READIT - 2009 - Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research

Proceedings of READIT-2009, Kalpakkam - 603 102, 29-30 Dec 2009
- Creating backup copies of all files on a stable medium.
- Creating meaningful metadata for image files or collections.
- Storing media in an appropriate environment.
- Monitoring an recopying data as necessary.
- Outlining a migration strategy for transferring data across generations of technology.
- Anticipating and planning for future technological developments.
Since the different steps in digitization listed below must be identified and a workflow
carefully designed and executed by each library, it is only possible to highlight the major
challenges under each of the steps here. Deciding on appropriate formats for incorporating
the contents into CD or on the Web will be dependent on the presence of different software
required, and the means to support any extra systems needed as well as the size and features
of materials to be digitized.
5.2. Building-up digital collections
The most important component of a digital library is the digital collection it holds or
has access to. Viability and extent of usefulness of a digital library would depend upon the
critical mass of digital collection that it has. A digital library can have a wide range of
resources. It may contain library can have a wide range of resources. It may contain both
paper-based conventional documents and information contained in computer-processible
form. Information contents of a digital library, depending on the media type it contains, may
include a combination of structured / unstructured text, numerical data, scanned images,
graphics audio and video recordings. Different types of resources need to be handled
differently in digital library.
Rusbridge (1998) divided resources for a digital library in three distinct categories,
i.e., Legacy, Transition, and New.
Legacy resources, according to Rusbridge, are largely non-digital resources,
including manuscript, print, slides, maps, audio and video recordings. In spite of the fact that
large investments are being made in the process of digitization of resources, vast majority of
existing legacy resources will remain outside the electronic domain for many years to come.
These legacy resources are the major resources of existing libraries.
Transition resources, primarily designed for another medium (mostly print), are
those which are being or have been digitized, making the transition into the digital world.
Such resources are converted for increased access and to reduce reliance on physical libraries.
The transition resources are either digitized images or images that are converted to text by the
process of Optical Character Recognition (OCR).
New digital resources are either expressly created as digital or are created in parallel
to print. Data files created in the process of electronic publishing are used for generating
outputs suitable for the Internet and the web. These data files are converted into SGML,
HTML, PostScript and PDF. While HTML and PDF (sometimes PostScript) is posted on the
web. The SGML version which is a rich archive format is used for preservation.
6. LIMITATIONS
Some of the key issues facing digital libraries today:
- Technological obsolescence: Hardware and Software
- Cost of Content refreshing: Digital preservation will be an ongoing operation that
requires considerable recurring expense.
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