How to Build a Good Digitization Team

I now have a fully-functional DSpace test server that will be running a small dark archive. We are going to keep this DSpace instance private and contribute to the dark archive until we reach the point at which we know that the the archive is ready for public consumption. (Of course, "complete" also refers to copyright issues and license agreements to the items that have been digitized and placed on this system.)

Dr. Diane Warner--and her graduate student assistant--have been tremendously helpful in preparing an exemplary digital collection for the test server.

These two people don't seem to understand what a luxury it has been for me to work with them over the past three weeks as we have prepared the collection. It is an IT person's dream job to work on a team with colleagues who demonstrate high competence, sharp intellect, good imagination, and strong logic skills. I can honestly say that both Dr. Warner and her grad assistant repeatedly have demonstrated these skills, as well as an ability to surpass my own knowledge concerning the functions and capabilities of DSpace.

My recommendation this week for someone who is considering building a digitization project on open source software: Build your first project with a brilliant, enthusiastic team, and establish a good team dynamic from the beginning. Although I have now been completely spoiled from having worked with such a great team--I regret that I most likely won't have the opportunity to work with them again--I have also learned so much more than I would have had I started with a team that I had to lead by the nose from the beginning.

Based upon what I have learned over the past few weeks I'd recommend composing a digitization team of:

1) Strong, smart faculty member(s): this person proposes the digitization project and is your subject matter expert. (I was fortunate in that Dr. Warner brings to the table an organized thought-process and expertise with cataloging.)

2) Research assistant who can demonstrate think-out-of-the-box ingenuity, who can take initiative without prompting.

3) Flexible server manager who can adapt to changing project demands: I'm striving for this, and I am striving to listen better to the needs of my users without diminishing efficiency.

4) A desktop support person who runs interference when things have to get done on the server and only the server admin can do them.


If you can get your first digital project complete with a good team, you'll have more time to focus on the software, digitized content, and metadata than on team communication problems. I wish I could show the project here, just to be able to brag, "Look what we did!" I told the folks I worked with that getting digitization running here is going to be like fighting an uphill battle, but these folks made it all easier by building the steps into the hill.


My next post might be about the role of copyright in digital collections. Over the past few weeks, I've been questioning the scope of my position here at the Southwest Collection. Although I don't think I should be the advocate or approver of all things copyright, I do believe that, as digital initiatives coordinator, I should be concerned with communicating to all of my colleagues the importance of good faith effort in locating permission for digitization. (Dr. Warner and I had a long discussion about this, too.)