For my class on collection development, I am writing a paper about digitization of rare resources. As part of the assignment, we are required to write up a brief summary of the progress of our research. Rather than do it in .doc form, I chose to post it here as part of my blog.
Benefits of Digitization
One of the major benefits of digitization of rare resources is increased use. Peter B. Hirtle, in his article "The Impact of Digitization on Special Collections", cites increased use as the primary benefit. He says that before digitization efforts were commenced at Cornell University, certain rare books were only viewed a few hundred times a year. Since these books have been first digitized and then enhanced with searchable text via the Making of America Project, this number has gone up to about 5,000 views a day. A great number of people who previously would not have access to these materials now have access to them. The fact that they are available free and on the open web (link is at the bottom of this entry) makes them amazingly accessible to the general public.
Another related benefit is that of access being granted to new types of users. Materials previously only used by academic researchers are now available to the general public. Hirtle cites the example of writers of the Oxford English Dictionary using Cornell's Making of America Project for their research, when initially it was intended for American Studies scholars. Similarly, Anne J. Gilliland-Swetland discusses in "An Exploration of K-12 User Needs for Digital Primary Source Materials" the exciting possibility of using digitized primary source materials in the K-12 classroom.
Finally, digitization has the benefit of preserving the materials in question. For very fragile materials, digitization may limit handling. Some people really just need the text in question and therefore the digitized version may be acceptable. This saves the original from unnecessary handling.
Risks of Digitization
Digitization does have its risks. Although it decreases handling, which is beneficial for preservation, handling is required in order to perform the digitization process. The process itself, if not carried out correctly, can damage the original. In the article "Scan Locally, Access Globally" by Daniel DeSimone, the Library of Congress's digitization efforts are discussed. DeSimone describes the story of a French researcher, Pierre-Jean Raimond, who requested a digital copy be made of the 12th century manuscript "Exposicio mistica super exodum" in order to aid his research. This sparked discussion among the different branches of the library of congress about whether digitization would degrade the source material and how to avoid this. Ultimately, the rare books librarians and scan lab worked together to come up with a plan for digitization which preserved the manuscript's integrity, and, as DeSimone puts it: "demonstrated the collaboration of the Library's curatorial, conservation and digital specialists to meet the demand for digital images of rare materials while ensuring their preservation."
Not Just Making Copies
The possibilities of digitization of rare materials extend beyond just preservation and access. There is the possibility of attaching to the digitization explanations, essays and hypertext links to other related materials. Enhanced digitization may greatly improve the quality of information by drawing together different related sources to create a more complete picture of the information contained within. An example of something similar is located here . (Ok, I admit this isn't a digitized rare book or anything. I just wanted to link to it because it's cool and because it employs some of the same technology and strategies used in digitization of rare materials.) In this example, clicking on the interactive link gives you a very high quality image overlayed with information about the subject (the Tollund man). This is similar to something that could be done with a rare book, where a mouseover could bring you to extra information about the topic of the digitization effort. The only downside to this is the resources needed. According to the Council on Library and Information Resources, the cost of enhanced digitization of a 300 page book is approximately $2,500. This is by far the most expensive form of preservation. Is it worth it? I think in some cases, it definitely is, but whether it is a project that should be undertaken on a large scale is something that is yet to be determined.
Links
Cornell University's Making of America Project -- Digital library of 19th century American serials and monographs
Library of Congress Digital Collections -- Maps, newspapers, and rare books (the picture I posted here is one taken from a Book of Hours from the Rosenwald Collection)
Scan Locally, Access Globally -- Article written for the Library of Congress Information Bulletin by Daniel De Simone about the LoC's digitization efforts
UNESCO: Digitization of Rare Library Materials -- a short synopsis of some of the issues surrounding digitization
Other Resources
Gilliland-Swetland, A. J. (1998). An exploration of k-12 user needs for digital primary source materials. The American Archivist, 61(1), 136.
Hirtle, P.B. (2002). The impact of digitization on special collections in libraries. Libraries & Culture, 37(1), 42-52.
