Transcript Digitization at the New York Botanical Garden John Mignault Systems Librarian, The LuEsther T.

Digitization at the New
York Botanical Garden
John Mignault
Systems Librarian, The LuEsther T. Mertz Library
The LuEsther T. Mertz Library
 A prestigious botanical and
horticultural library
 Goals
 Strengthen collections
 Increase access
 Provide quality resources &
services
 Stewardship of collections
1
Virtual
Herbarium
 7.5 million pressed
plant specimens
 1.5 million
specimens digitized
 Running on KE Emu
software
http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/VirtualHerbarium.asp
2
The pilot project - Michaux
http://library.nybg.org/library/page1.php
3
Why digitize?
 More people now visit the Library virtually
than physically
 Need to expand access to materials to an
increasingly online user population
 Total Library usage (e-mails, onsite, website)
= 120,800
 Over 29,000 onsite visitors - 25%
 82,300 visitors to the virtual library - 75%!
4
Circa Instans, 1190
5
How much of the Library’s collections
should we digitize?
6
Proposed Plan for Digitization
Criteria
 contributes to a critical mass in a specific subject
 supports an online research or curriculum tool
Other factors




on demand research requests or interlibrary loans
commercial use scans for product development
collaborative potential
preservation reformatting
7
Library Digitization Plan









user studies and audience identification
select collections to be scanned
implement best practices
image format and resolution
preservation and conservation
quality control and image management
equipment selection and maintenance
server space and digital archival storage
assess staffing and funding needs
8
9
Web-based access provides substantial benefits
to library users worldwide
By making research materials
that are out of copyright and in
the public domain available
digitally, we can drive traffic to
the Garden’s website and
expose all of our collections to
a greater audience.
10
Digitization of Caribbean material can
support Garden research programs
11
12
13
Research environment
Taxonomic intelligence tools
Full text available in BHL portal
Advanced search applications
14
15
Book scanning in the Garden’s imaging lab
16
Future efforts





Task force
Technology infrastructure
Develop staffing
Integration with Virtual Herbarium
Integration of library resources
17
Links
 NYBG: http://www.nybg.org
 Mertz Library:
http://library.nybg.org
 Virtual Herbarium:
http://tinyurl.com/2zuvfa
 BHL:
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
18