To assist those planning or already involved in digital projects of all kinds, the Harvard University Library's Office for Information Systems has identified four areas in which experts are available to the University community: Ivy Anderson provides advice on acquiring digital materials, Stephen Chapman is an expert on scanning and reformatting print materials, and Robin Wendler provides assistance on metadata issues. An expert on archiving and preserving digital materials will be named later this year.

Ivy Anderson,
Ivy_anderson@harvard.edu

Increasingly, the new materials that libraries acquire come in electronic form. They come as databases such as Lexis/Nexis or as online journals, and they bring with them complex issues concerning their use that pose new challenges for libraries. Unlike books and journals that libraries traditionally purchase outright, electronic information resources are generally licensed for use. In providing access to such electronic materials, the libraries must negotiate specific rights and obligations with each publisher or information provider through contractual agreements to ensure that the needs of the Harvard community are properly served.

From left to right, Stephen Chapman, Ivy Anderson, and Robin Wendler.

Ivy Anderson, coordinator for digital acquisitions, is a resource to the Harvard community in the areas of licensing and electronic publishing. She is available to negotiate license agreements with publishers for resources, and is available to review and consult with librarians on contracts that they individually negotiate.

Robin Wendler,
Robin_wendler@harvard. edu

Metadata is the information that makes it possible to find, access, use, and manage information resources. In other words, metadata is the information about the information. With today's technology, it is relatively easy to create digital materials and present them on the World Wide Web. Making it easy for those interested to find such materials in an environment of constant technological change, however, is a much greater challenge, and requires good metadata practices.

Metadata is often the most expensive and time-consuming component of a digital conversion or creation project, but metadata is absolutely essential to the success of most projects. Robin Wendler is available to provide advice on metadata practices to anyone involved in the creation or conversion of digital research materials of lasting value.

Stephen Chapman,
Steve_chapman@harvard .edu

Digital reformatting refers to the work flow, technology, and procedures associated with converting existing materials into digital form. To date, the primary focus of reformatting in the LDI project has been on scanning, where the goal is to produce digital images of acceptable quality. Currently, LDI projects involve scanning text and visual materials. In the future, conversion of recorded sound, video, and other media will also be addressed.

Selecting the appropriate digital format for materials and designing the most effective work flow for conversion to that format involve complex issues. Chapman provides assistance to project managers in the form of advice, documentation, and development of project work flow. He consults on issues of cost assessments, materials handling, image quality, and the choice of file formats for "digital masters" and "derivative images." He also helps to select scanning equipment and negotiate reformatting services.