View Project

G2S Project Code: 2022-CA-92204
State: California
Fiscal Year: 2022
Grantee
CALIFA GROUP

Project Director
Director Name: Paula MacKinnon
Director Phone: 415-271-3915
Director Email: pmackinnon@califa.org
General Information
Title: California Revealed
State Project Code: 40-9321
Start Date: 07/01/2022
End Date: 09/30/2023
Abstract: California Revealed worked with 124 cultural heritage organizations, 25 of which are new to the project, to describe, preserve, and make accessible local collections that were previously unprocessed and “hidden," to better represent California's diverse histories. California Revealed project staff also provided in-person training for a cohort of 6 public libraries to help them plan and implement their Memory Labs. At the introductory workshops and webinars, community archiving workshops, and trainings staff taught basic collections care to help organizations plan and implement digitization projects on their own, jumpstart the preservation process, and translate basic preservation principles to the communities they serve. California Revealed instilled skills and knowledge of digitization practices and standards and inspired organizations to address the preservation needs of their collections.
State Goal: Goal 6: Connect Californians to History
Budget Information
LSTA
MATCH-State
MATCH-Other
Total
$1,355,000.00
$0.00
$1,400.00
$1,356,400.00
Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Library Infrastructure & Capacity
Activities
Activity Details
Title: California Revealed Workshops
Narrative: California Revealed conducted 4 in-person regional workshops entitled,"Demystifying Digitization: An Introduction to California Revealed." The workshops were focused on the digitization and preservation. The workshops addressed topics such as: Creating project goals; Best practices for collection assessment, and Digital preservation selection. Workshops were held in Arcadia, Monterey, San Joaquin County, and Walnut Grove in Spring 2023. Many new organizations were included based upon the recommendations of our local hosts: Gilb Museum, Monterey County Free Libraries, San Joaquin County Historical Museum, and the Sacramento River Delta Historical Society and SacArea History Consortium. Project staff provided slides and speakers' notes in both English and Spanish. California Revealed conducted two "Demystifying Digitization: An Introduction to California Revealed" webinars in the spring and summer that focused specifically on the first steps of assessment, selection and nomination to set partners up to apply for the digitization and preservation assistance program. The goal was to encourage attendees to participate in the program as well as empower them to coordinate digitization and preservation projects at their own organization. California Revealed relied on virtual instruction to expand outreach and be more accessible for those who cannot attend an in-person workshop. The webinars were very popular, jumping from an average attendance of 14 last year to 75 this year. The program offered slides and speaker's notes in both English and Spanish. The recording of the webinar is available at the Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/2023ca-r-intro-webinar).
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Program
Format: Combined in-person & virtual


Quantity
Session length (minutes): 300
Number of sessions in program: 1
Average number in attendance per session: 45
Number of times program administered: 6


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: 33
Academic Libraries: 18
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 1
Special Libraries: 84
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Question 1: I learned something by participating in this library activity.
Strongly Agree: 51
Agree: 21
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 2
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 2: I feel more confident about what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 38
Agree: 28
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 8
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 3: I intend to apply what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 41
Agree: 25
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 8
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 4: Applying what I learned will help improve library services to the public.
Strongly Agree: 38
Agree: 22
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 14
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Activity Details
Title: California Revealed Impact Survey
Narrative: Project staff issued an Impact Survey to special libraries, public libraries and academic libraries. Suggestions offered by survey respondents centered on additional services to be provided by the California Revealed project including archival description services, particularly for public librarians who may not be comfortable with archival procedures; additional customized mentorship services; support with in-house digitization programs; and resources for digital preservation. Information gathered by the survey will be used to inform subsequent planning.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Planning & Evaluation
Mode: Retrospective
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: 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: 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: 14
Academic Libraries: 11
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 55
School Libraries: 0
Other: 2
Activity Details
Title: California Revealed Educator Fellowships
Narrative: The inaugural Educator Fellowship program was introduced this year in partnership with the California History-Social Science Project (CHSSP). This program allowed educators to create research plans and primary source sets with supporting instructional guidance based upon collections digitized by California Revealed. Nine educators applied, and two high school ethnic studies teachers were selected, Virginia Nguyen (Portola High School) and Irene Sanchez (Azusa Unified School District). Virginia Nguyen focused her two source sets on Vietnamese American identity to guide students toward understanding the experience of Vietnamese Americans and the lasting impact of the Vietnam War across the different Vietnamese American generations. Using primary source materials for reference, students are asked the following investigative questions: How does the process of immigration influence the resettlement experience and identity formation? Irene Sanchez focused her two source sets on the cultural formation and transformation of Chicanx/Latinx communities and the role of women in shaping Chicanx/Latinx culture. Using primary source materials for reference, students are asked the following investigative questions: How did Americanization campaigns impact Mexican families and communities of the early 1900s and what did the Mexican community, specifically women, do to reinforce their culture? The project will host the sets on their website (https://chssp.ucdavis.edu/resources/gradelevel) and Teaching California (https://www.teachingcalifornia.org).
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Creation
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of items digitized: 0
Number of items digitized and available to the public: 0
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): 4
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: 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: 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: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 2
Activity Details
Title: California Revealed Description Assistance
Narrative: California Revealed's 23/24 digitization and preservation assistance program created a total of 11,142 high quality descriptions that are optimized for digitization and online discovery. 27 proposals were submitted from cultural organizations, 21 organizations received assistance, including 7 organizations that were new to California Revealed. New partners included Commons Archive, Diocese of San Jose, La Pena Cultural Center, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, Novato Historical Guild (Novato History Museum), San Diego Floral Association, and Santa Ynez Valley Historical Museum. California Revealed received a similar number of requests for Cataloging California description assistance as last year to help cultural heritage organizations address their collection backlogs and describe, catalog, and rehouse California-related library and archival materials.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Description
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of items made discoverable to the public: 11,142
Number of collections made discoverable to the public: 21
Number of metadata plans/frameworks produced/updated: 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: 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: 3
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 16
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: California Revealed Preservation Assistance
Narrative: California Revealed partnered with 80 cultural heritage organizations to preserve and provide long-term access to California heritage collections, including books, newspapers, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and digital materials. Preservation masters were saved offline on two sets of LTO data tape, with each set stored in two different geographic locations, and access copies and metadata are uploaded to both the California Revealed Digital Repository (californairevealed.org) and the Internet Archive (archive.org/details/californiarevealed). Partner organizations receive and back up copies of their digitized materials. Digital objects and their metadata are updated and maintained creating an online archive of California's history.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Preservation
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of items conserved, relocated to protective storage, rehoused, or for which other preservation-appropriate physical action was taken: 0
Number of items reformatted, migrated, or for which other digital preservation-appropriate action was taken: 31,466
Number of preservation plans/frameworks produced/updated (i.e. preservation readiness plans, data management plans): 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: 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: 20
Academic Libraries: 11
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 49
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
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: California Revealed Digitization Assistance
Narrative: California Revealed partnered with 80 cultural heritage organizations to digitize and make available California heritage collections, including books, newspapers, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and digital materials. Partner organizations described and nominated the materials to be digitized, ingested, and added to the online California Revealed collections (californiarevealed.org). California Revealed records are also accessible through the Internet Archive, the Digital Public Library of America, Calisphere, WorldCat, and the Home Movie Registry. In total, 31,466 texts, images, and audiovisual recordings were added to the California Revealed collection this year. The website at californiarevealed.org now hosts 125,961 objects from over 378 organizations across the state, including 74,505 texts (mostly newspapers), 25,731 images, 13,786 audio recordings (mostly oral histories), and 11,939 moving image recordings.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Creation
Format: Digital


Quantity
Number of items digitized: 31,466
Number of items digitized and available to the public: 0
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: 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: 20
Academic Libraries: 11
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 49
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0
Question 1: I am satisfied that the resource is meeting library needs.
Strongly Agree: 53
Agree: 11
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 1
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 1
Non-Response: 1
Question 2: Applying the resource will help improve library services to the public.
Strongly Agree: 55
Agree: 9
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 1
Disagree: 1
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 1
Activity Details
Title: Memory Lab Bootcamp
Narrative: In partnership with the Memory Lab Network, California Revealed provided a three-day intensive training at Los Angeles Public Library in February to support 9 librarians representing 6 public libraries. The training curriculum provided attendees with practical knowledge in digitization standards, workflows, troubleshooting, and sourcing equipment, and attendees had hands-on experience ("Plug and Play") using LAPL's Memory Lab equipment and handled and repaired film and magnetic media materials. The training was an opportunity to share and learn from each other, and strengthen the program's regional connections in California. Attendees were offered tours of University of Southern California Moving Image Archive or University of California Los Angeles Library's Audiovisual Preservation Department.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Program
Format: Combined in-person & virtual


Quantity
Session length (minutes): 1,020
Number of sessions in program: 6
Average number in attendance per session: 9
Number of times program administered: 1


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: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: BELVEDERE-TIBURON LIBRARY
Address: 1501 TIBURON BLVD
City: TIBURON
State: CA
Zip: 94920
Name: BUTTE COUNTY LIBRARY
Address: 1820 MITCHELL AVENUE
City: OROVILLE
State: CA
Zip: 95966
Name: CITY OF ANAHEIM PUBLIC LIBRARY
Address: 500 W. BROADWAY
City: ANAHEIM
State: CA
Zip: 92805
Name: CITY OF GLENDALE LIBRARY, ARTS & CULTURE
Address: 222 E. HARVARD ST.
City: GLENDALE
State: CA
Zip: 91205
Name: NATIONAL CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY
Address: 1401 NATIONAL CITY BLVD.
City: NATIONAL CITY
State: CA
Zip: 91950
Name: SONOMA COUNTY LIBRARY
Address: 211 E STREET
City: SANTA ROSA
State: CA
Zip: 95404
Question 1: I learned something by participating in this library activity.
Strongly Agree: 9
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 2: I feel more confident about what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 9
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 3: I intend to apply what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 9
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 4: Applying what I learned will help improve library services to the public.
Strongly Agree: 9
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Activity Details
Title: Community Archiving Workshop
Narrative: After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, California Revealed brought back hosting community archiving workshops (CAW) following the Training of Trainers model, working with Manilatown Heritage Foundation (https://manilatown.org). The Manilatown archival collections tell the stories of those active in the tenant rights movement in the mid-20th century. Leading up to the workshop, California Revealed provided three virtual webinars to help Manilatown plan their workshop. Topics included: the goals and process of a CAW; finding and developing a partnership; collections negotiations; and data templates. California Revealed is one of three national sites for the Community Archiving Workshop Regional Training of Trainers (TOT) program, supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (2018-2022), in partnership with the Association of Moving Image Archivists (https://californiarevealed.org/caws).
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Program
Format: Combined in-person & virtual


Quantity
Session length (minutes): 1,200
Number of sessions in program: 6
Average number in attendance per session: 7
Number of times program administered: 1


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: No
Specific Locations: Yes
Name: Manilatown Heritage Foundation
Address: 868 Kearny St.
City: San Francisco
State: CA
Zip: 94108
Question 1: I learned something by participating in this library activity.
Strongly Agree: 1
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 2: I feel more confident about what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 1
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 3: I intend to apply what I just learned.
Strongly Agree: 1
Agree: 0
Neither Agree nor Disagree: 0
Disagree: 0
Strongly Disagree: 0
Non-Response: 0
Question 4: Applying what I learned will help improve library services to the public.
Strongly Agree: 1
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:
98 percent of those who participated in the digitization and preservation program strongly agreed or agreed that they are satisfied with the program meeting their collections needs and 97 percent strongly agreed or agreed that applying the program's resources helps improve their services to the public. The project provided both services and mentorship to a range of organizations with a variety of wide range of Digital Preservation skills. Introductory workshops and webinars raised awareness of California heritage collection preservation. The project presented workshops in areas of the state not previously visited by the project.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
California Revealed intends to further engage in outreach initiatives to identify and partner with organizations that would benefit most from its services. The project fosters the emergence of a “community digitization” model that is accessible and applicable to all digitization projects, giving partners the opportunity to model and tailor their programming and workflows.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
California Revealed has learned that the theory of best practice compliments "good enough" practice on the ground, and doing something is not only better than doing nothing, but also is how library staff learn and develop new skills and the confidence to apply to the next digitization project. In this program, partners learn that they must start somewhere, and preservation can be a collaborative effort that can depend on trained collections managers as well as on volunteer community members. Planning and participating in a digitization project provides several opportunities: assessment of the general needs of a collection, identifying what is valuable to the organization's communities, jumpstarting preservation and access, and leveraging additional resources to invest in digitization and preservation projects. California Revealed partners learn that once they make previously "hidden" collections available online, their communities are hungry for more. Access to digital collections sparks new dialogues and new historical narratives; in turn community members seek to share and contribute their histories of a diverse state. For example: After Orange County Public Libraries posted a collection of video interviews with the Acjachemen community, one of Orange County's indigenous populations, another indigenous community, the Tong-va, approached the Parks and Libraries Departments about creating a collection of digital interviews with representatives from their group as well. Once the video interviews with the Tong-va community are finished, Orange County Public Libraries plans to share them with California Revealed, and in the process create an active, participatory, archive.
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:
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: No
Exemplary Narrative
Project Tags: digital, preservation, access