Shannon Kupfer, Digital/Tangible Media Cataloger
State Library of Ohio

Increasingly, patrons hope--even expect--to access library materials from remote locations via the Internet.  The State Library of Ohio is working to accommodate our users by both archiving digital content (born-digital) and digitizing materials in our collection.  Thus far, the efforts have been focused on government documents in the State Library collection. We have been archiving born-digital content—primarily in the form of Web content—since 2002.  The State Library is now increasing its digitization efforts by scanning paper records for online users.

With the transfer of genealogical materials to Columbus Metropolitan Library in 2007 came a promise from the State Library to genealogists: we will provide digital access to collection materials of interest.  Bearing this in mind, we have established selection criteria as a starting point for our digitization project, providing library staff with a blueprint for meeting mission goals while satisfying user wants and needs.  At the State Library, each item will be evaluated based on the following:

• Value and content of selected items (i.e. historic and intrinsic value)
• Usability and accessibility (Does the item lend itself to digitization, or will digitization render the item difficult to use and/or access?)
• Condition of item (i.e. physical condition, completeness)
• Scarcity and uniqueness (Is the item and/or the information it contains available elsewhere?  Has it been digitized or are print copies available?)
• Likelihood of use by target audience

With the digitization criteria in place, the State Library has begun selecting materials.  The initial materials will be chosen based upon their value to the genealogical community.  Typically, these materials will be drawn from our large collection of government documents—and what a rich collection it is—ranging from military records to 19th-century lists of registered voters to logs of early car owners at the beginning of the 20th century. 

These items, and many others, will be scanned with equipment specifically designed to accommodate rare and unique materials.  Every effort will be made to follow best practices and standards which have been set by institutions such as the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration.  These include:

• Scanning at high resolutions—generally 600 dots per inch (dpi)
• Creating preservation master copies which are saved in TIFF format
• Performing minimal editing on display copies of images
• Planning for future migration of image files
• Creating appropriate metadata for interoperability across systems

State Library has not reached a decision yet on the means by which digitized records will be accessed, but in this, as in all aspects of our delivery of digital content, the requirements of our patrons are a top priority.  We are currently testing several options and are quite pleased with the possibilities they present.  Our ultimate decision will be one that our users, and the library community at large, will find user-friendly and appropriate.

The State Library continues to harvest material, including both electronic documents and when possible entire Web sites, from the Internet, storing them in a digital archive for use now and into the future.  Our mission is to provide access to government-related information.  Due to the ephemeral nature of Web content, this task is certainly challenging, yet we remain committed to preserving this content.

We see digitization as an ongoing effort, expanding as our needs, and those of our users, evolve.  I am reminded of a favorite quote from the 1989 movie “Parenthood,” in which the patriarch explains to his son that, in parenting, one never crosses the goal line, spikes the ball, and does a victory dance.  In other words, the role of the parent never ends.  Like the parents in that movie, the State Library has no plans to cross a digitization finish line.

For more information on digitization, we have found the following sources to be particularly helpful:

Collaborative Digitization Program: an early leader in setting standards and best practices.

The Library of Congress Digital Collections and Programs: includes links to all digitization efforts made by the Library of Congress, as well as information for use by institutions interested in digitization.

Moving Theory into Practice Digital Imaging Tutorial: offered by Cornell University; an excellent source of information on digitization from start to finish.