Phase 1 -- Select a collection for digital conversion

Primary Participants:
Collection Divisions
NDLP Educational Services Unit
NDLP Digital Conversion Team

Select a collection for digital conversion

The selection of collections for digital reformatting for the National Digital Library Program takes into account the research value of the collection to the nation, especially to the field of education, and other factors. Collections are nominated for selection by custodial divisions at the Library, by educators and other interested parties, and by specialists in the NDLP Educational Services unit.

The term collection names coherent archival entities (e.g., the Papers of Abraham Lincoln; Manuscript Division), cumulative groupings held by Library special collections divisions (e.g., the Paper Prints Collection; Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division), and anthology collections assembled by the NDLP itself.

In addition to the paramount factor of research value, the selection process also takes into account the "fit" or current-day technologies to the materials (i.e., can they be successfully reproduced and made accessible), the possibility that work on a collection can reinforce other Library initiatives (e.g., arrearage reduction or exhibit preparation), and any restrictions on access (i.e., will copyright owners, donors, or other interested parties prefer that the Library not place materials on the Internet?).

For each collection the following aspects of digital conversion are investigated:

• the scope or extent of digitization to be performed (e.g., entire original corpus or selected subset);
• the status of intellectual access aids for the original collection (e.g., degree of completion, readiness, and format) and a determination of whether the new online access aid shall describe the entire original collection or only the portion to be digitized;
• how best the collection should be reformatted, (e.g., full text conversion, the scanning of page images, or both);
• the physical condition of materials, their artifactual value, and their readiness for scanning;
• and the degree of preservation treatment necessary to make materials ready for scanning.

A collection will be selected to join the digital conversion workstream depending on the interplay of the factors listed above and a consensus for inclusion among the custodial division, the NDLP team, and the Library administration.

Continue for detail on subsequent phases:

• Plan the approach to digitization and framework for primary access
• Produce the digital collection and access aids
• Store the collection in the digital archive
• Enable access through chosen framework
• Test and refine access framework
• Release to public

Intro -- Index -- Glossary -- Feedback

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