Embracing Digital Collections: Access Issues and Practices for Academic Libraries

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Embracing Digital CollectionsAccess Issues and
Practices for Academic Libraries

• Oregon Library Association
• Salem, OR
• April 7, 2006
• Kate Cleland-Sipfle
• Southern Oregon University

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Plan of Presentation

• Digital Collections (Overview)
• Accessing Digital Collections
• Barriers to Access
• Academic Library Roles in Access
• Comments from Oregon/Washington Academic Library
  Survey (Preliminary Results)

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Digital Collections (Overview)

• Produced by Cultural heritage institutions
• Access is free (except possibly for copies)
• Home page is gateway to materials in the
• collection (collection level access)
• Individual items are information objects
• Collection search software accesses the
• information objects (object level access)
• WWW search engines may or may not
• provide object level access

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Formats of Digital Collections

• Full-text
• Maps
• Images of photographs, posters, other
• Images of three-dimensional objects
• (as in art objects)
• Data files
• Finding aids
• Audio and/or video
• Blends of any of the above

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Collections of CollectionsAmerican Memory
Library of Congress
http//memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
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Collection of CollectionsSouthern Oregon Digital
Archives
http//soda.sou.edu
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Digital Collection Access vs. Digital Object
Access

• Analogies
• The Library vs. the book, map, video, or other
  object in the library
• The library catalog vs. one record in the catalog
• Issue OAI compliance

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Multi-Format CollectionsThe Valley of the Shadow
http//valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/
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Accessing Formats by Time in The Valley of the
Shadow

• Materials may be accessed by type.
• Three floor plans
• divide the works
• by time periods
• Pre-war
• Civil War
• Post-war

http//valley.vcdh.virginia.ed
u/choosepart.html
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Accessing Digital CollectionsGetting at the Links

• Internet search engines
• Institutional web presence
• Links on web pages
• Library Catalogs
• Union Catalogs
• Course Pages
• Course Management Software

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Using Internet Search Enginesto Search Digital
Collections

• Enabling Conditions
• User is familiar with search engines
• Keywords are known
• Domain limit (for example, .edu)
• Domain is trusted
• Object level access may be available

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Using Internet Search Enginesto Search Digital
Collections

• Barriers to Access
• User does not know collection name or keywords
  that work
• User is unsure of domain
• User is unprepared to evaluate
• websites
• Object level access may not be
• available

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Accessing Digital CollectionsGetting at the Links

• Internet search engines s and s
• s and s of access through library web
  presence??
• Links on web pages
• Library Catalogs
• Union Catalogs
• Course Pages

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Using Library Web to Provide Access to Digital
Collections

• Enabling Conditions
• Selection, endorsement, cachet
• Prominent or strategic link placement
• Time, willingness to find and catalog digital
  collections
• Good OPAC search limits (Internet)
• Consortium union catalog

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Using Library Web to Provide Access to Digital
Collections

• Barriers to Access
• User ignores library web or does not know
  of/cant find link
• Lack of time, willingness to catalog or
• even find or evaluate digital collections
• OPAC software may not allow Internet limit/user
  may not go to full record
• Consortium catalog may present the
• same problems as OPAC

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Master Cataloging Records for Digital
Collections Who is Responsible? A Plea from
Experience

• Creators know content and intent
• The multiplier effect is substantial
• OPAC
• Consortium union catalog
• Bibliographic utility/database
• -OCLC -WorldCat

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How Do Digital Collections Fit In?

• The Digital Library System Group website
  identifies several ways digital versions of
  information media are used for the basic purposes
  of academic libraries
• Inter-Library loan copies
• Electronic Reserves
• Patron scanning of resources
• Access to curriculum materials through course web
  pages and course management software
• E-books or other e-resources
• Digital Collections (multiple e-resources through
  one gateway)
• Source http//www.dlsg.net/news14.shtml

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Accessing Digital CollectionsPreliminary Survey
Results

• Has your library (or special libraries or
  archives within it) created a digital collection?
  
• 4 (24) Yes
• 12 (71) No
• 1 (06) no answer
• Reflects 20 overall response rate to survey,
  academic libraries, states of Oregon and
  Washington

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Accessing Digital CollectionsPreliminary Survey
Results

• How does the public access digital collections
  produced by other institutions but promoted or
  selected by your library? (all that apply)
• 3 (18) World Wide Web search engines
• 8 (47) Web links on Library Home
• 2 (12) Our online library catalog (local
  record)
• 6 (35) Our online library catalog (OCLC or RLIN
  record)
• 6 (35) Our consortium union catalog
• 4 (24) Library or campus online exhibit(s),
  course or
• subject guide(s)
• 0 ( 0) Other or additional
• Reflects 20 overall response rate to survey,
  academic libraries, states of Oregon and
  Washington

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Thank You

• To Kelly and Emily, session colleagues
• To the audience for coming
• To all of you for listening
• To all for thinking about the issues
• And please consider taking the survey if you have
  not done so already