One year after the all the new digitization equipment arrived at the Digitization Hubs and work shifted from purchasing it to using it, what have we learned from the experiences of the Hubs?
It is important to remember that not all of the Hub libraries began from the same starting line. Some already had a lot of experience with extensive digitization work, while others were re-evaluating their current digitization work. Nevertheless, some lessons learned were common to all.
The new equipment has increased the pace of digitization work in every Digitization Hub. While in some cases this means simply faster output, in others it means that there is a wider variety of output. The large planetary scanners are particularly effective in this regard, not only making it possible to digitize much larger materials, but also making it possible to scan multiple smaller items simultaneously. While the robotic book scanners are essentially good at doing one thing quickly and well, serving as the daily workhorse of the Hubs, the planetary scanners invite experimentation. And they look impressive.
Also common to the Hubs is greater visibility, both to other libraries and institutions, and to the general public, due to the publicity surrounding the launch of the Digitization Hubs project. As a result, the choice of what to digitize may be determined to some extent by demand instead of collection development policy, or rather, the collection development policy may be molded to better fit the demand. For Hubs that routinely charge individuals and organizations for doing special digitization work, some of that demand can be used to generate funds to recover a little of the cost of operating a digitization lab.
For every Digitization Hub, the digitization process involves much more than just operating the machines. Digitization staff must work very closely with IT staff and catalogers in order to make sure their work gets disseminated beyond the machines. In order to be sure such dissemination is permitted, licensing discussions and agreements have to take place before the machines even begin. What rights will the library have to the digitized material once the digitization work is done? Is the digitization work transformative or is it legally a copy of an existing work? While the Digitization Hubs have not yet come to a consensus on the answers to these and other licensing questions, they all have had to come up with their own answers.
Speaking of staffs, in almost every case the increase in the pace and quantity of digitization work resulted in either significant hiring of new digitization staff, or significant re-alignment of existing staff. This commitment on the part of the library is a reflection of the importance of digitization within the library's current service offerings. Each Digitization Hub also made significant changes to the library's physical space to make room for the increase in digitization activity. In some cases, these physical changes intentionally allow the public to see the digitization equipment in action.
What's next? The Digitization Hubs are all deeply involved in the DPLA in Ohio project, which will help expose the materials created in the Hubs to a national and international audience. And at some point there will have to be a serious discussion around the topic of digital preservation, which was not directly addressed by the Hubs grant.