Sue Lynn Stone and I provided a
brief overview of the development of the Commonwealth Virtual Library (in
conjunction with the Commonwealth Virtual University) at the 1998 spring meeting
of KCA at Audubon State Park. The associated groups are happy to report the
events that have transpired since that time. As we outlined in our presentation,
a small steering committee had written a planning project grant to the National
Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) to assist archivists at
the eight state-assisted universities to prepare for digitization of special
collection materials for the online library. During the period of evaluation,
the CVL project was expanded to include all types of libraries in the state. At
the Commission's June meeting, the Kentucky project was approved, but NHPRC
instructed that it would be funded with fiscal year 1997-1998 funds returned.
Ultimately the project was funded, but at approximately $5000 less than
originally budgeted. The project began officially on December 1, 1998.
One budget adjustment was handled by a change in training for the project
personnel. Originally four members of the grant project committee were to attend
the week-long training on digitization given by Cornell University. Cornell,
however, opted not to offer these workshops in 1999. Instead, Clara Keyes, Sue
Lynn Stone, Miko Pattie, and I attended the Northeast Conservation Center's
School for Scanning, held in New Orleans in early December. We found this
workshop a helpful source of information, and the fact that it coincided with
the beginning of the grant project was beneficial. Clara Keyes and I are now
devoting twenty percent of our time to the project for one year,
It's an exciting project, and we're still at the beginning. The planning
grant committee and the Kentuckiana subcommittee will be seeking your expertise
individually as we progress...
with NHPRC funds providing replacement personnel at Morehead State and the
University of Louisville respectively. Clara and I have initially studied other
projects, such as the Berkeley Sun Site, and looked at metadata issues. We are
turning our attention now to the subject of selection criteria for collections,
particularly in light of suggestions made by speakers at the School for Scanning
in relation to their past projects.
While the grant project received approval and the personnel began their work,
the CVL and CVU obtained state funding for this fiscal year (1998-1999). The
Kentuckiana Subcommittee has met to review the budget and plan its activities as
well. In conjunction with the CVL Government Information Access Subcommittee,
position descriptions have been approved for consultants and a project manager.
The project manager is to assist both Kentuckiana and Government Information
Access in planning and implementing their digitization projects and coordinating
these two related areas in the eventual library database design.
The Kentuckiana subcommittee is now working to prepare a preview of the rich
special collection resources to be offered through the CVL, so that legislators
and resource-allocators can see the possibilities of the project. The University
of Kentucky has begun work on several Encoded Archival Description finding aids.
Using one of those projects, devoted to former Governor and Senator A.B. "Happy"
Chandler, the Kentuckiana subcommittee is choosing material broadly related to
many of the issues associated with Chandler's career to spotlight the wealth of
resources in the various repositories.
It's an exciting project, and we're still at the beginning. The planning
grant committee and the Kentuckiana subcommittee will be seeking your expertise
individually as we progress, and we promise further updates at the spring KCA
meeting, and throughout the year.
Submitted by Mary Margaret Bell
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Two, Spring 1999 Kentucky Archivist