Small Projects and Larger Initiatives: Digitization Workflows & Proposal Templates
- Kimberly Leaman
- Esmé Cowles
Who can propose projects?
All Library digitization projects are proposed by (or in collaboration with) Princeton University Library staff members. For Large Projects, a Library Strategy Council (LSC) member must sponsor the proposal and bring it forward to LSC for review.
Not sure where to start?
You may also discuss your ideas with a Library IT Project Manager (Kim Leaman), who can work with you to establish your project's needs and which workflow might work best for you.
Small Projects
Our goal is to have a lightweight process that makes it easy for Library staff to request digitization of a small amount of material. To make this work smoothly, requests follow established patron request workflows, as long as the materials meet criteria (as determined by the person administering the patron request workflow) that ensure the request won't result in a large amount of work for any of the units involved in the digitization workflows. These criteria are:
Metadata: are the materials cataloged in Alma or ASpace with sufficient granularity to support research in the Library Catalog or Finding Aids, or is there an established ephemera project for cataloging the materials?
Conservation: can the materials fit into existing workflows for reviewing materials for patron requests? If conservation treatment is needed, the work must fall under procedures for "minimal stabilization" treatments, which include removing staples, opening pages, unfolding and flattening, and minor mending (up to, but not exceeding 5 hours of P&C staff time).
Imaging: is the volume of materials proposed small enough to be digitized in a reasonable amount of time (typically about 300 pages or less (dependent on size and complexity)? Digitization may be outsourced, but metadata, conservation, and other impacts must also be considered.
IT: do our existing applications (Figgy, Digital PUL, Library Catalog, Finding Aids, Maps Portal, etc.) currently support the functionality to display the materials?
Public Services: is there staff capacity to page the items for conservation review and digitization?
If the materials meet those criteria, then follow the procedure below to request digitization:
For Special Collections and rare materials from any location:
Follow the request instructions from Digitization & Publication Services.
For General Collections materials:
Use the Request button for the item in the Library Catalog to request digitization.
If you request a larger volume of material, the items will typically be digitized over a period of time as workloads allow.
Large Projects
If you would like to make a request that doesn't fit into the criteria above, please consult with your LSC representative about submitting a proposal for a large project, ephemera project, or evergreen project. For more information about these types of projects, see the PUL Digitization Strategy, which includes the topics that proposals should address.