I think this digitization project well illustrates how beneficial technology can be. Over 7,000 images being available to users is well worth the efforts and money. The preservation of historical images through this channel is really beneficial for anyone interested in maintaining the history of this area.
Challenges faced within the project:
1. Communication between the various institutions. Despite monthly meetings, communication and lack of dialogue was still an issue.
2. Attached meaning to subjects within the catalog. (example, museum archivists versus academic archivists discussing what the photographs "mean")
3. Image selection (based on size, format, quality, etc.)
4. Metadata
5. Workflow
6. Web site development
Although work continues on the project, the outcomes will be determined based on audience receipt of the image collection. All the participating institutions want the collection to make a meaningful impact on the user.
I thought this article was fantastic! We've been talking so much about digitization, it was great to see an actual project in the process of completion. Some of the challenges faced in this project are some of the questions raised in earlier articles as to whether or not digitization is worth the effort and cost. I still think that ultimately, it is worth the cost. The value of the image as a large collection available to users in this digital format is something that cannot be overlooked.
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I also thought it was great to finally read an article that puts some of what we've been learning to practical use. The costs vs benefits of digitization is always an interesting debate (I think in this case, definitely worth the cost!).
I was fascinated at how the 3 different groups involved had to come together on a standardized language for labeling their images, but everyone was given free reign to use their own preferred databases. Made it interesting to see the project was completed in spite of all the communication issues.
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