Partnership

Welcome!
The Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage Program is a collaborative, statewide digitization program headquartered at the Central Library, Enoch Pratt Free Library / State Library Resource Center in downtown Baltimore. This program brings together the stories of Maryland's cultural heritage by providing free access to such artifacts and records of history as photographs, manuscripts, maps, artwork and books left behind by previous generations.

What are the benefits of being a partner in this effort?
Many organizations have ongoing digitization efforts. Sharing projects and plans in a coordinated effort will increase the content and decrease the possibility of duplicated effort. Increase your library's patronage and heighten its visibility by integrating it with a wider electronic resource. Provide a web presence of valuable collections for institutions whose budget or expertise may not support such an exhibit. Electronic access will facilitate locating collections and information that may have been difficult to access in a timely manner. Digitizing Maryland's cultural heritage will be a process of many years. A combined approach will build significant content within a relatively short span.

What has happened to date?
The State Library Resource Center (SLRC) conducted an initial inventory, funded by a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). The LSTA grant was administered by the Maryland State Department of Education's Division of Library Development and Services (DLDS). The grant provided the basis for taking the first steps in the creation of the Maryland Digital Union Catalog of collections related to Maryland's historical wealth. An MDCH interviewer met with a designated member at institutions across the state to learn about collections relevant to any aspect of Maryland's state, regional and local culture and history. The survey gathered information on each collection regarding:

content
age
condition
quantity of items
relationships to other collections
copyright issues
existing catalogs and indexes
item(s) of particular interest and/or value.

The interviewer also gathered information about your:

related equipment
staff expertise
current or planned digital projects

The information collected from this interview is available at the Collection Survey page.

Project Standards
Coordination and integration of technical standards is key to the effectiveness of MDCH. Standards include format specifications for:

images
manuscript documents
text, audio and video files
metadata standards
database requirements
copyright clearance procedures

Complying with the production of high-resolution formats, and storing them with the SLRC, will ensure a permanent database of digital files that can be copied and repurposed for the Web and other technologies. The standards document will track progress so that digital files will remain compatible with emerging national technical standards developments. The SLRC standards document is posted on the Tools section of the MDCH website.

How will projects be chosen?
The selection and prioritization process will be based on:

the significance of the items in relation to the uniqueness of the materials
the current condition and projected availability of the items
technology resources
ownership and copyright availability.

How will projects be completed?
The State Library Resource Center will offer the following resources in a cooperative measure to help digitize valuable documents and make them web-accessible:

SLRC staff will undertake the digitization of several county, regional projects/year. SLRC will:
- Scan / digitally photograph items with high-end equipment.
- Store on SLRC/Sailor servers and keep a set of master CDs.
- Return originals and a set of master CDs.
SLRC Digitization staff will be available to consult with local digitization projects.
Hosting, storage or alternative site back-up of images and associated metadata.
Database and customizable web templates for dynamic generation of online digital collections and metadata.
Create an MDCH union catalog to create a unified search access to local digital collections with a consistent user interface.

What do we need to do next?

Set up a triage process to identify candidates for local, regional or SLRC digitization.
Coordinate and disseminate information about digital collection projects underway at libraries around the state to decrease the possibility of duplicated efforts.
Digitize our historical documents.
Prioritize and triage individual digitization projects.
Create and maintain redundant multi-site database and storage facilities for the Digital Images.
Maintain list of shared information resources.
Market MDCH Union Catalog
Identify and apply for funds for individual projects.
Invite other Maryland cultural heritage institutions, such as museums, historical societies, and genealogical societies, to participate.

Thank you for your participation in this cooperative effort. I look forward to working with you on this exciting, innovative project that will benefit library patrons, staff, and future generations.

Michael Scott
MDCH Coordinator

^^^ top ^^^