage Library Works, and
The sources of funding for start-up costs are
most often the library’s budget (85%), grants (57%),
and one-time supplemental funds (40%). Less than
a third of the respondents received funds from
gifts, the parent institution, or information tech-
nology units. A few respondents received income
from fees, consortial money, and development
funds. Sources of funding for ongoing costs for
digitization activities are mostly the library’s bud-
get (97%), grants (49%), and gifts (33%). Less than
a quarter of respondents receive support from one-
time supplemental funds, the parent institution, or
information technology units. Some receive income
from contract scanning, from hosting journals, and
other fee-based services. As digitization activities
move from start-up to ongoing status they increas-
ingly rely on the library’s permanent budgets, gifts,
and information technology funds. Another note-
worthy trend is the reliance on fee-based service
income to support ongoing costs for digitization
efforts.
Budget allocations for digitization activities dif-
fer somewhat from start-up to ongoing operations,
as is to be expected. Hardware and software acqui-
sition and staff are the major expenses during start-
up, followed by vendor fees. Ongoing operations
shift a higher percentage of their budgets to staff-
ing and benefits, vendor fees, and hardware and
software maintenance they decrease the percent-
age for hardware and software acquisition. Only a
few respondents expend any funds on promotion
or assessment of digitization activities and then
only a small amount.
The survey asked how operational costs are
covered when there is not a dedicated budget for
digitization activities. Most of the respondents re-
ported that all or part of the expenses are absorbed
by the library’s operations budget several also
rely on gifts and grants. One respondent replied,
“Creatively.” Some libraries allocate and manage
funds on a project-by-project basis. Funds are dis-
tributed through unit budgets. This is to be expect-
ed as the majority of responding libraries’ digitiza-
tion activities are managed in a distributed fashion,
and as was noted above, much of the ongoing costs
are staffing and benefits.
Over the past five years, the majority of respon-
dents have seen expenditures for staff, hardware,
software, and vendor fees increase. Expenditures
for hardware and software maintenance, promo-
tion, and assessment have remained more level.
Only a few report any decease in expenditures in
any category.
Material Selection
A wide variety of materials are being selected for
digitization. The most popular include still images
and photographs, archival material, manuscripts,
rare books, monographs (complete volumes), au-
dio recordings, and moving images and videos.
Fewer than half, but still a substantial number,
of the respondents digitize parts of monographs,
complete issues of journals, and journal articles.
Other materials selected for digitization range from
art works to university photographs and include
maps, newspapers, 3D objects, slides, prints, and
theses and dissertations. It is noteworthy that the
materials most likely to be digitized (still images
and photographs, archival materials, manuscripts,
and rare books) are those for which access would
be extremely limited without digitization.
An item’s subject matter is the top criterion
for selection for digitization, followed closely by
whether it is part of a collection that’s being digi-
tized, and its rarity or uniqueness. Items that fit the
criteria of a cooperative digitization project, or are
in suitable physical condition or format are also
likely candidates. Other respondents select items
based on requests from users, faculty or student
needs, a high demand for or use of the material, or
its research value, among other criteria.
Material Digitization
Sixty percent of respondents reported that they out-
source some or all parts of digitization production
work. A wide variety of vendors were identified,
including OCLC Preservation Services, TechBooks,
Apex CoVantage, Backstage Library Works, and
