Managing Digitization Activities, SPEC Kit 294 (September 2006)

Mugridge, Rebecca L.

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SPEC Kit 294: Managing Digitization Activities (September 2006) resources

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150 · SPEC Kit 294
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/digital/reports/framework_digitization.html
University of Virginia
Framework for Digitization
Guidelines for digital collection building at the University of Virginia Library
This document outlines a framework within which Digital Library Production Services (DLPS) will digitize items in the University Library
collection. The Collections Group has been involved in the development of this framework.
Assumptions:
This framework applies to all types of digital objects (currently: texts, images eventually: video, audio, etc.), though the emphasis
may be different for different types of materials.
DLPS is developing multiple tiers of digitization. For example, the text workflow may include texts which are keyboarded (double-
typed and marked-up in TEI/XML by a vendor highly accurate for searching, but expensive and time-consuming to process) text
with OCR (texts with minimal mark-up not as accurate for searching, but relatively inexpensive and quick to do) and page-images
(digital photocopies of each book page for viewing but not searching).
Limited resources (staffing, equipment, etc.) put constraints on the amount of work that can be accomplished, as well as the speed,
but as workflows are reviewed and become more efficient, and technology is updated, volume and speed will increase.
Project proposals or grant opportunities will be assessed against these guidelines, and current library priorities.
Three Categories (not ranked):
Special collections and other materials unique to UVa
This category includes UVa historical documents: the Catalog, the Cavalier Daily, BOV minutes, Cork &Curls, etc., as well as pre-
1923 items about UVa (classed in LD 5660-LD 5689). Additionally, unique and rare items in the Small Special Collections Library
would be digitized. Decisions will be driven by user requests to Rare Materials Digital Services (RMDS), items chosen by selectors,
items which have been exhibited, and circulation history.
User-driven digitization
This category includes items needed for curricular use (e.g. Art &Architectures images) pre-1923 items with high circulation and
possibly reserves or Toolkit scanning requests (pre-1923 or public domain).
Preservation
This category includes items for which the physical object requires preservation, and which also have had recent circulation. Digital
reformatting may be the primary preservation method, or it may be a by-product of physical preservation. Examples: A brittle book
may be replaced by a preservation photocopy, which also results in page images audio and video tapes may be reformatted onto
newer media (DVD) and the digital files added to the repository. Preservation texts in English with modern fonts would be digitized
using OCR.
May 20, 2005
Digital Initiatives
University of Virginia
PO Box 400112
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4112
Digital Initiatives Home • UVa Library Home
Search the Library Site • UVa Home
Maintained by: dl@virginia.edu
Last Modified: Wednesday, July 27, 2005
© The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia

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SPEC Kit 294: Managing Digitization Activities (September 2006) resources

152 · SPEC Kit 294
http://ldp.library.jhu.edu/services/usability
Johns Hopkins University
Usability Services
Welcome to the Sheridan Libraries' Usability Services web site. Usability Services are
part of the Library Digital Programs unit. Researchers, customers and staff interested in
our usability evaluation efforts can review these pages and ask questions of usability
staff members by using the forum.
What is usability?
The goal of usability evaluation is to determine what can be done to make an interface efficient,
satisfying, and easy to use, to learn, and to remember. Usability evaluation involves selecting some of
the various methods designed to glean this information and applying them iteratively, from the early
stages of a system's development through its active use. These methods may include surveys, focus
groups, scenario-based think-aloud tests, contextual inquiry, card-sorting, link-naming, and heuristic
evaluation. The Library Digital Programs employ experience in using a range of methods to evaluate
library interfaces and related web sites in offering usability services for other academic interfaces.
Clients
The Library Digital Programs offer usability services to the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, the
Whiting School of Engineering, and the School of Professional Studies in Business and Education. We
have worked with the Engineering and Applied Science Programs for Professionals to hold a series of
focus groups, in order to inform their web site resdesign process. We have conducted scenario-based
think-aloud tests during the redesign of the Krieger School web site.
We have also conducted usability evaluations for other organizations. We worked with the
Collaborative Digitization Program [http://www.cdpheritage.org/] to evaluate the usability of
Colorado's Historic Newspaper Collection. We made observations at a workshop for teachers, and we
held scenario-based think-aloud tests with teachers and university students. We conducted scenario-
based think-aloud tests for ARTstor [http://www.cdpheritage.org/] ,a digital image library project of
the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. We worked with Project Muse [http://www.cdpheritage.org/] to
conduct scenario-based think-aloud tests, link-naming, and a heuristic evaluation.
We have collaborated with other units within the Sheridan Libraries to evaluate the usability of various
web sites. We have held scenario-based think-aloud tests for the library homepage and the library
catalog interface. We have worked with Special Collections to conduct an online survey of the Roman
de la Rose [http://www.cdpheritage.org/] site, as well as to conduct focus groups and scenario-based
think aloud tests to evaluate the usability of the Sheet Music Consortium
[http://www.cdpheritage.org/] .
Usability Evaluation Methods
Surveys
A questionnaire is posted online for some period of time to gather feedback from users or the potential
audience of a system. Questions may focus on how they currently use the system and what
functionality would they like the system to have in the future.
Focus groups

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SPEC Kit 294: Managing Digitization Activities (September 2006) resources