VIRTUALLY NEW - CREATING THE DIGITAL COLLECTION

A. AN AGENCY TO ADVISE ON AND CO-ORDINATE PUBLIC LIBRARY DIGITISATION

A.1 Functions

A central source of expertise in digitisation in the public library sector should be established. There is a real and urgent need for such a resource to identify current standards and best practice and avoid duplication of effort. The core functions of this agency should be:

• to identify and advise on technical, data and preservation standards and methodologies;
• to maintain a record of collections digitised;
• to liaise with appropriate bodies in other sectors;
• to facilitate the networking of content and co-operation between libraries; and
• to focus research and development.
• to act as a focus for discussion of an overall strategic direction for digitisation in the sector.

A.2 Other Operational Roles

The agency could also optionally have an operational role in areas such as:

• providing services for digitisation;
• copyright tracing and clearance;
• managing collaborative projects; and,
• managing collaborative projects; and,
• providing servers for network access.

A.3 Relationship to Other Bodies

• The agency should operate contractually within the framework of a Public Library Network Agency and / or a National Agency for Resource Discovery.

• The core functions need to be co-ordinated on a national level but appropriate functions and services should be delivered on a regional basis, for which the Regional Library Systems exist as potential operators.

• The agency should be public library focused but that its services should be available to other local authority cultural departments including archives and museums, as appropriate.

B. CATALOGUES & FINDING AIDS

Creating, automating and networking catalogues and finding aids has to be recognised as the priority for many local studies collections, special collections and archives.

C. FUNDING

There must be substantial new, targeted external funding if any significant volume of work on digitisation of public library special collections of national and international importance, or the building up distributed subject-based digital collections, is to proceed.

D. SELECTION FOR DIGITISATION

The selection of content for digitisation and funding should recognise local public priorities as well as network collection building.

E. LOCAL AND REGIONAL NEWSPAERS

The potential for free-text searching of digitised local and regional newspaper collections should be a research and development priority, to be addressed by NEWSPLAN.

F. RECIPROCAL ACCESS TO DIGITISED COLLECTIONS

Reciprocal arrangements for network access to digitised special collections in public libraries and academic libraries should be explored.

G. COPYRIGHT

The Library & information Commission should, through European Copyright User Platform (ECUP), seek to address the difficulties in digitising local some studies material created by the EC Directive 93/98/EEC on the Duration of Copyright.

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