The Saskatchewan Digital Alliance A case study of collaboration between libraries,

museums, cultural and heritage institutions.

David Bindle Special Collections Librarian, U of S Library

Presented at RBMS-Preconference, Philadelphia, June 23, 2010Conference title: Join or Die: Collaboration in Special Collections

The Saskatchewan War Experience Collection

Compare Saskatchewan

• Over 251,000 sq miles - almost the size of Texas• Population: 1,038,000 (compare to 24,782,000 of

Texas)• Averages 4.13 people / sq mile in Saskatchewan• Averages 92 people / sq mile in Texas• Over 100,000 lakes• 60-90 degrees Summer / 32 degrees to -40 below

winter• Saskatoon, largest Saskatchewan city – pop

230,000

• Saskatchewan is home to Canada's only training academy for Canada’s national police force - Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) recruits, located in Regina. Learn more about the RCMP.

• Saskatchewan is the site of North America's oldest bird sanctuary, established in 1887 at Last Mountain Lake. Lean more about Saskatchewan birding.

• The city of Estevan in southeast Saskatchewan is Canada's sunshine capital, averaging 2,540 sunshine-filled hours each year! Learn more about Saskatchewan weather.

• Saskatchewan produces over 54% of the wheat grown in Canada. Learn more about Saskatchewan's economy.

• Saskatchewan has more road surface than any other province in Canada, with a total of 250,000km/150,000mi. Learn more about Saskatchewan places.

• The last battle or military conflict on Canadian soil occurred in Saskatchewan 1885 (Battle of Loon Lake – Northwest Resistance)

Saskatchewan War Experience Digital Collection

SDA-Mandate

• The Saskatchewan Digital Alliance (SDA) is a cross- sector, co-operative body that exists to promote and facilitate the development of digital collections in Saskatchewan.

• It is inspired by the Multitype Library Board’s strategic directions, specifically to: expand access to content, including digitized information; broaden Multitype partnerships; and, build capacity of the partners.

SDA-Goals

• Improve the quality and visibility of digital collections in Saskatchewan, especially those with Saskatchewan content

• Encourage collaboration and cooperation and facilitate communication among information sectors such as libraries, archives, museums and other institutions that create and/or preserve cultural content

• Encourage province-wide metadata standardization, a pre-condition for cross-collection searching

• Identify common areas of interest for digitization projects for the purpose of collaboration.

SDA Steering Committee• Chair – Legislative Librarian, Regina• Coordinator – Multitype Library Services /

Provincial Library• Archivist - University of Saskatchewan• Archivist - University of Regina• Prairie History Librarian – Regina Public Library• Metadata Librarian – University of Saskatchewan• Administrator of Library Digital Collections – U of

Regina• Special Collections Librarian – U of Saskatchewan

Project requirements

• A shared digital repository• A technical coordinator• A Digitization kit• A collection theme

Call for expressions of interest• Anglican Diocese of Saskatchewan

City of Regina ArchivesLloydminster Regional ArchivesPrince Albert Historical SocietyRegina Plains MuseumRegina Public Library, Prairie History RoomRegina Royal United Services (RUSI) LibraryRight Honourable John G. Diefenbaker Centre for the Study of CanadaRosetown Centennial Library ArchiveSaskatchewan Archives BoardSaskatchewan Military MuseumSaskatoon Public Library, Local History RoomSoutheast Regional LibrarySwift Current MuseumUniversity of Regina Archives & Special CollectionsUniversity of Saskatchewan Special Collections

Technical Coordinator – Duties• Compiles and documents procedures for project

participants to upload their scanned content into the project’s digital collection management software

• Consults with each project participant and provides orientation, training, and assistance to participants as required. This includes reviewing the expressions of interest from participants, making site visits to participant locations, and consulting via phone and e-mail.

Duties (cont’d)

• Scans materials at participant locations and uploads content to the project’s digital collection management software, as required for select participants

• Prepares project timelines and reports (both verbal and written) for the SDA Steering Committee.

TC required skills•Good working knowledge of scanning and other digital imaging technologies relating to the digitization and online delivery of documents, photographs and related materials

•Strong computer skills

•Ability to troubleshoot and identify optimal solutions

• Ability to independently prioritize and organize workload

• Ability to compose documents and communicate with project participants at their level of technical understanding

• Knowledge of standards and protocols with regards to organization, storage and retrieval

• Drivers license and reliable vehicle

• Contract duration – four months

Hiring the TC

• Advertised on library job boards• Library tech program• Individuals whom we had worked with in the

past

CONTENTdm – metadata structure

Establishment of a Project Wiki

• The Saskatchewan War Experience Project (SWE) (Overview)

• What other institutions were participating or planning to participate

• Copyright information (FAQ)

– Quick overall summary of the importance of standards– Scanning resolutions for different sizes– Digital Camera Settings– File Format for Master Scans– Alternative File Formats– File Naming

• Writing Descriptions and Metadata fields: http://saskdigital.wikidot.com/descriptions-and-metadata

• Table describing all metadata fields – required

and not required – notes on usage

• Using CONTENTdm– Overview– Online Help– In-Person Training w Tech Coordinator– Useful Guides– Uploading Items– Technical Requirements– Installation of CONTENTdm Project Client

Software

• Using an Excel Spreadsheet – if unable to use project client software

• Notes on the controlled vocabulary for SWE

– Explanation of Drop Down lists – Drop down lists for Theme, War, Languages,

Primary media type, Specific Media type

Lessons learned – time lines

Interest vs Commitment

Breaking with standards

Next Steps – Continue the project

Outreach beyond institutions

Veterans / Afghanistan

More next steps

• Portal web site – splash page• Collecting feedback• Institutional self ranking of technical skills• Official launch

Conclusion

Measures of success• Experience in:• Digitization techniques• Standards• Open access• Inter-institutional

cooperation