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An Institute for Museum & Library Services grant request.
Submitted April 1998

Project To Create and Expand Digital Databases for
Three Collections in the University of Hawai'i at Manoa Libraries


Table of Contents

IMLS Grant Application
>> Abstract
Narrative
National Impact
Adaptability
Design: Goals & Objectives
Management Plan
Personnel
Evaluation
Dissemination
Budget

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See Also

Project Report I
Project Report II
Project Report III
Final Report

WebWise Conference Slide Presentation.

< < Digital Archives Collection Page

Abstract

This project addresses the Research and Demonstration priorities of this the National Leadership Grant by providing access to unique information resources of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UHM) Library through the use of emerging digital technologies. The project will also contribute to expanded educational opportunities for the Library and Information Studies Program at the University via internships that include practical experience with the creation and presentation of library and archival resources in digital formats. Through outreach interactions with Hawaiian language teachers and K-12 History teachers this project will lay the groundwork for expansion of educational use of digital images. This project also addresses the Preservation priorities of the Grant by employing digital conversion equipment to reformat unique and fragile archival materials so that they are more widely and easily accessible to the broader research community.

This project proposes to capitalize upon initiatives and pilot projects already implemented which were previously funded by local and federal grants. It will extend and improve access to digital information in two University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UHM) Library special collections and prepare for digitization in a third archival collection. The proposed project involves expanding access to three significant collections:

  1. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Photo Collection
  2. Hawaiian Language Newspapers on microfilm
  3. Hawai'i War Records Depository Photographs
to begin building a true digital library of Hawaiian and Pacific resources. The UHM Library has traditionally had strong ties and a sense of responsibility for serving information needs in the Pacific Islands region. This project will broaden the range of Library support services while also providing library and research institutions in the Pacific region with opportunities to interact directly with primary sources which were formerly beyond their reach. This project will explore methods to assess the utility of digital surrogates for the local, national and international research community. This project hopes to demonstrate that wider access to these materials will significantly strengthen the options for Hawaiian and Pacific historical scholarship.

These three collections represent significant historical resources of interest nationally and internationally. The goals of this project for both the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Photo Collection and digitized images of Hawaiian Language Newspapers on microfilm will provide an opportunity to review past practices and models for making image data available in digital format and to identify means to migrate from proprietary systems/formats to more common standards with the least amount of duplication of effort.

The project proposes to:

  1. Convert 6,000 Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) images to web accessible formats, create web pages and link the images to existing online catalog records and to create a CD ROM product of this information for distribution to Pacific Island libraries and research organizations.
  2. Purchase 18 reels of master (negative) microfilm for 10 Hawaiian language newspapers dating from 1834-1919; scan, process and mount on existing web pages ../../digicoll/newspapers.htm; provide access to newspaper materials from microfilm formerly only available via use onsite in a limited number of libraries including the Hamilton Library.
  3. Convert existing print finding aid(s) to web accessible format, identify, scan with appropriate copyright watermarking and link to the finding aid up to 1,325 photographs from the Hawai'i War Records Depository.
  4. Provide internship opportunities for Library and Information Studies graduate students

Funding for equipment and software to upgrade digitizing processing and production functionality and a dedicated server to provide centralized and consolidated access to the digital collections is requested. Permanent staff at the UHM Library will supervise and perform professional level descriptive and processing tasks, funding for student assistant salaries is requested to perform tasks such as data input, scanning and image post-processing. Just as the PC workstations, scanners and optical storage equipment acquired with Title II-C funds in 1991 have served the Library's digitization projects for the last 6 years, the production, storage and server resources obtained for this project will have a long lasting positive effect on the Library's ability to provide access to other unique resources by conversion to digital formats.

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