WNYLRC Digitization Expo and Vendor Showcase

I went to the digitization expo yesterday and I’m back with lots to think about. I think it helped be get over my “post-vacation depression.” Plus I got to see a number of people I haven’t run into in a while, and had a fun lunch.

I listened to four presentations and chatted with vendors. The fun is that I don’t seem to come back with facts to share but with ideas for projects. Here are the thoughts I scribbled all over my program. I’m interested in comments on how to proceed, or any other good ideas.

• Have the images on my homepage change each time someone accesses it. We have about 1/3 of the photo collection online now, there must be a way to do this.
• Add online exhibits to my page to create interest in special collections.
• Does it matter if scanned photos are not in order on the CD’s? They are on the server and can be searched there by call number. That means, if I get a request for a scan, why not just stick in on whatever the current CD is? Or I guess I could to a folder for requested scans and put them all one one CD. What do you think?
• We have been saving photos in TIFF format then re-saving as JPEG in two different sizes, display and thumbnail. Apparently it’s possible with some systems to convert for TIFF to JPEG2000 on the fly when uploading. That is worth tracking down.
• I have students newspapers that need to be microfilmed. Now they can microfilm, digitize, OCR and index them at the same time. Perhaps we should look for money to do the old microfilm as well. I can see it being used a lot!
• But then I believe we have a microfilm scanner upstairs somewhere. Perhaps I could put a student to scanning them. That’s step one at least.

Look at that, years of work from listening to Angela O’Neal of the Ohio Memory project, Pam O’Sullivan of Rochester Images, Peter Verheyen and Nicolette Schneider of SU Digital Projects and Stacy Person of UBdigit, and chatting with a few vendors.

Thanks WNYLRC!