Join us for a 45-minute conversation about the theories and thoughts about building a digital collection. We will explore questions about what and what not to digitize, the importance of provenance, copyright issues, and how to determine whether it adds value to the vast number of collections out there in the digital universe. We will also look at and evaluate examples of well-curated collections versus a lot of “space junk” filing a void, all from the Indiana State Library’s Digital Collections and Hosted Collections. (Please note: this program will not focus on fund-raising nor the actual building of a digital collection.)
Date Recorded: 7/23/2025
Format: Archived YouTube Video
Presenters: Chris Marshall / Digital Collections Coordinator, Indiana Division Library and Brittany Kropf / Rare Books and Manuscripts Librarian, Indiana State Library
Resources:
- A Conversation about Curating Digital Collections presentation pdf
- Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain
When digitizing materials from your library, preservation is just as important as access. In this presentation from representatives of Indiana Digital Preservation, or InDiPres, you will learn what digital preservation entails, including the processes that InDiPres uses to prepare and include content into its preservation network, and how this practice is essential to any library’s digital initiatives plan.
Kim Hagerty, Director of Digitization and Micrographics Services at the Indiana Archives and Records Administration will go over best practices for preserving library board minutes. She will also cover what needs to be sent to IARA – board minutes or board packet? Board minutes and supporting documents if available. The best way to send it – digitize or original copies? Digital copies of the original files is best. Kim will explain further how libraries can do this in-house. What is the timeframe? This is dependent on amount of files. One reel of microfilm holds approximately 2,500 files. This could be over ten years’ worth of meeting minutes. And she will also cover best practices – start with current and work backwards? Either way is fine, if the oldest minutes are in brittle condition, the IARA would recommend starting with them for preservation purposes.
