Empowerment for digitization: lessons learned from The Making of Modern Michigan

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the planning and implementation of a project (The Making of Modern Michigan) which was undertaken to develop a digital collection on Michigan history and to provide training, equipment and technical resources needed by staff in small and medium‐sized Michigan libraries to begin their first digitization projects.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a case‐study approach, The Making of Modern Michigan is placed in the larger context of academic‐library digitization efforts since the mid‐1990 s. The needs of the target audience are reviewed, and the services and technical resources provided to them are described with special attention to the innovative aspects of the project: tools for copyright status profiling and metadata entry.

Findings

The article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of The Making of Modern Michigan's decentralized approach to managing a collaborative project involving more than 50 institutions.

Practical implications

The library profession may benefit significantly when staff from small and medium‐sized institutions are offered the opportunity to build their skills and participate in a collaborative project in a meaningful way; however, the time required to provide training, coordination and oversight is much greater than anticipated when The Making of Modern Michigan was originally planned.

Originality/value

As a collaborative project involving small libraries and focusing on materials of regional and local interest, The Making of Modern Michigan represents an emerging trend in the field of library digitization. The practical lessons reported here will benefit those planning or implementing similar projects.

Citation

Jones, R.A. (2005), "Empowerment for digitization: lessons learned from The Making of Modern Michigan", Library Hi Tech, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 205-219. https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830510605160