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Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to report on the impact and cost/benefit of implementing three - EPrints digital repositories at the University of Otago, and to encourage others to follow suit. Design/methodology/approach - Three repositories were successfully implemented at the University of Otago using existing commodity hardware and free open source software. The first pilot repository was implemented within ten days, and is now a fully functional system that is being championed for institutional-wide use by the University Library. The other two repositories emerged from different community needs. One is academic, concerned with collecting and researching indigenous content; the other is designed to preserve and manage collective memory and heritage content for a small rural community. Findings - The paper shows that digital repositories can be established quickly and effectively with surprisingly few resources; readily incorporate any kind of extant digital content, or non-digital material that is converted to electronic form; meet multifarious needs, from academic institutions seeking to enhance research visibility and impact, to individuals and small communities collecting and preserving their unique memory and heritage records; and establish connectivity with the global community from the moment they go live. Practical implications - The technology and global support community have matured to a state where a fully-featured repository can be quickly and easily implemented. Originality/value - This paper describes the short history, development and impact of the first live repositories of their kind in New Zealand. Their utility and implications for the unique communities that have given rise to them are also explored, by way of encouraging others to take up the digital challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Although several collections have been digitized and made available in the University of Pretoria's Institutional Repository, a pilot study has not been done to measure the project management and workflow. The collections available in the repository at the time of this project were all long-term projects. There was a need to identify a project small enough to conform to normal project management requirements to use as an example to establish the planning and workflow of future projects. The purpose of this study is to determine the outcome and quality of the final web-ready institutional repository product against specific digitization project goals. Design/methodology/approach - A collection of anatomical sketches in the custody of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Anatomy and Physiology was identified as a possible collection that could comply with the above criteria. The different sketches in the Elephant collection could be digitized in phases, making it an ideal project for future comparison. In each phase a number of tasks were identified which the various role players should complete during the workfiow process. Each phase would be compared to the previous completed phases to measure the outcomes and progress made in quality and time. Through successful interaction and collaboration between the Library and the Department of Anatomy and Physiology during the digitization process, valuable tacit knowledge could be preserved for future use in the field of Veterinary Science. Findings - The completed project delivered on key areas such as the electronic availability of the collection through metadata description. Basic preservation of the physical collection was undertaken as necessary and the physical as well as the digital collections were archived for future use. The conclusion will describe the lessons learned and how it can be applied in future projects to the advantage of the institution. Practical implications - The paper provides a very useful case study for other academic libraries that want to develop their own digital collections. Originality/value - This paper offers practical help to libraries starting with digitization. It supplies valuable information for project management, planning of workfiow and estimate time frames for completing a specific task in the digitization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to examine the lack of attention to the preservation of intrinsic value in original artifacts by archivists and librarians with implications for the preservation of the permanent historical record. Design/methodology/approach - Through a selective review of the recent literature about intrinsic value, the current situation is evaluated. Findings - The paper finds that, in order to ensure the preservation of intrinsic value in both paper and digital documents, archivists and librarians must act immediately before substantial portions of the historical record suffer further permanent and irretrievable loss. Originality/value - The issues involved in determining the presence of intrinsic value are examined. Recommendations are given for preserving the permanent historical record. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to address the challenges that special collections repositories face when creating digital surrogates driven by researcher demand, to link these digitization issues with archival practice, and to provide recommendations for improvement. Design/methodology/approach - Presents an overview of the development of the University of Maryland Libraries' digital imaging workflows and a critique of current practices. Findings - A viable digital repository can be built from surrogates created in response to researcher demand, but there are limitations to this approach, with opportunity for improvement. Research limitations/implications - As a case study, this paper is limited to one institution's perspective. Practical implications - Provides insight into constructing and managing digitization programs at special collections repositories. Originality/value - This paper offers a case study approach for an institutional digital repository influenced heavily by researcher demand, in contrast to a digital repository constructed with a more structured plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This technical paper aims to define the steps necessary to create an effective two-dimensional image databases representing three-dimensional museum objects for the purpose of instruction. Design/methodology/approach - The participating institutions reviewed six key types of services: finding content, collecting content, accessing content, documentation, accessibility, and access control. The project created, converted, described and transferred digitized images and data records from each partner to the web where they became universally accessible through a single common search interface. Findings - The paper finds that collaboration between different institutions creates rich collections, and relationships that benefit the community. Research limitations/implications - Capturing elements of three-dimensional objects in a traditionally two-dimensional medium provides unique challenges for web delivery. Practical implications - Provides learning materials and access to objects that were once locked in storage and rarely exhibited, especially fragile and delicate objects. Also provides an environment for students to learn how to work professionally they would not acquire in the classroom. Originality/value - New techniques in digitization were used and experimented with that are not widely used with these type of collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - User-created metadata, often referred to as folksonomy or social classification, has received a considerable amount of attention in the digital library world. Social tagging is perceived as a tool for enhancing description of digital objects and providing a venue for user input and greater user engagement. This article seeks to examine the pros and cons of user-generated metadata in the context of digital image collections and compares it to professionally created metadata schema and controlled vocabulary tools. Design/methodology/approach - The article provides an overview of challenges to concept-based image indexing. It analyzes the characteristics of social classification and compares images described by users to a set of images indexed in a digital collection. Findings - The article finds that user-generated metadata vary in the level of description, accuracy, and consistency and do not provide a solution to the challenges of image indexing. On the other hand, they reflects user's language and can lead toward user-centered indexing and greater user engagement. Practical implications - Social tagging can be implemented as a supplement to professionally created metadata records to provide an opportunity for users to comment on images. Originality/value - The article introduces the idea of user-centered image indexing in digital collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]