Illustrators are often the least known and most quickly forgotten members of the art world and as such, so many of their artistic creations are lost in our disposable society. Illustrators are the creative forces behind the images on everything from greeting cards to cereal boxes to advertising – including movie posters. All too often, the work of illustrators survives only because of the relationships between dealers who sell the ephemera and the collectors who drive the market. Scholarly information tends to be severely lacking, patchy, or extremely incomplete on movie poster ephemera. Often with collectibles, the best reference guides are written and compiled by collectors.

Ed and Susan Poole have been avid collectors of the movie industry’s “paper accessories” beginning with their first purchase in the mid-1970’s – a poster for one of Susan’s favorite movies: Gidget. Because of their decades long interest in the subject, the Pooles are regarded as experts in their field and have published several favorably reviewed books on movie posters. In addition, they maintain a website, Learn About Movie Posters (LAMP), where interested individuals can learn more about movie posters and buyers and sellers can connect to trade their wares. At the beginning of 2010, the Poole’s announced their commitment to developing an online archive of movie ephemera, Movie Poster Data Base. In early April, according to a posting to the Association of Moving Image Archivists listserv by Ed Poole, they already had developed a robust collection of information in their database including:

• 3,000+ silent studios worldwide
• 15,000+ NSS trailer numbers for identifying unknown trailers
• 25,000+ production codes for identifying unknown stills
• 30,000+ NSS poster and accessory numbers for identifying titles and reissues
• 81,000 poster images online in our archive and cross referenced

Upon visiting both of these sites, their commercial status is apparent due to advertising and promoting sellers, however, there seems to be a strong commitment to compiling accurate information and making it accessible. Seemingly, there is a plethora of information available, but it is not always easy to find. There are several search options on the site. The basic search is the simplest. There are advanced searches with an accompanying manual instructing visitor in their use. Here, one is able to search movies, posters, dealers, and items for sale. It is slightly confusing because all of these features seem to be accessible through the results of a basic search, too. Serious scholars and collectors are encouraged to sign up for specialized members only access, though it does not appear to deliver any more information.

Testing the site with a search for Star Wars movie posters is an excellent indicator of the breadth of information available. After selecting the original release from 1977 search results are returned for more than 40 posters and lobby cards. Selecting one of these items from the list delivers a paragraph about the history, the dimensions, the name of the artist, the number of printings and variances between each printing, and the NSS (National Screen Service) number. There is even cautionary information regarding counterfeits. And, of course, there are links to Poole-approved, reputable dealers selling this particular poster. It is disappointing that the artist’s name is hyperlinked, but not to biographical information. The link leads to an alphabetical list of all the artists on record with LAMP. Clicking on a hyperlinked name from the list delivers all of the posters and paper goods created by a particular artist.

Browsing the site, copyright issues do leap to mind. There are many featured items old enough to be in the public domain; however, our Star Wars example is definitely protected by copyright law and Lucasfilm could be a vigilant enforcer. The Poole’s have a statement of ownership on each entry reading:

This section is for reference use. Images found on this site are property of LAMP and are for reference purposes only with NO rights implied or given. See LAMP Disclaimer.

The LAMP disclaimer is a vague interpretation of Fair Use citing educational purposes, but it does warn patrons to investigate ownership rights before distributing images.

Fortunately, increasing the breadth and scope of the site is in the works. The Poole’s intend to include artist biographies, studio logos and printing companies into their documentation. As to be expected, this is an incredibly laborious task. This endeavor is an important task because it will preserve relatively unknown information on an esoteric, culturally intrinsic medium. The current Movie Poster Data Base is comprehensive and useful and, as it evolves, it will prove even more so. Scholars and collectors may soon be able to locate accurate and comprehensive information on one website, rather than sifting through the internet and searching for out of print books. If the Poole’s would only team up with a librarian/archivist to help streamline the user interface, improve the web graphics and design, and organize the information.

Skill Five: Project Management

Perhaps the most important skill a librarian or archivist must possess for a successful digitization initiative is that of project management. Project management is a complicated endeavor comprised of: planning, budgeting, prioritizing, scheduling, coordinating, communicating, collating, visualizing, selecting, delegating, programming, designing, organizing, overseeing, overhearing, marketing, and sometimes even cheerleading. This list is reminiscent of a song by Bob Dylan or R.E.M., and is very likely incomplete, but each aspect of project management listed above is significant. A good project manager has the ability to see the big picture as clearly as the smallest details of the collection. If this sounds harder than comprehending metadata, rest assured, the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) comes through again with excellent advice in A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections, the guide mentioned in our first installment, Evaluating the Collection. The success or failure of a digital collection is decided by the quality and effectiveness of its project management.

Before scanning that first image or purchasing any software, librarians and archivists should create a plan for the project. The principles behind this first step are similar to developing a business plan. Begin by asking yourself some questions: Why should the collection be digitized? Who will use the collection? How will it be used? After these questions have been answered, it would be useful to develop a mission statement and a vision statement. These will help communicate the importance of the project and the need for support to the parties who control funding and other required resources. They will also serve as a beacon to ensure that the focus is not lost in the work flow.

After establishing why the collection should be created, your plan should formulate how the work can be accomplished. This is like gathering ingredients before beginning to cook. How many people will be needed? Are they readily available? How much space will be needed? Is there equipment to purchase? How much will it cost? How long will it take? How much training is required? What have other institutions done? How did they do it? Are their projects successful? Should their collections be emulated? What should be different? A well-formed plan with a clear vision, realistic goals, and a finite deadline sells the project to the administrators, garners support from your colleagues, and allows marketing the collection to potential users to begin.

The next factor in the project plan is outlining the actual work to be done for creating a digital collection including scanning, editing, and cataloging. At this stage, it is useful to formulate a step-by-step set of instructions for each aspect of the project. For example, there should be instructions for how to create the digital objects and guidelines for adjusting and saving them. Topics such as editing, adjusting color balance, adjusting brightness or contrast, cropping, borders, image resolution, file types, file naming, and more should be clearly outlined in these instructions. Worksheets for recording the data created during this process may be advisable. These worksheets will be helpful when creating the catalog record and metadata for each object. By the way, an instruction manual will be very handy for this step, too. Lastly, tracking the work flow can and should be accomplished via a shared spreadsheet. The spreadsheet allows the project manager and everyone involved to see at a glance what has been done, who did it, and what remains to be done. This saves time, allows for quality control, and minimizes the chances of duplicating efforts.

Accessing the content of a digital collection is deceptively simple – it only takes a few moments, but the time investment and specialized knowledge required for creating that collection is extensive. Developing a useful and usable digital collection depends upon a unique blend of skills possessed by librarians and archivists to accomplish a multi-dimensional task. The skills discussed here and in previous sections include: evaluating the collections needs assessment for the project, knowledge of technologies, metadata standards, and project management. If you are comfortable in some of these areas and are willing to learn along the way, you are ready to begin!

Skill Four: Metadata Standards

Metadata is defined as data about data, information about information. If this sounds confusing, TechTerms.com provides a simple definition of how metadata “describes other data” citing examples such as: image size, document length, and creation date. A much more comprehensive guide called Understanding Metadata was published in 2004 by The National Information Standards Organization (NISO).

The NISO publication is meaty, but concise at just 15 pages and that includes a resource list and a glossary! Though the word “metadata” sounds enigmatic to librarians and laypersons alike, compiling metadata is really similar to standard cataloging using MARC 21 – which is itself a metadata standard. There are three types of metadata as defined by NISO: descriptive metadata, structural metadata, and administrative metadata. Anyone working with digital collections should become intimately familiar with all three.

Descriptive metadata can be defined as basic cataloging information about the object itself. This includes the title, author or creator, publisher or other entity responsible for the object, subjects, keywords, and anything else that would be useful for someone attempting to locate a particular item.

Structural metadata is information about the structure of compound objects. Simply put, structural metadata links together records for objects with more than one record. For example, a newspaper is a compound object because, though it is considered one object, its structure includes several pages to create that one object. Each page is individually digitized, but the collection of digital records for each page comprises the compound object – the newspaper. In this instance, structural metadata includes how many pages the digital record spans and it works to connect these records.
Administrative metadata covers a variety of issues including copyright, creation methods, and other technical aspects. In addition to a statement covering intellectual property rights, complete metadata records include information about the creation of the digital object such as: date of digitization, name of file, type of file, image resolution, and equipment used, and sometimes the name of the metadata creator.

Combining the three types of metadata for one record can be very confusing because both the physical object and the digital surrogate are being described. Remembering which aspect is required for each field in the catalog record is easier with practice. Descriptive metadata covers the physical object, while structural metadata connects the digital objects required to simulate the physical object, and administrative metadata is wholly concerned with the digital object. Fortunately, many software programs designed for digital collections include customizable templates for inputting metadata.

There are many established and viable metadata standards currently in use. These include Dublin Core and EAD. NISO’s Understanding Metadata explains these two standards and several more. When deciding which schema to follow, consider how similar collections have been handled. For those who are part of a consortia or other resource sharing group, ask if there is already an established standard. Conforming to an established records format allows for smoother interoperability now and in the future ensuring your collections will be able to migrate into the next new technological wave.

Next Up: Skill Five: Project Management

Skill Three: Knowledge of Technologies

Librarians and archivists who develop digital collections must be technology savvy. This sounds much more intimidating than it really is. To be skilled in technology does not mean one has to have mastered every program and piece of equipment ever created. This would be nearly impossible because technology is constantly changing and evolving. Rather, being skilled in technology means one has mastered some programs and equipment, has an overall understanding of how things work, and is capable of learning new skills. Fortunately that describes most of today’s librarians and archivists. Staying informed about the latest developments in hardware and software is equally as important as nurturing an enthusiasm for learning new tools and the possibilities they bring.

There is a broad knowledge base required for librarians and archivists working on digital collections because, in addition to traditional library skills, they handle everything from the creation of the digital object to its catalog record in a database. They set standards for scanning images and saving files and they adjust scanned images using photo editing software. They catalog the images in a database and add metadata. They teach all of these skills to any support staff assisting in the projects. Finally, they design digital library environments complete with user interfaces.

One of the most important reasons to be tech savvy comes down to money. The financial investment to purchase hardware and software for a library can be significant. Librarians and archivists want to make the best, most informed decisions possible when spending their institution’s money. Before purchasing anything, you may want to read some reviews to see what the experts think of that new digital camera or software package, or anything else. CNET is a great source of information about all technology-related things. The reviews are thorough, yet understandable. Many other websites offer reviews by experts, but remember to consider the source. Impartial reviews are best. Some sites offer reviews written by people who have purchased and used the software or equipment. Often, these are the best reviews because they are not written by experts. Remember, your colleagues are an excellent source of information, too. Ask them what they are using and whether they are happy with the results.

The caveat is selecting digital formats and delivery methods—or any other tech item – is not a “once and done” decision. Just when you have everything in place and working smoothly, a new version of your software could be released or your scanner will die or some other unexpected curve ball will come along. This is exactly what happened during my digital collection project for a university. When I began developing the collection, I was working with Luna Insight version 5.6. Half way through the project, the systems librarian upgraded to version 6 without my knowledge. The software had changed enough to necessitate some re-learning which slowed down my progress. The moral: Always attempt to find out if there is a pending upgrade!

Librarians and archivists must constantly keep an ear to the ground to stay current. The marketplace regularly offers new and better equipment. This is wonderful because often prices come down, features increase, and ease of use improves. But unfortunately, as technology develops, file types are subject to change. These changes can be frustrating or, at a minimum, challenging because one must constantly plan for future migration of files into unknown formats. Make your selections based on what works for today and the foreseeable future while keeping a prophetic eye toward what may come next.

Next up: Skill Four: Metadata Standards

Skill Two: Needs Assessment
After deciding to create a digital exhibition, the librarian/archivist should perform a needs assessment to list anything required for the project. The list will include everything from staff and supplies to time and workspace. After compiling a list, the librarian/archivist will determine which resources are readily available and which needs will need to be acquired. The library/archives may already have sufficient supplies, a large workroom and staff members who are knowledgeable in technology, but it may need to acquire a scanner, a digital camera, digital storage devices and software. Each new purchase should be researched for quality, specifications and suitability. The librarian/archivist will likely be the one to select and recommend the new purchases. It may help to look at other collections during your own needs assessment.

Many universities and cultural institutions are now building digital collections. Browsing other digital collections may be useful before embarking on your own. Establish a benchmark for your collection by comparing the content and presentation styles, image quality and added features of other collections. Where can you find digital collections to browse? Professional associations are always a great place to start! For example, the Visual Resources Association (VRA) has assembled a useful list of resources, information sources, standards, and software and the list includes links to online collections.

Once you decide how to configure your collection, you are ready to shop for the necessary tools. The VRA list mentioned above includes many Content Management Software (CMS) options. This will likely be the hardest decision. If your library is part of a consortium or if it collaborates with or shares resources with any other institutions – or plans to do so – it may be advisable to consider using the software others are already using. If the decision rests solely on what will best serve your needs, factors to consider include: availability of official and unofficial technical support, ease of use, the learning curve and opportunities for training, the longevity and reputation of the software developer, and price.

Next, you will need photo editing software and the options abound! Most cameras and scanners are equipped with basic software packages. Often, these programs are sufficient for adjusting brightness, contrast, color, and cropping of the images. If more advanced editing options are preferred, Adobe offers their Photoshop software in varying price ranges and packages. However, there are free and open source options available including Picasa from Google ) and IrfanView.

While you are deciding on the software to purchase or acquire, you will also want to consider how to create, capture and store your digital images. While many projects can be accomplished with a scanner alone, some objects may be better served by a digital camera. The good news is prices have really come down on both of these tools, but the bad news is the selection and range of quality is wider than ever before. With so many numbers, ratios, decimal points, and file sizes to compare, how should one decide on which tools to buy? Talk with your colleagues about what they are using, if they are happy with the results, and if they would recommend their equipment to you. Read reviews from independent websites like CNet and be wary of reviews offered by manufacturers. Before making your final selections, if at all possible, try before you buy. You want to ensure the camera is comfortable to hold with easy, intuitive controls and the image quality meets the standards of your own eye. You should also check to see if the scanner is simple to use or does it have a plethora of mysterious buttons? And remember: size does matter! Check the size of the scanner to ensure it will fit within the allotted workspace. Does it fit on your desk or work table? Is the scanning bed large enough to accommodate the objects you plan to digitize? Make sure to try out the scanning functions, too.

Your needs assessment is almost complete. Just a few details remain. For example, once the images are captured, you will need to store them somewhere. Does your institution have sufficient server space to accommodate your content management software and digital collection? Do you have DVDs and external hard drives to store the backups? What about human resources? Make sure the Systems Librarian has enough time to help you set everything up. Also, you may want student assistants or other support to capture and catalog the images and the time to write an effective how-to manual, and provide training for them. Developing quality digital projects is time consuming!

Next Up: Skill Three: Knowledge of Technologies

Skill One: Evaluating the Collection:

The five skills essential for developing digital collections have collectively been my mantra since I “inherited” over 4000 images from a university archivist’s external hard drive. These images were uploaded into Luna Insight, without a plan, and their catalog records are extremely incomplete.

My task has been to organize the collection into subject areas and develop a metadata schema. Remembering the five skills is a tremendous help! These skills include: evaluating the collections, needs assessment for the project, knowledge of technologies, metadata standards and project management. Each skill listed above is actually a multifaceted aspect critical to the creation of a digital library. Today, we will discuss Skill One– Evaluating The Collection.

The starting point for creating a digital exhibition centers on evaluating the collection. This is essentially collection development and curatorship combined. In order to develop a meaningful digital collection, one must become familiar with the items available for inclusion. Essentially, begin by looking at what you have. For my project, this meant browsing through all 4000+ images (twice!) in order to become acquainted with the visual content and to identify possible recurring themes of the images at my disposal. My collection includes assorted new and historic photos of campus buildings, classrooms, dorm rooms, classes, football games, students, faculty members, university presidents, parades, and performances.

Next in evaluating the collection is the curatorial role. Choosing a collection to digitize, or even organizing digital images into a collection, is often a very subjective process dependent on a combination of scholarship and feeling. Ideally, the selection process should be impartial and based on what would be most useful. However, each of us has different interests, different subject specialties, different likes, and different dislikes. Consequently, the images and objects available for inclusion will appeal to each of us differently and the items we decide to include in our collections will no doubt be influenced to some degree by the individuals making the selections.

As an example, I have a special interest in historic architecture. The university I am assisting has been in existence, in some form, since 1849. Many of the photos in my collection are of beautiful, old buildings and former presidents’ homes. Since the university has a strong Historic Preservation program and there is a significant body of information about the campus structures, beginning with the buildings seemed the best starting point. It is just a bonus it is the most interesting to me! Though I prefer old structures and old photographs, creating an unbiased collection is the ultimate goal. Toward that end, I am including photos of recent structures and recent photos, too. Throughout the selection process, I tried to keep in mind potential users of the digital collection and how they might use it. Formulating a digital collection should ultimately and ideally be guided by an institution’s collection development policy.

Determining how to begin is definitely a challenge since standards for a good collection, according to NISO (National Information Standards Organization), “include levels of usability, accessibility, and fitness for use appropriate to the anticipated user group(s)” as well as “interoperability, reusability, persistence, verification, documentation, and support for intellectual property rights. That is a lot of responsibility and it seems like a daunting task. Fortunately, help exists! NISO published an outstanding manual, funded in part by IMLS (Institute for Museum and Library Services), titled A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections. The manual contains helpful explanations, how-to information, and links to more resources.

The requirements may seem intimidating, but it is well worth investing the time and resources to develop a digital collection. Archives often contain surprisingly unique and wonderful collections. Unfortunately, they are known by very few people. Digital exhibitions are an excellent way to showcase what makes your archives special. Digitization increases publicity for the archives and provides access to objects that would otherwise be unavailable. The librarian/archivist, as curator, decides what to feature, why it should be featured, and how it should be presented. It sounds simple, but the premise for the digital project will be important and should serve as a guide throughout the process.

Next is Skill Two: Needs Assessment

Who could have imagined the Europeans, with their centuries of battles over land, wealth, and power, would set an example for the world of collaboration and sharing? While we Americans — smug in our democracy — tussle with issues of intellectual property, copyright, and royalties, the Europeans have banded together to create an unprecedented, free information resource. Europeana.eu is a web portal to the virtually combined collections of one hundred libraries, archives, museums, universities, and other cultural institutions. Visitors to Europeana.eu have free access to books, newspapers, letters, journals, photographs, drawings, paintings, maps, sound recordings, videos, and films. While it is currently a prototype, the European Digital Library (EDL) Foundation intends to present a business model in 2010 that will allow the site to become self-sustaining.

Here in the States, librarians and legal departments are too bogged down in deciding who actually owns the items in their collections to develop rich digital access sites. Fear of violating intellectual property rights ties the librarian’s hands while their institution’s capitalist administrators loathe giving information for free when it may be sold instead. There was a time not long ago when visiting a museum’s website provided access to digital images of much of the collection. Today, most museums present only a few images of select works from their collections. One (intentionally unnamed) museum simultaneously developed a new website and eliminated most of their online image collection. Consequently, the site is visually bland and the online visitor is not inspired to visit in person. It is an injustice to the institution. The museum’s director feared missing a cut of the profits from their works of art potentially gracing books, coffee mugs, and tote bags.

Administrators are not greedy ogres. The money earned from the collection helps to sustain the institution. Protecting the coffers is prudent in today’s world. Corporate sponsors are reducing their contributions or eliminating them altogether. Personal membership in cultural institutions is down. The jobless rates in the U.S. are shocking. The land of plenty is becoming the land of bare essentials. If a buck can be made by licensing the use of a painting for a t-shirt, more power to them. They need every dollar they can get. However, the backlash could potentially be very damaging. Without participation in the digital arena, interest in cultural institutions may wane and visitor counts may dwindle. Scholarship will surely suffer at the hands of restricted access. After all, isn’t scholarship one of the inalienable rights spelled out in our Constitution? Perhaps it is not explicitly stated, but free access to information and the exchange of ideas is essential to democracy.

Our colleagues across the pond understand the value of making information accessible and are betting the benefits of access will outweigh the violations of intellectual property rights. Be assured, issues of copyright are not disregarded or ignored on the Europeana site. Their current policy is stated on a Terms of Service page which acknowledges changes may be made pending a full legal review. In general, the terms of use are similar to other fair use policies. In a leap of faith, institutions all across Europe are generously giving their precious collections and their precious time to serve a greater communal good.