Putting Collections Online
Once you have digitized your collections, the next step is to make them available online. There are numerous tools and services available to help you achieve this goal. However, choosing the right strategy for your needs depends on several factors, including:
- Nature of the collections: What type of materials do you have (e.g., images, texts, audio recordings)? How complex or sensitive is the content?
- Available solutions in common use: What are other similar institutions doing to share their collections online? Are there any established standards or best practices?
- Interoperability with other systems and standards: Will your chosen solution be compatible with existing systems, such as library catalogs or digital repositories?
- Resource limitations (especially staffing): Do you have the necessary personnel and resources to maintain and update your online collection?
Hosted vs. Bespoke Repository Solutions
When it comes to sharing collections online, you have two primary options:
Hosted repository solutions: These are pre-built platforms that can be customized to meet your specific needs. Examples include institutions like the Internet Archive or digital repositories like EPrints.
- Pros: Easy to set up and maintain, with minimal technical expertise required.
- Cons: Limited customization options, potential vendor lock-in.
Bespoke repository solutions: These are custom-built platforms tailored to your specific needs. Examples include institutional repositories or digital libraries.
- Pros: High degree of customization, improved integration with existing systems.
- Cons: Requires significant technical expertise and resources for development and maintenance.
AI Tools for Translation/Transcription
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools can greatly enhance the accessibility of your collections by providing automated translation and transcription services. Examples include:
ChatGPT: TODO Google Cloud Translate: A cloud-based service that provides high-quality machine translations. Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services: Offers a range of AI-powered services, including language translation and transcription.
- Pros: Fast and accurate processing, reduced labor costs.
- Cons: Potential errors or inaccuracies in automated processes.
Metadata Publication
When sharing collections online, it’s essential to provide high-quality metadata that accurately describes the content. This includes:
Dublin Core metadata: A widely used standard for describing digital resources. Schema.org vocabulary: A set of standardized terms and definitions for describing web content.
- Pros: Improved discoverability and accessibility of your collections.
- Cons: Requires additional technical expertise to implement.
Facilitating Citation
To encourage the use and citation of your online collections, consider implementing:
DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers): Unique identifiers that provide persistent links to digital resources. Citation styles: Provide guidance on how to cite your collections using established citation styles (e.g., MLA, APA).
- Pros: Improved discoverability and citation rates for your collections.
- Cons: Requires additional technical expertise to implement.
By carefully considering these factors and implementing the right strategies for your needs, you can effectively share your collections online and enhance their accessibility and impact.
Questions to answer
- What will each digitized file look like when displayed online? What metadata standards and vocabularies will you employ?
- How will you publish the files and metadata online?
- How would a researcher find your content using a standard search engine, and how will you optimize your systems to promote discovery?
- Will researchers be able to search metadata only or will full-text searching be enabled?
- If so, how will you do this?
- How will researchers find related materials to each item in your digital collections?
- In your physical collections? In other digital collections?
- Will it be possible for researchers to browse your digital collections in addition to searching for keywords?
- How will you make your materials available to those with visual or other sensory differences?
Resources
- Intro to IIIF (TODO)
- Digital Library Accessibility Policy and Practice Guidelines (2023)
- FairSharing