Digital Production and Integration Program (DPIP) working name – March 12, 2005

 

 

Problem:

 

1. User expectations and approaches to seeking, finding and using digital information continue to change. Web-based resources from the Library have introduced enormous user benefits but also have created complexities for integrated access, presentation and technical support – areas that are just emerging as integral library services. Stakeholders throughout the Library need tools and mechanisms that allow us to systematically and continuously evaluate existing and new web-based services from the users’ perspective in order to continuously improve services and support.

 

2. A myriad of digital production support services exist within the Library and across the campus but they are not well-connected or integrated. As a result, there are redundancies of services, gaps in services, and inconsistent practices. This has led to faculty and staff confusion and/or frustration when they seek basic digitization and metadata production services as well as the information they need to implement, optimize, and manage digital projects. Digital production support services from the libraries, ITS, and others could be better coordinated so as to ensure that Yale has comprehensive digitization, text conversion, mark-up, and metadata services for teaching and research. Coordination of services should lead to cost savings that can be redirected to fill service gaps. In addition, a system of consultation for planning, guidance and referrals for production digitization services is needed.

 

Response:

 

In order to build a coherent digital program that supports teaching, learning, and research, three comprehensive services for library projects and programs will be developed and integrated into a coherent support model as follows:

  1. Market/user research services
  2. Production and content integration services

3.   Consultation, advisory/referral and management services

 

In coordination and consultation with our ITS and other campus partners, we propose to incrementally develop such a program as grants, faculty demand, and internal funding allow. Several benefits will be realized from a fully implemented program, including improved responsiveness to user needs and expectations of technology and digital content, and an ability to test our assumptions. Accessibility to services of consistent quality, through the implementation of best practices in the creation of digital projects will be improved.  Resource savings should be obtainable with coordinated management and efficiencies that will allow services to scale as demand warrants. The ability to preserve and repurpose digital collections will be supported and reinforced as attentiveness to preservation policy goals are integrated into the digital production environment. The program has the working name of Digital Production and Integration Program (DPIP).

 

Method:

 

The program will be managed as a federation of library services governed by a small steering committee and staffed opportunistically from all departments as appropriate. The development of the program will be resourced by dedicated time from Katie Bauer, Ann Green, and Karen Reardon – (other AUL staff TBD). A committee of representative staff from the YUL Councils will guide and advise this team as well as liaise and coordinate with other digital support programs on campus, especially ITS.

 

Initial Components [bold indicates actions in process with due dates]:

  1. Market/user Research Services
    1. Develop a deep understanding of user requirements for technology design and planning by gathering and analyzing systematic user feedback
    2. Identify and characterize user segments
    3. Design, gather and analyze usage statistics of Web/Search Log Analysis
    4. User Research Sessions / User Testing [Establish a Usability Lab Feb. 2005]

                                                               i.      Prototype services will be designed and tested in February and March 2005. Will include software review and testing, space needs analysis and exploration of potential sites, computer hardware decisions and the completion of a prototype usability analysis of the EGCDL site (as required by the Mellon Grant) and MetaLib.  Bauer will coordinate the implementation of a Usability Lab with assistance from Reardon and Green.

 

  1. Digital Production and Content Integration Services for Library projects and programs.
    1. Digitizing instructional and research materials from and for library resources to fit specific needs.

                                                               i.      Digital conversion, file reformatting, creation of digital collections, creating archival and Web versions of digital assets

                                                             ii.      Descriptive, structural, administrative metadata creation

                                                            iii.      Content integration with course management systems

                                                           iv.      Quality Assurance of Digital Production

    1. Content Management Services

                                                               i.      Integration into CMS as appropriate (DL, Insight, Fedora)

                                                             ii.      Web Design and Development for library applications

 

Initial efforts, beginning in March 2005, will focus on mapping current service offerings on campus (starting with members of the Digital Landscape Group) and to define service gaps – either to internal Library customers or across the campus.  Concurrently a review of current Library in-house scanning, metadata, text conversion capabilities will be conducted. An inventory of staff resources and expertise, hardware, software, and tools will be created. Based on gaps, additional or upgraded resources will be obtained to meet internal Library needs.  A ‘federation’ consisting of partnerships and referrals between library, ITS, and other services of production capabilities and a YUL center for production will be created by September 2005.  A content management/repository pilot will begin in the summer of 05.

 

  1. Advisory/consultation/referral
    1. Service map for campus digital production [Aug. 2005]
    2. Referral mechanisms to and from ELI, AM&T (particularly Media Services, Instructional Technology Group, Research Services, and CMI). [Aug. 2005]
    3. Publicize best practices – metadata, production, preservation [Aug.2005]
    4. Referral to ‘sanctioned/known’ outsourcing solutions
    5. IP and Copyright information
    6. Project management services