Tackling Copyright in the Digital Age: An Initiative of the University of Connecticut Libraries

From 2005 to 2007, the University of Connecticut Libraries Copyright Project Team engaged in a wide range of activities to fulfill its charge and to raise awareness of copyright issues in the library and across the university. This article highlights some of the primary activities and tools used by the team to involve stakeholders, to provide educational opportunities, and to stay current on copyright issues in higher education. Among other activities, the team developed a new copyright web site for use by library staff and the broader university community.

Building a Globally Distributed Historical Sheet Map Set

This paper describes the procedures used to create a distributed collection of topographic maps of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Spezialkarte der Öesterriechisch-ungarnischen Monarchie, Masse. 1:75,000 der natur. This set of maps was published in Vienna over a period of years from 1877 to 1914. The part of the set used in this project includes 776 sheets; all sheets from all editions number over 3,665. The paper contains detailed information on how the maps were converted to digital images, how metadata were prepared, and how Web-browser access was created using ArcIMS Metadata Server. The project, funded by a 2004 National Leadership Grant from the Institute for Museums and Library Science (IMLS), was a joint project of the Homer Babbidge Library Map and Geographic Information Center at the University of Connecticut, the New York Public Library, and the American Geographical Society’s Map Library at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Digital repository implementation: a toolbox for streamlined success

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the tools and strategies that were employed by C/W MARS to successfully develop and implement the Digital Treasures digital repository. Design/methodology/approach – This paper outlines the planning and subsequent technical issues that arise when implementing a digitization project on the scale of the large, multi-type, automated library network. Workflow solutions addressed include synchronous online metadata record submissions from multiple library sources and the delivery of collection-level use statistics to participating library administrators. The importance of standards-based descriptive metadata and the role of project collaboration are also discussed. Findings – From the time of its initial planning, the Digital Treasures repository was fully implemented in six months. The discernable and statistically quantified online discovery and access of actual digital objects greatly assisted libraries unsure of their own staffing costs/benefits to join the repository. Originality/value – This case study may serve as a possible example of initial planning, workflow and final implementation strategies for new repositories in both the general and library consortium environment. Keywords – Digital repositories, Library networks, Data management. Paper type – Case study