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Digital Library Center
2003-2004 Fiscal Year Report

The Digital Library Center’s collection catalog includes both umbrella and sub-collections, as well as some minor divisions of sub-collections. Hierarchy is noted in the statistical tabulation.

Production statistics are always counted at the lowest level. As an example, The World Map Collections includes several sub-collections: African Map Collection, Caribbean Map Collection, Florida Map Collection, etc. Items and images counted for the sub-collection are not rolled into the counts for the umbrella collection. Umbrella collection counts are general items/images that are not specific to a sub-collection.

The University of Florida contributes all of its digitized collections to the PALMM Collections. While it leads the development of many PALMM Collections, UF deploys in most cases under the PALMM banner to encourage contribution and shared ownership. The following statistics represent University of Florida contributions alone. Partners are listed in the narrative that follows.

All of the University of Florida’s digital masters, consistent with analog/preservation microfilming practice, are doubly stored, each with MD5 checksums at file level in separated databases also noting file name, file format, file size, creation date and methods, and other archival information, much of it derived from the file header. Applications monitor dates and files, sending inspection and migration notices/triggers. The Digital Library Center (DLC) maintains a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM archive on gold based media. The Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA) Digital Archive maintains a second digital master in off-line MAGSTAR tape format under a maintenance agreement with the Northeast Regional Data Center (NERDC) and in accord with archive policy found at the FCLA Digital Archive .

Project

Scanned

FTPed

Items

Images

Items

Images

Aerial Photography : Florida

48,230

48,230

48,230

48,230

Africana Collections
Not yet in public release

5

602

2

103

Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC)
Not yet in public release

141

2,819

0

0

 

Caribbean Newspaper Imaging Project

12

235

0

0

Eric Eustace Williams Collection

2

652

14

1,059

Haïti : Istwa e Kulcha
Haiti : History & Culture / Haïti : Histoire et Culture
Not yet in public release

1

638

0

0

Latin American Resources
Discontinued; resources distributed to dLOC collections

2

88

1

83

[Puerto Rico Collection]
Not yet in public release

1

1,020

0

0

U.S. Virgin Islands History and Culture

29

2,355

28

2,009

 

USVI Funeral Booklets
Sub-collection interface not yet in public release

2

24

1

0

USVI Government Documents
Sub-collection interface not yet in public release

11

366

3

220

USVI Research Reports
Sub-collection interface not yet in public release

5

1,044

0

0

Florida Archival Collections
Pending FCLA EAD deployment

 

University of Florida Archives
Pending FCLA EAD deployment

7

2,261

0

0

 

University of Florida Archives. Audio
Not yet in public release

43

129

1

2

Florida Environments OnLine

63

5,620

5

1,148

 

Florida Geological Survey Publications

15

1,242

12

2,092

Florida Agriculture & Rural Life

221

11,160

26

835

Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands

8

509

0

0

Florida Heritage Collection

371

20,626

12

238

University of Florida Publications
Sub-collection interface not yet in public release

482

840

0

0

Literature for Children

250

24,679

7

1,953

Linking Florida’s Natural Heritage

0

0

10

1,708

New World Collections
Not yet in public release

 

East Florida Papers
Sub-collection interface not yet in public release

1

25,894

0

0

Oral History Collections
Not yet in public release

 

Samuel Proctor Oral History Program
Sub-collection interface not yet in public release

803

20,863

0

0

Parkman Dexter Howe Library
of New England Authors
PALMM interface not yet in public release
Special interface on Howe Society web page

16

1,565

0

0

Performing Arts Collections
Not yet in public release

4

221

0

0

Psychoanalytic Study of the Arts

0

0

2

282

Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps of Florida

12

127

12

127

Theology Collections
Not yet in public release

0

0

3

82

University of Florida Herbarium

675

675

675

675

World Map Collections

234

244

233

243

 

African Map Collection

35

55

42

71

Asian Map Collection

10

20

10

20

Caribbean Map Collection

317

441

313

354

European Map Collection

24

45

24

45

Florida Map Collection

2,125

2,578

2,032

2,244

Middle East Map Collection

5

7

5

8

North America Map Collection

3

5

3

5

Pacific Map Collection
Sub-collection interface not yet in public release

10

20

10

20

South America Map Collection

1

1

2

3

[Miscellaneous materials]
Officially unnamed & without web interface
Resources cataloged in OPAC & OCLC

12

364

11

327

   

TOTAL

54,188

178,264

51,729

64,186

Scanned = digitized; FTPed = sent to FCLA for load into test or public collection


OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

  • Florida Center for Library Automation loaded new versions of XPAT/Search System software for Archives, Text and Image classes.
    • Collaborated with the DLC to build Archives Class behaviors (not completed)
    • Collaborated with the DLC to build support for new Text Search product created by the DLC.
  • University of Florida Herbarium Collections remain our most heavily used digital collection.
  • Acquired PrimeRecognition optical character recognition (OCR) software, with 6 voting engines, for text conversion.
    • Average accuracy for text conversion: 99.95%
    • Liaison with FCLA to configure XPAT to support PrimeRecognition product (PDF with hidden text)
    • Initiated programming of a zoning tool for newspapers
  • Acquired Mekel 525 GS high-speed microfilm scanner.
    • Difficulty using the scanning at high speed. Similar problem reported by Georgia State Archives and University of Kentucky (UK). UK’s IMLS-funded “Beyond the Shelf” project reports having to use the Mekel “by hand”.
  • Mark Sullivan (Systems Dept./DLC applications) and Gus Clifton (DLC Text Conversion & Mark-up) program new METS/MXF metadata packaging applications.
    • Application allows the aerial photography project to gain labor/cost saving efficiencies. The application also supports automated header inspection to determine compliance with imaging specifications.
    • Application allows metadata wrappers to be constructed quickly and efficiently with minimal human intervention.
    • Application supports semi-automated quality control and structural metadata creation; and it builds TEI shell. It also generated reports on rejected images.
    • Application builds on PrimeRecognition output to automate table of contents creation and other tagging.
    • Application implements GATE and ANNIE scripts for intelligent/semantic name recognition. It speeds text quality control review and semi-automates name authority tagging and geographic referencing within texts.
  • Institute for Museum and Library Services awards the Ephemeral Cities project.
    • Project will link archival, graphical, and print resources to interactive maps using a geographic information system with temporal layers, using highly detailed Sanborn® maps.
    • Erich Kesse delivers presentations on the project at WebWise 2004 ( Chicago, IL) and SOLINET’s annual membership meeting ( Atlanta, GA)
    • Mark Sullivan (Systems Dept./DLC applications) programs new METS-compliant metadata tool for the project’s “Community Days” (a kind of antiques road show with digitization and preservation advice for artifacts brought in by the community). FCLA suggests the tool might replace its MXF client, used by the other State University Libraries to package metadata.
  • Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps of Florida
    • Entered its second phase: georectification and indexing of structures.
    • Work on Gainesville, Key West and Tampa funded by the IMLS-funded Ephemeral Cities project.
    • Work on Miami and Fort Lauderdale funded by the Southeast Florida Water Management District – georectification only.
    • Stephanie Haas initiated discussions with other water management districts to fund additional geo-rectification.
  • Library Services and Technology Assistance ( Florida program) awards the second phase of the From the Air project (a.k.a., Aerial Photography : Florida)
    • Project exceeds the target of 35,000 images by 13,230 within original budget.
    • Availability generates tremendous interest and request for access to high resolution digital masters.
    • Stephanie Haas and Mark Sullivan respond for tens of thousands of images, most provided on a quid-pro-quo basis, exchanging images for additional geographic referencing information.
    • Erich Kesse initiates discussions with a local donor to fund a JPEG2000 server that will deliver high resolution copies.
  • St. Augustine Foundation funds East Florida Papers project.
    • Jim Cusick, Curator, P.K. Yonge Florida History Library authors grant.
    • The first of several planned New World Collections projects, East Florida Papers card calendar is digitized and parsed text into a searchable database.
  • Literature for Children continue to process materials.
    • The NEH-funded Baldwin Library cataloging and preservation project generated thousands of titles, only a quarter of which are currently available on-line.
    • Hybrid method, combining color digitization from source integrated with microfilm digitization, proves cost-effective but more time-consuming than projected.
    • Processing was haulted pending UF DLC installation of PrimeRecognition optical character recognition (OCR) application of FCLA modification of XPAT search engine to accommodate its out-put. New method will make keyed/human entry of table of contents metadata obsolete.
    • OCR will make all text searchable, supporting literary and social studies.
    • John Ingram (Director for Collections) and Rita Smith (Curator, Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature) procure funding for continued digitization, albeit fully digital (abandoning the hybrid model).
  • Linking Florida’s Natural Heritage and other collections begin to repurpose page-image resources using PrimeRecognition optical character recognition (OCR) application to enhance search and access.
  • Name authority is the name of the game.
    • Preparations for migration of Ringling Collection to RLG’s Cultural Materials collections and issues associated with name and place queries in the Ephemeral Cities project make apparent the importance of name authority. Discussions with Catalog Department are on-going.
  • Great Floridians project continued to be delayed by release of new XPAT Archives Class from the University of Michigan.
    • Deployment under previous XPAT systems was kluged. Substantial work will be required to redeploy this project.
    • Includes the Papers of Governor C. Farris Bryant (23,000+ digitized items linked via Encoded Archival Description (EAD)).
    • John Nemmers (Dept. Spec. & Area Studies Coll.) has tagged (EAD) more than 50 additional collections : to be mounted, pending new Archives Class. Prominent among them is the Papers of Napoleon Bonaparte Broward, governor during the period covered by the IMLS-funded Ephemeral Cities project and during the NEH-projected National Digital Newspapers Program. Together with resources in the Florida Environments OnLine, Florida Heritage, Florida Historical Legal Documents collections, the papers of Governor Broward will create an information continuum.
  • Toward a Florida Newspaper Collection
    • The PALMM partnership (i.e., the statewide Digitization Projects Planning Committee) declined UF’s suggestion to fund newspaper digitization pending standardization of newspaper encoding and delivery technologies.
    • IMLS-funded Ephemeral Cities project, allows us to open a back-door, allocating funds for digitization and text conversion of 1900-1910 newspapers from Gainesville, Key West and Tama/Ybor City.
      • Microfilm sent to vendor at end of FY; product not yet scheduled for return.
    • FCLA investigate support for newspapers under various platforms/software applications. XPAT does not readily accept newspaper test product. Greenstone, with iArchives’ modifications proven to accept test product, but Greenstone behaviors are not entirely satisfactory. Olive Active Paper™ assessed to have the best interface and behaviors but DTD is proprietary and not public (raises questions about ongoing maintenance & viability of future migrations), its maintenance costs are high as are OCLC’s production fees and server costs.
    • UF DLC conducts research into newspaper mark-up methods (DTDs) and asks NISO to empanel a standards committee to move forward a public standard. The effort receives wide-spread support and endorsements from DLF member institutions and the Executive Director of the Coalition for Networked Information. But, it is eventually blocked, reportedly by a NISO vendor member marketing one of the newspaper applications.
  • Staff Assignments: State & National
    • Erich Kesse presents a review of PALMM Collections at the Annual Meeting of the Panhandle Library Access Network (PLAN), which is completing a LSTA-funded digitization project and comtemplating contribution to PALMM Florida Heritage Collection.
    • Stephanie Haas sat on a NSF panel
    • Erich Kesse sat on an IMLS panel
    • Stephanie Haas server as President/Past-President of IAMSLIC
    • Erich Kesse continues to serve on NISO committee: Technical Metadata for Digital Still Images (http://www.niso.org/committees/ committee_au.html)
    • Erich Kesse presented papers on the IMLS-funded Ephemeral Cities project at Web Wise 2004 ( Chicago, IL) and the SOLINET Annual Membership Meeting (Atlanta, GA). A version of the paper can be found at http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/digital/collections/ephemeralcities.
    • Erich Kesse presented a paper on OAI in the AmericanSouth.org project. The paper is collected at: http://metascholar.org/word/MetaScholarFindingsProceedings.pdf, pp. 56 forward.
  • OAI and other Contributions
  • PALMM Collections now are contributed selectively to the following “harvesters”
    • AmericanSouth.org
    • RLG Cultural Materials Collections
    • National Digital Science Library
    • International Digital Children’s Library
  • Assistance Provided
    The Digital Library Center recognizes that collections can be made more complete and, therefore, more useful to the University of Florida community through partnerships. The Center maintains the following content development or technology assistance partnerships. Statistical tallies do not currently report this effort.

The Center also maintains collection development partnerships with other PALMM contributing member institutions: Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, University of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of North Florida, University of South Florida, and University of West Florida, as well as other divisions of the University of Florida, principally: the Florida Center for Library Automation, the Florida Museum of Natural History and notably its University of Florida Herbarium, the Howard T. Odum Center for Wetlands and other units of the Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, and the Institute for Psychoanalytic Study of Art.

In FY2003-2004, it also initiated discussions to extend partnerships to International Consortium of Psychoanalytic Study of Art, Jacksonville University, the University of Miami, the Bibliothèque Nationale d’Haïti, University of Puerto Rico, University of the West Indies, CARICOM, UN-ECLAC, National Library of Jamaica, and other Caribbean institutions. Additionally, it continued partnership discussions the University of Florida’s climate centers (Land Use and Environmental Change Institute (LUECI) & Florida Institute of Paleoenvironmental Research (FLIPER).

Discussions were also initiated by the Libraries Government Documents Department with the Super-Intendent of Documents on participation in retrospective digitization of government documents. The Digital Library Center digitize U.S. government documents meeting the collection development criteria of the Florida Heritage Collection, the Puerto Rico Collection and the U.S. Virgin Islands History and Culture Collection as demonstration of imaging and text conversion and mark-up capabilities.

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