Competing Priorities: Sustainability, Growth, and Innovation in Digital Collections.

Competing Priorities:

Sustainability, Growth, and

Innovation In Digital Collections

Jenn Riley

Head, Carolina Digital Library and

Archives

University of North Carolina at Chapel

Hill

Are academic libraries like a

forest?

Ph

oto

by e

rwla

s.

htt

p://w

ww

.flic

kr.

co

m/p

ho

tos/e

rwla

s/3

21

64

776

32

/

How can

we

manage

growth?

Photo by aislinv.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ais

linnv/446429071/

How can

we

manage

change?

Photo by Nemo’s great uncle.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maynard/75485033/

A familiar story (broadly told)

Administration’s

perspective: We need

a fundamental

change.

Front line librarians’

perspective: We’re

moving too slowly; I

can’t get the

resources I need to

follow through on my

ideas.

Technical staff’s

perspective: We can’t

take on any more.

THE SYSTEMS

Basic premise: A well-planned, integrated set of software systems

to support digital library work is the core of technical sustainability,

and allows manageable growth and innovation.

Yep, we have this problem.

Photo by windsordi. http://www.flickr.com/photos/windsordi/3467758700/

What if it were more like this?

Photo by James UK. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesuk/503466376/

Access control

Access copiesPreservation mastersPreservation services

Management/access layer

Storage/preservation layer

Access control

Object normalization/tr

ansformation

etc. Streaming media

überdiscovery

system

Discovery/delivery layer

Scalable image

delivery

Ingest prep

PUBLIC-FACING TOOLS

INTERNALLY-FOCUSED TOOLS

Indexing

Ingest(add/update/delete/normalize content/metadata)

External repositories to which UNC contributes content

UN

C-M

AN

AG

ED SYSTEM

S

Other object repositories with cool stuff

ID resolution

Middleware services

Metadata

Specialized discovery/d

elivery system

Metadata/object management

interfaceMetadata creation

tools

Specialized content management& access systems

Specialized content

management & access systems

Abstraction services for repository communication

Ingest(add/update/delete/normalize content/metadata)

Collection builder tool

Standard communication protocol or syndication of content

EXTER

NA

LLY-MA

NA

GED

SYSTEMS

Services

Web applications, with user interfaces. May cache data.

Storage

It’s a goal.

Something

to work

towards.

Photo by Eddie van W.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiritual_

marketplace/2207966935/

Photo by Alex R. (rt48state). http://www.flickr.com/photos/rt48state/3756762770/

THE SERVICES

Basic premise: Digital library activities in 2012 aren’t just new

collections projects. Instead, they should be broadly about

providing services—to library staff, to students, to faculty, to the

community.

Added value through partnerships

What types of services?

Faculty outreach – research and teaching

Training – local systems and external

technology

Data management consulting

Institutional repository efforts

Project planning/management

Bringing the content and the tech together

THE PROCESS

Basic premise: Encourage planning, allow possible initiatives to be

compared to one another, provide a path for ideas to reach fruition,

ensure we can commit the resources necessary to succeed with

those initiatives we do prioritize.

It’s not enough to

have a good idea.

Receive proposal

Assign CDLA facilitator

Post proposal for CDLA/Systems/LT

C review

Report to LTC

Develop full project

proposal/timeline

Develop basic project

plan/timeline

Project/workflow/time analysis

General estimate of required resources

Identify stakeholders

Preliminary decision on

proposal disposition

Candidate for fast-track approval

Require full LTC review

Approve and proceed

immediately

Report to LTCLTC semiannual

review

Compare required

resources to available resources

Place in holding queue for priority if resource

availability changes

Resources become available

before next LTC review

Final decision on proposal disposition

Reso

urces

available

Resources not available

NoYes


Fast

-tra

ck a

pp

rova

l

Estimate of required resources

Absorb as part of non-project work

Receive proposal



C review

Report to LTC


proposal/timeline


plan/timeline








Approve and proceed

immediately


review

Compare required







Reso

urces

available


NoYes


Fast

-tra

ck a

pp

rova

l



For some initiatives, allow “fast track”

approval.

Receive proposal



C review

Report to LTC


proposal/timeline


plan/timeline








Approve and proceed

immediately


review

Compare required







Reso

urces

available


NoYes


Fast

-tra

ck a

pp

rova

l



Develop a formal project plan.

Receive proposal



C review

Report to LTC


proposal/timeline


plan/timeline








Approve and proceed

immediately


review

Compare required







Reso

urces

available


NoYes


Fast

-tra

ck a

pp

rova

l



“Facilitator” from the Carolina Digital

Library and Archives

Receive proposal



C review

Report to LTC


proposal/timeline


plan/timeline








Approve and proceed

immediately


review

Compare required







Reso

urces

available


NoYes


Fast

-tra

ck a

pp

rova

l



Role of assessment

Assessment is a current UNC Library priority

New (30%) Assessment Coordinator

Identified as a Library Technology Council priority

for activities through end of 2012

Project plans required an assessment component

The assessment plans were pretty basic

Formal assessment of the project proposal

process underway

What happened in this review

cycle We approved everything

All proposals submitted at once

Some proposals were able to move forward

(relatively) quickly as fast-tracked

What we’ve learned (so far)

Administrators happy with the planning done;

see progress; happy to issue approvals

Proposers view process as too burdensome

Current fast-track vs. full review setup has holes

Push more justification to the proposal stage

Planning phase isn’t enough for technical

decisions in all cases

We need more assessment training

Facilitating proposals is a lot of work!

What about agility?

Photo by radloff. http://www.flickr.com/photos/radloff/6708510227/

Next steps towards sustainability

Photo by Trevor Haldenby. http://www.flickr.com/photos/trevorh/491898939/

Thank you!

[email protected]

These slides:

http://www.lib.unc.edu/users/jlriley/presentation

s/cni12s/rileySustainability.pptx

Competing Priorities: Sustainability, Growth, and Innovation in Digital Collections.

Education

digital libraries

growth of digital collections

digital collections

carolina digital library

digital files

number of digital objects

academic libraries

library technology