This proposal that has been reviewed and approved by Bill DeJohn and Bob Horton. The work is now complete.

The Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) seeks to explore a common infrastructure strategy that will bring the state a significantly enhanced capacity for preserving and accessing its cultural heritage. The MDL perceives opportunity and the wisdom in providing large-scale digital content repository services for Minnesota, and considers establishing a shared digital preservation service as a valuable first step.

Given that the MDL has already amassed a reasonably large set of image data on behalf of partners around the state, the first step in exploring such a common infrastructure is to define digital preservation and access requirements for image content. This two-month project will also define what type of image data should be included at this stage, beyond that already in MDL care. The MDL intends to develop infrastructure for a wide variety of formats, but understands the value of narrowing the initial scope of this effort.

I have been asked to facilitate this discovery process since I am already familiar with the MDL and have some credibility with a number of partners in this conversation. My role is more to pull together the input of various contributors than to provide specific expertise toward a solution.

Deliverables

Deliverable 1: Fact-finding.

Cost: $2,200

I would interview five individuals who have been intimately involved in MDL digital image efforts to date. The goal of these interviews would be to gather details about the type of data we are looking at, the technical preservation needs associated with that data, and the anticipated access requirements of the archive. In some cases the interviews would also gather information about the desired political outcomes of the project with respect to the partners involved and the message we want received by our community and the legislature. I expect to interview Jason Roy, John Butler, Bob Horton, Keith Ewing, Wendy Lougee, Michael Fox, John Wilkin (HathiTrust), John Weise (HathiTrust), and one more contact to be determined with interests in image services as offered by HathiTrust. These interviews could be conducted face to face or via phone.

Deliverable 2: Drafting.

Cost: $1,300

I would meet with a small core of stakeholders (Jason, John, and Bob) to present findings and make decisions about matters that require choices. We will agree on a rough outline and I will then draft a report to be share with a wider set of stakeholders. This meeting would best be face to face.

Deliverable 3: Input-gathering meeting.

Cost: $3,500

I would organize a meeting of a wide set of stakeholders to review the draft report and make suggestions for adjustments. This meeting would serve to both gather input and set expectations for the next stage of the process among these stakeholders. I expect to include the MDL Management Group, a participant from Minnesota Public Radio, and a representative of HathiTrust. This meeting would best be face to face.

Deliverable 4: Report.

Cost: $1,800

I would revise the draft to incorporate the input we receive. This document would attempt to define high level requirements and be designed to be of use in the next stages of planning.

Scope

While the MDL intends its preservation efforts to encompass a wide variety of formats as its preservation strategy evolves, this particular project aims to define the preservation and access requirements of a relatively specific type of data: digital images. I will work to keep the scope focused on this objective and resist efforts to generalize the conversation and solutions developed at this stage. While the process we use to determine our needs with regard to digital images may well inform the process we use to determine needs for other formats (such as audio or video), we must acknowledge that the specific workflow and tactics we adopt will focus on the needs of image collections.

Timeline

Work would start immediately upon an extension to my current Minitex contract. Fact-finding and drafting would be conducted in June 2010. The input-gathering meeting would be scheduled for July, hopefully mid-month. The report would be complete within one week of the input-gathering meeting or by the end of July, whichever is later.

Cost

As a consultant, I do not charge by the hour. The services above will cost $8,800. I will submit an invoice for $8,800 at the end of July 2010. Any travel outside the Twin Cities that required for this work would be covered at typical University of Minnesota reimbursement rates and billed separately. Any expenses for facilities and travel for other participants in face to face meetings are also not included. Given spaces available for free, this should not be an issue, but travel costs for a HathiTrust participant in face to face meetings could be substantial.

/wiki/mdl/imagepreservationneeds