Lackawanna County Digitization Project

Publicity for Christmas Window Displays

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:16:00 +0000

Word about Scranton Christmas Windows 1938-1960 is getting around both in the blogoshere and in more traditional spots:

Webster from rock 107 blogged about the Christmas window blog http://www.webster107.com/2009/11/scranton-christmas-windows-1938-1960.html

Which then got picked up by the NEPA Blogs blog http://nepablogs.blogspot.com/2009/12/scranton-christmas-windows-1938-1960.html

Also, Mike Stevens from WNEP-TV will be doing a piece on it sometime this week.

Scranton Christmas Windows

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:26:00 +0000

In a previous post, I spoke about photos of Christmas window displays from the Household Outfitting Company that were donated to the library. You can now view them here. More will be added every few days between now and Christmas. Enjoy!

Our Project "One of Most Succesful" in PA

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:23:00 +0000

Yesterday I received word that our recently completed digitization planning project was selected as "one of our most successful grants for last year." This message comes from Commonwealth Libraries, the state agency that oversees the federal grant program that funded the project. They requested additional information which I provided this. I assume they will use our project in literature about the grant program and when the feds ask for examples of worthwhile endeavors funded by the program. I hope this bodes well for the "Out of the Wilderness" grant application. We will not hear about that one until the spring.

Christmas Window Displays

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Here is a little digitization project we are working on. Photos of Christmas window displays at the Household Outfitting Company in Scranton dating from the 1930's to the 1950's were donated to the library. They were discovered during a renovation project. We are in the processing of scanning them. Our plan is to have them available on the library's web site in time for Christmas. Here is a sample.

Flickr Commons

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:36:00 +0000

If you are not aware of Flickr Commons, you may went to check their web site. It is a way for organizations like ours to make our historical photographs available on the web. I have sent them an inquiry. Apparently, not just anyone can sign up so I am trying to determine the criteria. I was looking through the collection of photos here at the library. I am going to scan some of them into TIFF. If nothing else, it, it will get us thinking about standards, procedures, and metadata.

Grant Information

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:04:00 +0000

I have been talking about "the grant" for several months so, for those of you who not have been here from the beginning, let me back up and tell you what it is all about. We are requesting $35,000 through a Library Services and Technology Act grant. This is federal money intended to improve local library services. The competitive grant program is administered by the State; specifically, the Bureau of Commonwealth Libraries. The grant we applied for will allow us to digitize 67 items from the collections of the Scranton Public Library, Lackawanna Historical Society, Steamtown National Historic Site, Anthracite Heritage Museum, and Times-Tribune newspaper library. The name of the proposed project is "Out of the Wilderness: The Development and Industrialization of the Scranton Area 1850-1865." We plan to digitize entire books published during or pertaining to that era, photographs, maps, letters, business documents, and even a cane inscribed with the names of Civil War veterans. The grant will pay for the digitization of these items, a digital archiving management system, attendant hardware to be installed here at the library (and designed to accommodate this and future projects). metadata entry, and publicity. We should find out about the grant in the spring of 2010. The project would commence in June of 2010 and we would be completed by May 31 2011. By then all 67 items would be accessible via the Internet. Between now and the spring, there are some other things we can do. Stay tuned...

Test Posting

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:24:00 +0000

Now that the grant application has been submitted, I intend to devote more attention to this blog and use it to update everyone on some projects we can work on between now and when the grant recipients are announced in the spring.

Grant Update and Library Funding

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:59:00 +0000

Dear Partners,
It has been awhile since I provided an update. The LSTA grant application, which involves federal money administered by Commonwealth Libraries in Harrisburg, is not due until early September, but given the intensity of the application and the nature of summer (vacations etc.), I am trying to get a head start. The people who evaluate the applications want to make sure that the applicant knows what is involved in a project like this so the application asks for a lot of detailed information. As a result, I have been in touch with
vendors, our consultants from Lyrasis, and Kristen at the University of Scranton (Thanks, Kristen!) about issues like scanner types, file size, bit depth, and metadata creation.

There is one issue that I would like to alert you about with the understanding that many of you are having your own problems. On the library’s web site is some information about proposed cuts in state funding for libraries.In this statement, mention is made of lost LSTA dollars. This is the money that would fund our grant so it would be appreciated if, while you and your supporters are communicating with legislators and other contacts at the state level, you can put in a good word for libraries. I would be happy to return the favor if you can provide some specific information on the kind of cuts you are facing.

Anyway, the application process is ongoing. As the summer progresses, I may need some additional information from some of you. If this is the case, I will give you plenty of advance notice. As always, thank you for your interest and cooperation.

Remick Report Now Available

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:05:00 +0000

The report from Tom Clareson of Lyrasis on the Remick facility is now available on our Wiki:

http://lackawannadigital.pbwiki.com

It can be found under Documents. It is called Remicks Report.

Remick Facility Update

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:42:00 +0000

On Friday several of us looked at the Remick's facility with Tom Clareson from Palinet (now Lyrasis). Tom will be preparing a formal report. I will share it with all of you once it becomes available.

Email Discussion List and Palinet Visit Update

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:59:00 +0000

In addition to our blog and wiki, I have created an email discussion list that will allow us to share information on local digitization projects. If you want to post a message, just send an email to lackawannadigital@listserv.albright.org. You will be able to reply to any email that was posted to the list and everyone will be able to read it and respond. If you would like someone added to the list, just let me know.

Here is an update for you: Tom Clareson from Palinet will be visiting the region on Friday, April 4th. He is currently looking over the lists some of you submitted for our first project, “The Development and Industrialization of Northeastern Pennsylvania 1850-1865” and may need to physically examine some of the items. If he does need to look at them, I will be in touch with you to schedule a brief visit on that day.

Visit by Tom Clareson

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 20:38:00 +0000

Tom Clareson from Palinet will visit our area on April 3rd, 2009 to assist with the grant application and possibly examine some of the items. We are looking forward to his visit.

Project Update

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:09:00 +0000

We have received lists of possible items from the Anthracite Heritage Museum, the Lackawanna Historical Society, and the Albright Memorial Library. You can view these lists in the Documents folder of our project wiki. We are expecting additional lists from other partners and have begun the grant application process. The Library Services and Technology Act application is not due until September, but it will take some time to determine the costs of digitizing such a diverse diverse selection of documents, photos, and artifacts. It is shaping up to be an exciting project!

Item Selection

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Dear Partners,
Though the grant application for our first digitization project is not due until early September, there is a lot of preparation work that needs to be done so we may as well get started. Prior to knowing how much money we should request and how we will carry out the digitization process, we will need to know what kinds of items we will be including. Therefore, I will need a preliminary list of the items you wish to include from your collections. Obviously, the items should fit our theme which, as you may recall, is “The Development and Industrialization of Northeastern PA 1850-1865.” For each item, I will need the following information:

1. Format (e.g.; photo, flyer, poster, newspaper article, document etc.)
2. Brief Description (e.g.; Photo of Civil War Veteran)
3. Date
4. Dimensions
5. Bound / Unbound
6. Condition

If possible, I would like to have your list by February 17, 2009. In order to keep this project manageable, please limit your initial list to 20 items.
I really appreciate your cooperation. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Next Steps

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:54:00 +0000

I think we all learned great deal during the Palinet workshop on Wednesday, November 12th and I, for one, am very excited about the possibilities. Our follow-up meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3^rd at 2PM in the library’s Community Room (basement of the Lackawanna County Children’s Library). In the meantime, please think about some ideas for a focused project that could include items from all of our collections and that would be attractive to possible funders.

Draft of Palinet Report

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:56:00 +0000

A draft of the Palinet Report is now available on our Wiki under Documents.

Location for 11/12 Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:55:00 +0000

We now have a location for the workshop on November 12th. It will be at the Trolley Museum.

Scott

Thank You and Upcoming Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:15:00 +0000

Dear Partners,
First, I would like to thank all of your enthusiasm and your cooperation during this week’s visit by Tom Clareson and Laurie Gemmill. They were, of course, very impressed with our collections and the care we give them, but they also told me how impressed they were with our cooperative spirit. Apparently, you do not find this in all communities. They will soon begin preparing their report. In the meantime, we can start thinking about the workshop they will be offering on November 12th which will focus on prioritizing collections for digitization, preservation, copyright, and funding. I am working on a location for the workshop. In the meantime, please set November 12th aside on your calendars. It will be an all day workshop.

Thank you again!
Scott

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:33:00 +0000

Here is an updated schedule for Palinet's visit

Tuesday, October 7th
9:30AM: Kick-Off Meeting in the Community Room of the Lackawanna County Children's Library.
Afternoon: Palinet visits Anthracite Museum

Wednesday, October 8th
All Day: Palinet visits Lackawanna Historical Society
All Day: Palinet visits Albright Memorial Library

Thursday, October 9th
Morning: Palinet visits Times-Tribune
Morning: Palinet visits Steamtown
12:30PM: Wrap-Up / Working Lunch in the Community Room of the Lackawanna County Children's Library.

Tentative Palinet Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:36:00 +0000

Here is a tentative schedule for the Palinet Visit:

Tuesday, October 7th
9:30AM: Kick-Off Meeting at the library.
Afternoon: Visit to Anthracite Museum

Wednesday, October 8th
All Day: Lackawanna Historical Society
All Day: Albright Memorial Library

Thursday, October 9th
Morning: Times-Tribune
Morning: Steamtown

This will be refined in the coming weeks.

New Wiki

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:50:00 +0000

Please visit our new, upgraded Wiki.

Yesterday's Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:22:00 +0000

Dear Partners,

It was great, at yesterday’s meeting, to hear all of the excitement and enthusiasm expressed by everyone in the room. Just to recap (and for the benefit for those who couldn’t make it):

Tom Clareson and his team from Palinet will be here on October 7^th-October 9^th. There will be a group meeting with the consultants for an hour or two probably on the 7^th. Then the team will split up and visit all of the sites that have collections. Someone who is knowledgeable about the collection should be available on-site to answer questions.

2. Palinet will deliver their report sometime in late fall. Also, around that time, Tom will come back and present a workshop on best practices for preservation, digitization, and copyright.

3. Everyone agreed that this group should be expanded to include other local historical societies, the universities, and other entities that collect local history information. There was talk of having an expanded meeting sometime in January after the we have the Palinet report in hand.

4. There was agreement that our group should not remain ad-hoc. It should be given cohesion through, at the very list, a mission statement, a name, and membership list so that will our work can continue well beyond the initial grant period.

5. We talked about access, portals, formats, copyright and other issues that the Palinet folks can help us with.

I’ll keep you posted!

Scott

Agenda for July 30th Partner's Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:50:00 +0000

Download the agenda for the July 30th Partner's Meeting!

Palinet Visit Scheduled!

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:16:00 +0000

The visit by Palinet, the consultants who will be studying our collections, is scheduled for October 7th-9th. Keep checking back for updates.

Meeting Date Set

noreply@blogger.com (Scranton Public Library) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:54:00 +0000

Our first meeting is set for Wednesday, July 30th at 9:30AM in the Administrative Offices of the Albright Memorial Library. I'll see you then!