Embed and engage! Delivering a digitisation program at the University of Wollongong Library^a

Abstract

The digital environment is growing rapidly, through ubiquitous and increasingly powerful personal computing devices, and the demand for information to be accessible. Libraries and archives, as traditional providers and storehouses of content, are adapting to this changing environment by adopting new and innovative digital content delivery mechanisms to unmask their special collections. In 2012, the University of Wollongong Library implemented a comprehensive digitisation program for its unique archival and research collections. Film, photographs, documents, artworks and audio are being made available online through several platforms and delivery tools in combination, complementing the increasingly important role played by the library in supporting research, education, and community engagement. The implementation of a Digital Collections Portal has channelled Australian and international audiences to the library's digital content. Open access to collections is a key library goal, with success measured in part by the amount of material made available and the number of times it is downloaded. With a focus on building collections, prominent issues such as format shifting, metadata production, and methods of open communication have been resolved as the library develops expertise and knowledge in managing an embedded digitisation programme.

Discovering art online: Digitising university art museum collections

“…21 Closer to home, the University of Wollongong initiated a program to tackle the digitisation of its archival collections, which includes image and text-based objects such as letters and manuscripts. 22 Daly and Organ describe a 'Digital Collections Significance Register', a scorecard that lists collection content and rates it based on select criteria. The register, a helpful best practice framework, 'provides a matrix for determining order of priority in planning digitisation activities'.…”

Library Digitization: The Niia Experience, Lessons Learn’t And Way Forward

“…According to Daly and Organ, 2014, "The digital environment is growing rapidly, through ubiquitous and increasingly powerful personal computing devices and the demand for information to accessible Libraries and archives, as traditional providers and storehouses of content, are adapting to this changing environment by adopting new and innovative digital delivery mechanism" 1.With the advent of ICT and its application to Librarianship, the delivery of Library services to the users has taken another form. Libraries are institutions known for holding information and knowledge for users.…”