Council on Library and Information Resources Report on Large-Scale Digitization Projects

The Council on Library and Information Resources in Washington has just released a report entitled Preservation in the Age of Large-Scale Digitization - A White Paper:

"The paper describes four large-scale projects—Google Book Search, Microsoft Live Search Books, Open Content Alliance, and the Million Book Project—and their digitization strategies. It then discusses a range of issues affecting the stewardship of the digital collections they create: selection, quality in content creation, technical infrastructure, and organizational infrastructure. The paper also attempts to foresee the likely impacts of large-scale digitization on book collections."

The report makes 13 recommendations:

• Reassess Digitization Requirements for Archival Images
• Develop a Feasible Quality Control Program
• Seek Compromise to Balance Preservation and Access Requirements
• Enhance Access to Digitized Content
• Understand the Impact of Contractual Restriction on Preservation Responsibilities
• Support Shared Print-Storage Initiatives
• Promote the Use of the DLF/OCLC Registry of Digital Masters
• Outline a Large-Scale Digitization Initiative Archiving Action Agenda
• Devise Policies for Designating Digital Preservation Levels
• Capture and Share Cost Information
• Revisit Library Priorities and Strategies
• Shift to an Agile and Open Planning Model
• Reenvision Collection Development for Research Libraries