View Project

G2S Project Code: 2021-MI-89048
State: Michigan
Fiscal Year: 2021

Grantee
Library of Michigan

Project Director
Director Name: Biz Gallo
Director Phone: 517-335-1402
Director Email: gallob@michigan.gov

General Information
Title: Paths to Michigan History - Digitization and Preservation Support
State Project Code: CMU/MSU/MDPN/Consultant/DPLA/Kits
Start Date: 10/01/2021
End Date: 09/30/2022
Abstract: In 2022, the Library of Michigan (LM) continued its support for libraries throughout the state to digitize and preserve historical collections through a range of statewide partnerships. LM worked with libraries and other organizations at all stages of digitization projects in order to provide them with the programs and services needed to digitally create, share, and preserve the history of the state.

LM continued state funded membership in and support of several statewide services. LM partnered with the Michigan Service Hub, a contributor to the Digital Public Library of America, making Michigan’s historic collections more accessible. LM also participated in the Michigan Digital Preservation Network, a member-governed, collaborative organization dedicated to preserving Michigan’s digital cultural heritage materials and leveraging shared resources to make digital preservation accessible to all institutions. LM supported digitization of historic newspapers through Central Michigan University Clarke Historical Library’s DigMich Newspaper Preservation project. LM supported metadata updates to the Making of Modern Michigan project with Michigan State University. LM built circulating Digitization Kits, which provided libraries and cultural heritage organizations with the equipment needed to digitize common cultural heritage materials without needing to invest in costly technology. LM created a webinar series and corresponding NICHE pathway to lay the foundation for digitization projects that was freely accessible to libraries and cultural heritage organizations around the state. LM opened its collections management system to provide cost-free hosting of digital collections to libraries and cultural heritage organizations around the state. These partnerships, programs, and services are all part of a concerted effort at the state level to increase and improve the digitization of and access to Michigan’s historic collections.

The Improving Access grants are providing support for local collection preservation and digitization and are reported on through those grants.

State Goal: Goal 4: Historical and Cultural Collections

Budget Information

LSTA

MATCH-State

MATCH-Other

Total

$287,544.49

$53,862.30

$0.00

$341,406.79

Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.
Arts, Culture & Humanities
History

Activities
Activity Details
Title: Digital Access and Preservation Memberships
Narrative: The Library of Michigan continued its support of two statewide digital access and preservation programs. First, LM supported the Michigan Service Hub, a contributor to the Digital Public Library of America. Through the Michigan Service Hub, Michigan libraries and cultural heritage organizations were able to share their content and provide greater access to history, culture, and knowledge. Second, LM supported the Michigan Digital Preservation Network, a member-governed, collaborative organization dedicated to preserving Michigan’s digital cultural heritage materials and leveraging shared resources to make digital preservation accessible to all institutions. These services provide greater access and reduce barriers to a comprehensive statewide digital access and preservation infrastructure for Michigan libraries. The Library of Michigan also continued its support of statewide digital preservation programs through the Michigan Digital Preservation Network. The MDPN is a member-governed, collaborative organization dedicated to preserving Michigan’s digital cultural heritage materials and leveraging shared resources to make digital preservation accessible to all institutions. MDPN also provides training and technical expertise to libraries and cultural heritage organizations throughout the state around digital preservation. This service provides greater access and reduces barriers to a comprehensive statewide digital preservation infrastructure for Michigan libraries.

Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Other
Format: Digital
Other: Planning and support for statewide focused digitization and preservation efforts with university partners and non-profit organizations.

Quantity

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: 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: 1
Academic Libraries: 6
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 1

Question 1: I am satisfied that the resource is meeting library needs.
Strongly Agree: 0
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 2: Applying the resource will help improve library services to the public.
Strongly Agree: 0
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0

Activity Details
Title: Making of Modern Michigan Metadata project
Narrative: The Library of Michigan support metadata corrections done by Michigan State University Libraries in the shared statewide Making of Modern Michigan collection from the early 1990s. The collection's roughly 23,000 items were reviewed and metadata was updated and corrected by a student worker and a librarian. All of the work completed during this time facilitated moving the collection to a more user-friendly platform, which began in 2022. Because the platform the collection is moving to includes numerous other library collections and will be shared with the Digital Public Library of America, it's important that collection descriptions are accurate, consistent, and understandable outside of their original context. The work ensured that the collection will be much easier for people to find and understand once it is fully migrated.

Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Description
Format: Digital

Quantity
Number of items made discoverable to the public: 23,000
Number of collections made discoverable to the public: 1
Number of metadata plans/frameworks produced/updated: 0

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 1
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Newspaper digitization support
Narrative: The Library of Michigan supports digitization of public library newspaper collections by the Central Michigan University Clarke Historical Library. The DigMich project provides high quality digitization and a hosting platform for Michigan's public libraries. In this year, the project digitized and is web hosting select years of the following Michigan newspapers: East Lansing Community Life (1919-1923), East Lansing Press 1930-1934), Mount Clemens Monitor (1869-1904) and Daily Leader (1902).

Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Creation
Format: Digital

Quantity
Number of items digitized: 0
Number of items digitized and available to the public: 12,753
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

Public Libraries: 2
Academic Libraries: 1
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Question 1: I am satisfied that the resource is meeting library needs.
Strongly Agree: 0
Agree: 5
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 1
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 2: Applying the resource will help improve library services to the public.
Strongly Agree: 0
Agree: 4
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 2
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0

Activity Details
Title: Statewide Digitization and Preservation Consultant - Training Work
Narrative: The Library of Michigan, through the work of the statewide digitization consultant, provides a range of digitization and preservation services to libraries and cultural heritage institutions in the state:

Specific training work done in this year included training to libraries and cultural heritage institutions on digitization, digital access and preservation. Once a month from January-September 2022 LM presented a Digitization Basics Webinar Series with each month’s webinar focusing on a different area of digitization. Classes covered an introduction to digitization terms and concepts, project planning, copyright considerations, metadata, digital capture, access, and digital preservation. In an effort to lay the foundation on which to build lasting, digital access to the state’s local history, these classes focused on the importance of understanding basic digitization principles, legal considerations, and the long-term investment in digital collections. 751 people attended the presentations.

Class Descriptions:

INTRODUCTION TO DIGITIZATION January 25, 2022, 1:00pm ET
Learn what digitization is, the reasons for digitizing your collections, and basic terminology.

PLANNING YOUR DIGITIZATION PROJECT February 22, 2022, 1:00pm ET
Learn factors to consider when planning a digitization project, establish steps for a successful pilot project, and identify tools to help manage a digitization project.

SCOPE & SELECTION FOR DIGITIZATION March 29, 2022, 1:00pm ET
Learn what factors to consider when selecting items for digitization and how to scope the right-sized digitization project for your organization.

COPYRIGHT CONSIDERATIONS FOR DIGITIZATION PROJECTS April 26, 2022, 1:00pm ET
Learn how to identify the copyright status of items in your collection, how copyright impacts digitization, and how to appropriately apply standardized rights statements to your digitized content.

FUNDING YOUR DIGITIZATION PROJECT May 31, 2022, 1:00pm ET
Learn about cost considerations in a digitization project, grant funding opportunities for digitizing collections, and non-traditional options for funding digitization projects.

METADATA FOR DIGITAL COLLECTIONS June 28, 2022, 1:00pm ET
Learn why metadata is important, understand different types of metadata, and explore common metadata schemas and controlled vocabularies for describing digital content.

DIGITAL CAPTURE: DIGITIZATION PROCESS & QUALITY CONTROL July 26, 2022, 1:00pm ET
Learn how to select the right equipment for your project, steps for post-processing digital images, and parameters for quality control.

DIGITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT PART 1: ACCESS & CREATING DIGITAL COLLECTIONS August 30, 2022, 1:00pm ET
Learn considerations for managing levels of access, platforms for creating digital collections, and tools for promoting and tracking use of your digital collections.

DIGITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT PART 2: PRESERVATION, FIXITY & STORAGE September 27, 2022, 1:00pm ET
Learn what digital preservation is, first steps for managing your digital collections, and tools for digital preservation.

Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Presentation/performance
Format: Combined in-person & virtual

Quantity
Presentation/performance length (minutes): 60
Number of presentations/performances administered: 9
Average number in attendance per session: 84

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

Public Libraries: 396
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Circulating Digitization kits
Narrative: The Library of Michigan began a new statewide digitization equipment-sharing service, providing digitization equipment kits. These kits enabled Michigan libraries and cultural heritage organizations to digitize their materials without having to invest in costly digitization equipment. LM purchased laptops, two different scanner models, and accessories to supply five digitization kits. Kits circulate for two months at a time and include everything an organization would need to digitize common formats, from photographs and negatives to documents and bound volumes.

Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Physical

Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 25
Number of software acquired: 15
Number of licensed databases acquired: 0
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 1
Number of electronic materials acquired: 0
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 0

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 7
Academic Libraries: 1
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 6

Question 1: I am satisfied that the resource is meeting library needs.
Strongly Agree: 3
Agree: 1
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 2: Applying the resource will help improve library services to the public.
Strongly Agree: 3
Agree: 1
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0

Activity Details
Title: Statewide Digitization and Preservation Consultant - Consulting Work
Narrative: The Library of Michigan, through the work of the statewide digitization consultant, provides a range of digitization and preservation services to libraries and cultural heritage institutions in the state:

Specific consulting work done in this year included providing training and resources on digitization, digital access, and digital preservation. Topics of consultation included hardware and software recommendations, creation of programming, digitization project planning, funding and fundraising, oral history projects, transcription, copyright, and online hosting solutions. The digitization consultant also presented to various libraries and organizations throughout the state on current Statewide Digitization Initiatives in development at LM. These presentations were an effort to provide more access to information about digitization initiatives and have resulted in organizations utilizing these programs and services to undertake digitization projects of their own.

Intent: Improve users’ ability to discover information resources.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Consultation/drop-in/referral
Format: Combined in-person & virtual

Quantity
Total number of consultation/reference transactions: 116
Average number of consultation/reference transactions per month: 10

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 73
Academic Libraries: 9
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 9
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 1
Other: 24

Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
The Library of Michigan's preservation and digitization consultant is expanding and coordinating digitization efforts at LM and providing outreach and support to Michigan libraries. In this year, there were also nine webinars with 751 total attendees. Five Digitization Kits were created, which circulated to 14 organizations. And 26 enrolled in NICHE Pathway course developed last year. 100% of respondents utilizing the Digitization Kits agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the resources provided in the kit, and 83% reported that the kit helped improve their library's services to the public and preserve their library's collection(s). One user commented, "This was a fantastic resource, and very necessary!" 100% of the respondents who participated in the NICHE pathway reported that they learned something by participating in the course, would feel comfortable to reaching out to Library of Michigan to talk more on the topic, and are likely to apply what they learned from the course.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
Digitization requires many resources to be done successfully, which can be a barrier both financially and technologically to many organizations. By educating libraries and cultural heritage organizations about the importance of the entire digital life cycle and then providing the equipment and infrastructure necessary to address each of the stages, this project enables organizations to successfully undertake digitization projects. The myriad services provided both builds institutional capacity and utilizes shared resources.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
The webinar series worked well as it allowed remote participation from all over the state, as well as an on-demand resource for users to explore asynchronously. There was an expressed interest in hands-on training, which will be incorporated into next year's programming. There was also an expressed interest in increasing support for digitizing newspapers, which will be explored with our partners at the Clarke Historical Library.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
Yes
Explain:
We will be creating more Niche Pathway online courses on digitization and historic preservation topics.
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 increased content and consulting provided by the digitization consultant has helped improve the quality and professionalization of digitization and historic preservation in Michigan.

Project Tags: Digitization, Digital Access, Digital Preservation