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G2S Project Code: 2020-AZ-85059
State: Arizona
Fiscal Year: 2020
Grantee
Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records

Project Director
Director Name: Ryan Ehrfurth
Director Phone: 602-926-3367
Director Email: rehrfurth@azlibrary.gov
General Information
Title: Arizona Memory Project
State Project Code: 2020-0020
Start Date: 10/01/2020
End Date: 09/30/2021
Abstract: The goal of the Arizona Memory Project (AMP) was to improve access and usability of historical documents related to the history, culture, and statecraft of Arizona. Funds were used to purchase software and storage (CONTENTdm) to manage AMP, hire a vendor to complete a specific scanning project, hire a contractor to assist AMP staff with digitizing in-house content, and host recruitment workshops to gain additional collections and partners. Users benefited because AMP provides free access to over 660,000 digitized historical items comprising 380 collections contributed by 102 institutions across Arizona.
State Goal: Information Access
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$119,274.25
$51,959.74
$0.00
$171,233.99
Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.
Government
History
Activities
Activity Details
Title: Arizona Memory Project Presentations
Narrative: AMP staff conducted 4 virtual workshops for representatives of local institutions to learn about AMP, and to recruit new Partners and collections. Other presentations included information sessions to the genealogy community, state agency staff, and legislative staff.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Presentation/performance
Format: Virtual


Quantity
Presentation/performance length (minutes): 67
Number of presentations/performances administered: 12
Average number in attendance per session: 36


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: Yes
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Activity Details
Title: Creating New Arizona Memory Project Collections
Narrative: Ten new collections from six new Partners were added to AMP, along with 10 newspaper collections, for a total of 20 new collections. The items in these collections were digitized through a combination of efforts by Arizona Memory Project (AMP) staff, a scanning contractor, third party vendors, and AMP Partners. New items were also added to existing AMP collections. Metadata were applied to all new items through the same collaborative effort. AMP staff reviewed and approved all content through CONTENTdm. 
The Arizona Highways Online collection was completed. All back issues of Arizona Highways Magazine are now accessible on the Arizona Memory Project, and new issues are added on a 3-month delay from the publication date as requested by Arizona Highways Magazine. AMP also published its first Navajo language newspaper, Black military and community newspapers, and a Spanish language newspaper.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Creation
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of items digitized: 50,885
Number of items digitized and available to the public: 50,885
Number of physical items: 0
Number of open-source applications/software/systems: 0
Number of proprietary applications/software/systems: 0
Number of learning resources (e.g. toolkits, guides): 0
Number of plans/frameworks: 0


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: Yes
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Activity Details
Title: Planning for Migration
Narrative: After a 5-year process of evaluating platforms as alternatives to CONTENTdm, AMP staff selected Recollect. AMP staff engaged in a trial of the Recollect site in January-February 2021 and gained approval to acquire Recollect from the Arizona Department of Administration Project Investment Justification process. CONTENTdm was renewed for FY 2021-2022 so that the site will continue to be available for patrons and AMP staff throughout the migration.
Based on the Recollect trial and multiple conversations with Recollect staff, AMP staff anticipates saving a lot of time with improved efficiencies across multiple workflows. Recollect also offers new features and content linking/discoverability that is not currently available.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Planning & Evaluation
Mode: Prospective
Format: In-house


Quantity
Number of evaluations and/or plans funded: 1
Number of funded evaluation and/or plans completed: 1


Partner Information
Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No


Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No


Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: Yes
For a targeted group or for the general population: General


Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types
Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Question 1: I believe the planning and evaluation addresses library needs.
Strongly Agree: 3
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 2: I am satisfied with the extent to which the plan or evaluation addresses library needs.
Strongly Agree: 3
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 3: I believe the information from the plan or evaluation will be applied to address library needs.
Strongly Agree: 3
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
The Arizona Memory Project had 2,366,583 page views from 560,340 viewers during the grant cycle, according to Google Analytics. Based on the Recollect trial and multiple conversations with Recollect staff, AMP staff anticipates saving a lot of time with improved efficiencies across multiple workflows. Recollect also offers new features and content linking/discoverability that is not currently available. Having a contractor is an enormous benefit to increasing the output of scanning projects. The Digitization Projects Working Group has shown to be an effective way of identifying digitization needs from all collections and working out what needs to be done to complete these projects. It also helped prioritize projects for the scanning contractor. Every AMP workshop was well-attended and yielded new partnerships with attendees, demonstrating there is still plenty of content and partnership opportunities.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
The prospect of migrating from CONTENTdm to a new platform has large implications for the improved efficiency in which AMP can be managed. Many of the inefficiencies experienced with CONTENTdm will be resolved. The work of the Digitization Projects Working Group initiative indicates that even more projects can be identified and completed, further increasing the content on AMP. Based on workshop feedback and attendance, AMP still has enormous potential for continued growth, and the community interest is there to support this growth.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
Evaluating workflows and systems (e.g. software) is an effective way to identify inefficiencies, which can be used to evaluate alternatives to ensure that switching to a new system (resources allowing) will mitigate or eliminate those inefficiencies. Backing up these inefficiencies with quantitative data makes it a lot easier to justify the switch as well.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
No
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:
Exemplary: Yes
Exemplary NarrativeThe Arizona Memory Project has the highest usage among the State Library's online resources. Its diverse collections and extensive partnerships provide value to users not only in Arizona, but also around the world.
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