Digital Partnerships at San Francisco Digital Partnerships at San Francisco Public Library: So Many Suitors, So Public Library: So Many Suitors, So Little TimeLittle Time

What we digitizeWhat we digitizeFormats: books, photographs,

government documents, magazines and journals, AV, maps

Selection:--Unique, local materials with an emphasis on San Francisco history or gov docs--Popular, heavily used--Fragile--Public domain and orphan works

Mission drivenMission driven“The San Francisco Public Library

system is dedicated to free and equal access to information, knowledge, and the joys of reading for our diverse community”

Digital assets freely and widely available

Items bought with public money should remain public, not tied up in a subscription database or website

ConstraintsConstraintsTechnological:

--Don’t host on our page; link to digital objects on partner sites

--Storage: Some in-house, some outsourced

--Little IT knowledge or supportCataloging and workflow:

--Initial resistance, not onboard with OPAC changes, standards and metadata

Staffing: recently hired

Digitizing In-HouseDigitizing In-HousePhotographs (40,000+ online)Branch history vertical files. New

model using staff and volunteers. Flatbed scanners

Partnerships that workedPartnerships that workedInternet ArchiveGenealogical Society of

Utah/FamilysearchDavid Rumsey

Internet Archive (IA)Internet Archive (IA)Several discrete contracts/projects

with them: two Friends of Library grants, outside funder, one workforce grant with SFPL, recent LSTA grant, and upcoming contract

SFPL OPACSFPL OPAC

Individual bib recordIndividual bib record

Link to IALink to IA

IA Pros and ConsIA Pros and Cons Pro

--Cheap (.10 per page for scanning and processing)

--Easy, esp. on-site

--Digitize bound materials and microfilm

--They host and store, give us copy of digital files

--Pull metadata from our OPAC

--Experiment and innovate, train volunteers and staff Con

◦ --Early damage (led to special workflow)◦ --Size constraints◦ --Poor search interface on IA site

GSU/FamilysearchGSU/FamilysearchThey approached usHad one staff person on site for 2 yearsDigitized with a camera on a standAgreement that each of us would

receive a set of digital images to use as wanted

We have 7 hard drives from themThey would index and distribute on

Familysearch, a free publically accessible website

FamilysearchFamilysearch

Familysearch pros and Familysearch pros and consconsPro

◦Many formats (large volumes to index cards)

◦Free! with our own copy on hard drives◦Good quality◦Much is indexed with more to come

Con◦They chose documents to digitize◦Not hosted on our site and no link to SFPL◦Poor credit/branding for SFPL◦Very slow indexing, depends on

volunteers

David Rumsey maps, David Rumsey maps, davidrumsey.comdavidrumsey.com

Rumsey Pros and ConsRumsey Pros and ConsPro

◦Free! And we have a digital copy◦Oversize, high quality with value-

added frills, like georectifying◦Created metadata◦Available on his website, highlighted

in blogCon

◦Not on our site, not linked yet◦Not great branding for SFPL

Left at the altarLeft at the altar

Courtships that did not work Courtships that did not work outoutGoogle booksAlexander Street PressYearbook Archives (part of

MemoryLane.com, previously Classmates.com)

TipsTipsIt’s ok to start smallBe sure to get a copy of your

digital assets from your partnerYour institution should own or

share copyright to the digital assets with your partner

Does the branding/credit line work for your institution?

Move digitizing from grant/project funds to permanent budget item

Future PlansFuture PlansSFPL Digitization Center (for other

libraries, cultural institutions and public photo days)

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/04/future-of-libraries/whats-is-the-dpla/

Manuscripts, AV materials, newspapersPrivate funding offers, ex. Milk PapersPermanent budget line for digital projectsDigitizing doesn’t end

Happy Digitizing!Happy Digitizing!

Susan Goldstein, City ArchivistSan Francisco History CenterSan Francisco Public Librarysgoldstein@sfpl.org415-557-4563