BCR, LYRASIS and OCLC are proud to present this new workshop, partially funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The workshops will be held in Philadelphia: April 28-29, 2010; San Jose: August 3-4, 2010; and Chicago: November 16-17, 2010

Digital Preservation for Digital Collaboratives is a workshop designed to help digital collaboratives with existing digital collections develop and implement a long-term preservation option. The workshop, designed for multiple representatives from a collaborative, will provide the information and tools the collaborative needs to develop a long-term preservation plan that will work for the collaborative’s unique collections and organizations. Each workshop includes an initial day of online instruction followed by 2 days of in-person instruction. Additional support after the workshop will be provided to ensure that all participants are able to complete their preservation plans.

All workshops will be taught by a faculty of digital preservation experts:
Liz Bishoff, Director of Digital & Preservation Services, BCR
Priscilla Caplan, Assistant Director for Digital Library Services, Florida Center for Library Automation
Tom Clareson, Senior Consultant, LYRASIS
Robin Dale, Director of Digital Services, LYRASIS
Katherine Skinner, Executive Director, Educopia Institute and Program Manager, MetaArchive Cooperative

More information

Spirit Feather, Traci Rabbit (Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma), for Native Skates, 2008; Apache Mountain Spirit Dancer, Joe Yazzie (Navajo), for Native Skates, 2008; Legacy, Bunky Echo-Hawk (Yakama/Pawnee), for Native Skates, 2007. Photo available on afagen's photostream on flickr.com Native Skates 1.

With funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries is sponsoring a 26-month course of study that will introduce selected participants to methods and strategies for designing research projects, identifying sources, accessing and using American Indian materials in local, regional, and national collections, and producing a short documentary using the information collected. A maximum of 20 Research Fellows from across the nation will be selected through a competitive process. Stipend awards are available.

Application guidelines, forms, and a sample application may be downloaded from the front page of the Oklahoma Department of Libraries

Applications are due by 5 pm CST on February 1, 2010.

We are always on the lookout for new information and resources. On November 11th the Columbia University Copyright Advisory Office has launched a fully revised and updated website of copyright issues and information. The new site is publicly accessible and offers expanded pages on copyright ownership, fair use in the context of scholarship and teaching, publication agreements, the Google Books Search settlement, and the creation of digital libraries and preservation initiatives at university libraries….there is a lot here folks, I hope you can dig in and find some helpful information.

Digitization and Internet access provide libraries and cultural heritage organizations with wonderful opportunities to share our primary resources with the world. Typically, we organize our digital resources into collections - perhaps centered around a particular theme, time period, event, or central figure.

The websites listed below not only provide access to collections based on particular themes, time periods, and events, but they also incorporate a variety of different viewpoints for each collection. For example, what does an American have to say about living on the Alaskan frontier in 1872? What about the person that just arrived from Siberia? How does a map of U.S. colonies drawn by a British settler differ from that of a French settler during the 1600s? What are the experiences of a U.S. military attache in 19th century Rio de Janeiro??

The Library of Congress has partnered with a number of national libraries around the world to digitize and provide access to multi-points of view about historical events and international relations. You can read more about the collaborations here. Collaborative Digital Libraries

France in America
This collection is a partnership between the Library of Congress and France’s national library. It includes digital primary sources about the French presence in North America up until the late 1800s. Includes English and French language versions.

The Atlantic World: America and the Netherlands
The National Library of the Netherlands has partnered with the Library of Congress to provide access to digital resources detailing U.S.-Dutch interactions from the 1600s to mid-1940s. Includes English and Dutch language versions.

Meeting of Frontiers: Siberia, Alaska, and the American West
This is a multi-collaborative project involving the Library of Congress, the University of Alaska, and a number of Russian libraries. The project includes a variety of digital resources about the American West, the settelment of Siberia, and Russian-U.S. relations in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. Includes English and Russian language versions.

Parallel Histories: Spain, the United States, and the American Frontier
A partnership between the National Library of Spain and the Library of Congress brings us a collection of digital primary sources detailing Spain-U.S. relations from the 15th century to the 19th century. Includes English and Spanish language versions.

United States and Brazil: Expanding Frontiers, Comparing Cultures
This collaboration between the National Library of Brazil and the Library of Congress provides access to digital resources showcasing Brazilian-U.S. relations from the 18th century until the present. Includes English and Portuguese language versions.

Perhaps your organization alone already has some multi-view primary sources about a particular subject or event. Check out the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s interactive digital exhibit on the 1704 raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts. The exhibit incorporates perspectives of the raid on Deerfield, as well as the history of the area leading up to the raid, from the English, French, Mohawk, Huron, and Wabanaki. Raid on Deerfield: The Many Stories of 1704

Has your organization created a digital project like the ones mentioned above? If so, please let us know in the comments section!

AASLH is unveiling their new Standards and Excellence Program (StEPs) program designed for Small- and Mid-sized History Organizations. “Does your organization want to make improvements but you’re not sure where to start? Would you like to be recognized in areas of collections, governance, programs, and management?

The program helps your organization assess its current policies and practices in a convenient, self-study format. The StEPs workbook guides you through the six program sections with self-assessment questions and Basic, Good, and Better performance indicators. With StEPs, your organization receives Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates as it makes valuable progress and there’s no time limit on completion of the program.”

To get more information please visit the AASLH site.

A colleague sent me a quick little article about metadata making its way through the courts. here’s a summary:
The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that the metadata attached to public records is itself a public record. Given the frequency with which metadata outs lobbyists’ and corporations’ efforts to mask their own contributions to public debates, this is a good thing. To see the full article click here

Tom Clareson, Program Director for New Initiatives, at Lyrasis, and I are getting ready to head out next week on some site visits around Colorado. We’ll be visiting twelve institutions, museums, libraries, archives and special collections to conduct preservation surveys. The surveys have been funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services and will be fairly short, just two-hours. The site visits will be conducted at representative institutions, the sites have been selected based upon identified trends and on recommendations from the Colorado Connecting to Collections Advisory Committee.

Site visits will be used to affirm and complete data gathered during the CO Statewide online survey completed earlier this year. We will be investigating variations from trends; trying to account for unique institutional types. The criteria used to slect organizations for a site visit included: geography and type of cultural heritage institution, e.g. tribal museum, historic house museum, art museum, public library, special library, governmental archive, historical society or special collection. Additional consideration was given to including some institutions that identified themselves as having an urgent need for a preservation survey on the online questionnaire.

Institutions will receive a brief assessment of the conditions of the organization, their collections and archives. The two surveys, online and onsite, will allow us to identify the condition of our state’s cultural heritage collections and how to focus state-wide workshops and training. If you are interested in following along with the Colorado Connecting to Collections grant check out the Wiki.

The first Monday of October is always an auspicious day. It’s the beginning of the new Supreme Court season. Monday October 6th will be particularly important as a new Justice is joining the Court. Justice Sotomayor will be the third female justice and the first Hispanic justice. Congratulations Justice Sotomayor and best luck.

Most of us are awaiting the October 7th meeting in U.S. District Judge Denny Chin’s court room. The parties will meet to discuss how to proceed, however the Court will not hold a hearing following the Department of Justice’s September 18, 2009 Statement of Interest arguing that the terms of the Settlement do not meet important legal standards. DOJ went on to urge the court and the parties to continue discussions in an effort to secure the considerable social benefits that court result from a successful settlement. It appears that the DOJ statement has caused the parties to reexamine the agreement.

The Department of Justice was just one of 400 organizations/individuals who submitted filings to the Court in relation to the Google Books Settlement. To understand who the filers are, Brandon Butler, Law Policy Fellow for the Association of Research Libraries analyzed who the filers were and why they filed. The results are available in The Google Books Settlement: Who is Filing and What Are They Saying?

Butler notes that the filers fall into three categories–Supporter of the Settlement, Opponent of the Settlement, and Filer with Reservation. Within each category the party indicates a reason for their support or opposition and it can be–Pro- or Anti-user; Pro- or Anti-rightsholder; Pro- or Anti-competitive. Butler notes that in light of the potential modification of the agreement, positions may change and refiling is likely to take places.

In the meantime, it is very interesting reading to see who is in favor of the Settlement and who is not and for what reasons. There are some real surprises in the lists.

Check out the new Utah American Indian Archive, one of the Utah State Library’s recent Digitization Initiative successes. On the opening screen, you’ll see the archive access on the left and the Utah Indian Educational Curriculum access on the right.

This was a collaborative project, the key players were the Utah State Library, University of Utah’s Marriott Library and the America West Center. Congratulations to all the players for making these resources available online.

On a hot day in Portland at Lewis and Clark College.

Back Row: Terry Reese, Michael Paulus, Jeremy Skinner, Al
Cornish, Jeremy McWilliams, Kyle Banerjee, and Karen Estlund
Front Row: Jeff Malcomson, Fynnette Eaton, Jodi Allison-Bunnell, and Janet Hauck

The Orbis Cascade Alliance (the Alliance) and the Northwest Digital Archives (NWDA) initiated a digital planning process in 2007. If you aren’t aware, the Alliance and NWDA have a shared mission to facilitate the discovery and delivery of digital material, particularly of unique local collections. A Digital Program Working Group (DPWG) was established in late 2007 and promptly began planning for a digital services program at the Alliance.

After collecting data from member institutions about digital initiatives and needs, the DPWG applied for a Collaborative Planning Grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in February 2008. Fully funded, the one-year grant began in December 2008. I was lucky enough to work with an amazing group of people on the Advisory Committee (pictured above.)

According to Jodi Allison-Bunnell, Program Manager for the NWDA, “the planning grant has helped to find solutions for common and significant challenges that impede the development of sustainable digital programs at the Alliance and its member institutions. The report, (available now), presents findings and recommendation for the initial elements of a digital services program at the Alliance. The program will help address member institutions’ greatest needs and enable them to move from digital projects to digital programs.”

The Digital Program Working Group’s report with recommendations is now available. A cross-search prototype is also available. Both have received favorable member feedback.

The Alliance’s governing council will review the recommendations at its September meeting and approve further work on this strategic agenda item. Visit the the Alliance’s strategic agenda, here.

Lewis and Clark College Aubrey R. Watzek Library