Anatomy of a Digital Project Webinar Series

This webinar series features presenters discussing core steps in managing a digital project from selection through preservation of digital objects.

These presentations were recorded in Spring 2012.

Lightweight Project Management for Digital Collections

Success in a digital library project requires technical competence, good tools, and good project management. However, librarians often feel adrift in wading through existing project management literature, as most of the resources, tools, and courses related to project management are designed for large-scale projects and do not reflect the day-to-day realities of most digital collection managers. In order to meet the demands of changing requirements, abbreviated timelines, and resource scarcity, librarians need simpler and less complex methods of managing their projects.

In this webinar, H. Frank Cervone, Vice Chancellor for Information Services at Purdue University Calumet, will discuss a framework for a lightweight project management methodology that can be easily learned and implemented in any size environment. Using lightweight methodology and open-source or relatively inexpensive tools, participants will learn how to implement effective project management practices to ensure the success of digital library projects. Recorded on January 17, 2012. ~1 hour

Webinar slides

Selection of Materials for Digitization

Some criteria for digitization selection decisions are straightforward: copyright, cost, and condition are obvious factors that influence selection decisions. Other factors include discovery and access mechanisms, intrinsic value, potential audiences, purpose of the collection, and collection policies. Panelists will address the topic of selecting resources for digitization showing examples from existing digital collections and discussing factors that influenced the selection process.

Presenters include Peter Hepburn, Digitization Librarian and Associate Professor at University of Illinois at Chicago; Meg Miner, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Illinois Wesleyan University; Julie Mosbo, Preservation Librarian at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale; and Laurie Sauer, Information Technologies Librarian at Knox College. Recorded on February 21, 2012. ~78 minutes

Webinar slides

Connecting Your Digital Collections to the Curricula at Your Institution

Libraries' digital collections can be strategically chosen to relate directly to departmental and college curricula, serving as a tool to develop improved working relationships between the library and the teaching faculty. Our two presenters describe working with faculty to build digital collections that both serve faculty teaching needs and enhance students' access to unique instructional resources.

Stephanie Davis-Kahl, Illinois Wesleyan University, will discuss the development and creation of the Swahili Expressive Arts collection. The collection is made up of images from Professor Rebecca Gearhart's research in Kenya, and is directly tied to her teaching at IWU.

Jane Darcovich, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, will discuss the C. William Brubaker collection, an image collection focusing on the built environment of the City of Chicago, and its usefulness as a resource for a course on the History of Chicago. Recorded on May 15, 2012. ~47 minutes

Webinar slides