BCR’s CDP Digital Imaging Best Practices, Version 2.0

This is the published version.These Best Practices — also referred to as the CDP Best Practices -- have been created through the collaboration of working groups pulled from library, museum and archive practitioners. Version 1 was created through funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services through a grant to the University of Denver and the Colorado Digitization Program in 2003. Version 2 of the guidelines were published by BCR in 2008 and represents a significant update of practices under the leadership of their CDP Digital Imaging Best Practices Working Group. The intent has been to help standardize and share protocols governing the implementation of digital projects. The result of these collaborations is a set of best practice documents that cover issues such as digital imaging, Dublin Core metadata and digital audio. These best practice documents are intended to help with the design and implementation of digitization projects. Because they were collaboratively designed by experts in the field, you can be certain they include the best possible information, in addition to having been field tested and proven in practice. These best practice documents are an ongoing collaborative project, and LYRASIS will add information and new documents as they are developed

UNL Libraries Deposit Programs

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries offers several avenues for preserving and providing access to digital and physical research materials. This document outlines the four main avenues for depositing materials with UNL Libraries. Although there are separate repositories with specific missions—Archives & Special Collections, DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska–Lincoln, UNL Data Repository, and UNL Image & Multimedia Collections—all work together toward the goal of preserving the intellectual and creative output of the university and to make our contributions discoverable to state, national, and international communities. This document describes the operations of each repository. The Libraries policy is to publish, or provide online access to, materials (1) when the Libraries holds copyright, (2) when the copyright holder has granted the Libraries permission for online publication, or (3) when the Libraries do not hold copyright but may manage access behind a firewall. The University Libraries is committed to preserving and providing access to the full range of in-tellectual contributions of the faculty and staff at UNL for the benefit of current and future gen-erations. All members of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are encouraged to deposit content with UNL Libraries. Materials deposited in our institutional repositories are historical and not all historical events confirm to current standards of civility. As such, they may contain racial or sexual stereotypes that are inappropriate by today’s standards. They have been retained in order to fully represent the materials in their original context. All members of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are encouraged to deposit content with UNL Libraries. Content can be nondigital items supplied to Archives & Special Collections or digital content deposited in the Data, Image & Multimedia Collections, Digital Commons repositories, or University Archives

Launching a Web Archives Program at a Public University

Many organizations and institutions rely heavily on a web presence to disseminate information and to manage programs and policies. This tendency leaves library and archive professionals with a challenge: how best to capture and preserve web-based information and resources. Over the last few years, the proactive collection and management of web archives has gained traction across all types of libraries and archival repositories. This paper offers a synopsis of actions and initiatives conducted by a small team dedicated to creating a sustainable web archives program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. The authors discuss (1) how the project team formed and the complementary skill sets of the group; (2) the details of the project, including the project scope, objectives, and timeline; (3) the identification and selection process for web resources; (4) the approach for testing and implementing a web capture tool, using Archive-It as an example; and (5) ongoing efforts and challenges for web archives at the university. The writeup is geared towards a broad audience of information professionals in cultural heritage institutions that are interested in project management in libraries and web archives in general

Teaching Digital History Through the University Archives: The Case of Nebraska U: A Collaborative History

Nebraska U: A Collaborative History (http://unlhistory.unl.edu) is a collaboration between faculty and staff in Archives and Special Collections (Brink, Ducey, and Jewell) and the department of History (Seefeldt). This project engages undergraduates in archival research, historical synthesis, and digital project creation. Nebraska U uses digital technology to provide a research framework for students exploring the way the study of history is transformed using new media publication forms. Specifically, students in Dr. Seefeldt\u27s Digital History course selected a topic from the history of the University; worked with Archives staff to locate materials and thoroughly research that topic; selected items from the Archives for digitization; and prepared a digital project for publication on the Nebraska U site that provided synthesis and analysis of their topic. This essay explores the mutual benefits of the Archives-classroom collaboration and, particularly, how digital technologies create distinctive opportunities for such collaborations. Through creative use of technology, Nebraska U is able to both enhance students\u27 learning of the historical record and their ability to critically engage the rhetoric of online, multimedia publications. Additionally, the project assists the Archives in its effort to more fully understand the depth and nuance of its collections, as the students\u27 research uncovers a wide variety of materials and generates a digital surrogate that can aid access to researchers worldwide

University Archives & Special Collections Collection Development Policy

History: A. Special Collections: While rare books and manuscripts have been acquired since the University of Nebraska Libraries were first established, it was some time before a separate Rare Books and Special Collections unit was created. During the 1970s, librarians identified rare books or special collections within the existing general collections, identified new space for these materials, cataloged them, created collection development criteria, and began providing services through the assignment of the first full-time special collections librarian. One role for the special collections librarian was to seek funding through donations for continued development of the special collections. B. The Archives: the Archives were formed officially by the Board of Regents in 1968 with the appointment of the first University Archivist. C. Merger: In 1978, the Archives were merged with the Rare Books and Special Collections unit and became the Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. Collection development policies and criteria for the Archives & Special Collections have evolved through the years as the mission and collecting scope have evolved. Mission: The mission of the Archives & Special Collections is to select, preserve, arrange, describe, provide reference assistance and instruction for, and promote the use of rare and unique research materials and to collect permanent records of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Central Administration, and the Board of Regents. The unit maintains these research materials because they are best managed separately from the general collections due to their rare or unique qualities, source, physical form, or subject area. Collecting scope: The Archives & Special Collections’ subject area concentrations spring from major research/education areas at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) or are related to the mandated archival responsibility to collect permanent records of the University. The special collections are composed primarily of rare and unique documentary materials created and accumulated by UNL and its members as well as from individuals and organizations external to the University. Influencing all areas of collecting is an effort to be forward-thinking in collecting diverse voices, individuals, and organizations, and to consider social justice, gender identity, diversity and inclusion, and new cultural heritage collections relating especially to Nebraska. The collecting interests and the extent of collecting activity in them increases and evolve over time as academic research programs develop and change. The purpose of this approach is also to support the land-grant mission of the university and to provide the UNL research community, along with Nebraska citizens and the general public, with access to the rare and unique research materials these users require. Collecting decisions will, to the extent possible, maintain collective cultural history and anticipate future research needs of the University community. The majority of collecting is done at a research level

University Archives & Special Collections Collection Development Policy

History: A. Special Collections: While rare books and manuscripts have been acquired since the University of Nebraska Libraries were first established, it was some time before a separate Rare Books and Special Collections unit was created. During the 1970s, librarians identified rare books or special collections within the existing general collections, identified new space for these materials, cataloged them, created collection development criteria, and began providing services through the assignment of the first full-time special collections librarian. One role for the special collections librarian was to seek funding through donations for continued development of the special collections. B. The Archives: the Archives were formed officially by the Board of Regents in 1968 with the appointment of the first University Archivist. C. Merger: In 1978, the Archives were merged with the Rare Books and Special Collections unit and became the Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries. Collection development policies and criteria for the Archives & Special Collections have evolved through the years as the mission and collecting scope have evolved. Mission: The mission of the Archives & Special Collections is to select, preserve, arrange, describe, provide reference assistance and instruction for, and promote the use of rare and unique research materials and to collect permanent records of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Central Administration, and the Board of Regents. The unit maintains these research materials because they are best managed separately from the general collections due to their rare or unique qualities, source, physical form, or subject area. Collecting scope: The Archives & Special Collections’ subject area concentrations spring from major research/education areas at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) or are related to the mandated archival responsibility to collect permanent records of the University. The special collections are composed primarily of rare and unique documentary materials created and accumulated by UNL and its members as well as from individuals and organizations external to the University. Influencing all areas of collecting is an effort to be forward-thinking in collecting diverse voices, individuals, and organizations, and to consider social justice, gender identity, diversity and inclusion, and new cultural heritage collections relating especially to Nebraska. The collecting interests and the extent of collecting activity in them increases and evolve over time as academic research programs develop and change. The purpose of this approach is also to support the land-grant mission of the university and to provide the UNL research community, along with Nebraska citizens and the general public, with access to the rare and unique research materials these users require. Collecting decisions will, to the extent possible, maintain collective cultural history and anticipate future research needs of the University community. The majority of collecting is done at a research level

Ordering Chaos: An Integrated Guide and Online Archive of Walt Whitman’s Poetry Manuscripts

In order to organize the widely dispersed manuscripts of Walt Whitman, The Walt Whitman Archive, in partnership with the University of Nebraska- Lincoln Libraries, has utilized the power of Encoded Archival Description (EAD) to create a single, scholarly enhanced guide to Whitman’s poetry manuscripts. This integrated finding guide to Whitman’s poetry manuscripts includes item-level description, links to repository guides that provide both location information and collection context, links to digital images of the manuscripts, and links to Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) transcriptions. In creating such a guide, we had to work cooperatively across disciplines and institutions, expand the use of EAD, and address how best to integrate description and transcription (EAD and TEI files). This essay describes our procedure as we created the integrated guide. From collecting finding aids and creating partnerships with other institutions, to developing a proper encoding standard and establishing good cross-department working relations, our project has embodied many of the benefits and challenges of digital work in the humanities. By identifying our procedures, and by laying out our future hurdles, we hope we can advance knowledge about Whitman and about how scholars and archivists can collaborate effectively to advance research, improve access, and realize the potential of EAD

UNL Libraries Deposit Programs

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Libraries offers several avenues for preserving and providing access to digital and physical research materials. This document outlines the four main avenues for depositing materials with UNL Libraries. Although there are separate repositories with specific missions—Archives & Special Collections, DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska–Lincoln, UNL Data Repository, and UNL Image & Multimedia Collections—all work together toward the goal of preserving the intellectual and creative output of the university and to make our contributions discoverable to state, national, and international communities. This document describes the operations of each repository. The Libraries policy is to publish, or provide online access to, materials (1) when the Libraries holds copyright, (2) when the copyright holder has granted the Libraries permission for online publication, or (3) when the Libraries do not hold copyright but may manage access behind a firewall. The University Libraries is committed to preserving and providing access to the full range of in-tellectual contributions of the faculty and staff at UNL for the benefit of current and future gen-erations. All members of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are encouraged to deposit content with UNL Libraries. Materials deposited in our institutional repositories are historical and not all historical events confirm to current standards of civility. As such, they may contain racial or sexual stereotypes that are inappropriate by today’s standards. They have been retained in order to fully represent the materials in their original context. All members of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln are encouraged to deposit content with UNL Libraries. Content can be nondigital items supplied to Archives & Special Collections or digital content deposited in the Data, Image & Multimedia Collections, Digital Commons repositories, or University Archives