Gillian McCombs, Dean & DirectorGillian McCombs, Dean & DirectorCentral University LibrariesCentral University Libraries

Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University

Gillian McCombs, Dean & DirectorGillian McCombs, Dean & DirectorCentral University LibrariesCentral University Libraries

Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University

THE PROLOGUE

CONNECTING THE DOTS

CONNECTING THE DOTS

•Various ways to move forward•Incremental progress•Cataclysmic eventsVision + plan + end product

•2002 the first Digitization committee was born.  Comprising membership from all the libraries across the University, it was charged with the responsibility of establishing strategic directions.

•2004 digital content manager hired for two year period to jump start digital collections in conjunction with digital committee

•2004 strategic alliance formed•2005 stars for students floated•2005 Information Commons Created

CONNECTING THE DOTS

•2006 dcm leaves, dag is formed•2006 CMIT begins divestment of classroom technology support operation to ITS•2007 media library moved from CMIT to circulation (Rob provided architectural drawings and provided compact shelving estimates)•2007 CMIT fully divests classroom technology support operation•2007 CMIT divests live event support operation•2007 ACS vacates FLE space (rob provides architectural drawings "through"CUL’s architectural planner)

CONNECTING THE DOTS

CONNECTING THE DOTS•2007 ncds formed (library digital projects

and student multimedia center) •2007 "Carpe Digital" branding born•2007 Project partnership solicitation from

another University involving an SMU trustee•2007 The Dean decreed that the library

WOULD purchase a Digital Asset Management system

•2007 nCDS divests campus videography service

•2008 DAG tasked with selecting a dam•2008 ContentDM purchased

CONNECTING THE DOTS

•2008 Part time Digital Content Developer hired•2008 Funding secured for 30 item pilot project

(the first digital project for the nCD)•2008 Ten digital collections posted online•2008 Part time DCD made permanent part time•2008 nCDS manager promoted to director

Rob Walker, DirectorRob Walker, DirectorNorwick Center for Digital ServicesNorwick Center for Digital Services

Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University

Rob Walker, DirectorRob Walker, DirectorNorwick Center for Digital ServicesNorwick Center for Digital Services

Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University

Norwick Center for Digital ServicesNorwick Center for Digital ServicesNorwick Center for Digital ServicesNorwick Center for Digital Services

• Student Multimedia Center• 3 group rooms• 12 individual stations (24”

iMacs)• Library Digital Projects

• all forms of digitization• metadata• standards

• Screening Room• videoconferencing

ACT ONE:THE WAY WE WERE

The Way We Were

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The Way We Were

The Way We Were

• Media Library• Classroom Technology Support• Live Event Support• Campus Videography Services• A/V Design and Installation

The Way We Were

• Media Library• Classroom Technology Support• Live Event Support• Campus Videography Services• A/V Design and Installation

The Way We Were

• Oppressive budget in which 50% had to be earned by providing a/v services to the campus

• The greater part of the earned budget was spent on providing student labor for the unfunded classroom support operation

• Classic “robbing Peter to pay Paul” scheme

• The average student had no place to work on media projects on campus

• The library was in dire need of a digital service point

• Library digital collections were woefully under developed

• 75% of what we did was not for the library!

The Way We Were

ACT TWO:THE PLAN

The Solution

• Create a new student multimedia center open to all students on campus

• Create a digital services operation for the library and reduce the services offered to the campus at large

• Implement library digital collections in a more efficient manner

• Eliminate the “chargeback” budget• Become truly library-centric

ACT THREE:THE OBSTACLES

The Obstacles

• We did not have digitization equipment• We did not have the budget for additional

staff• We only had one technologist on staff• We did not have space for a student center.• We did not have a digital asset management

system.• As a print oriented operation we had not

fully embraced digital and were not used to dynamic change.

• We did not have a supportive campus infrastructure.

The Obstacles

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WE WERE IN GOOD SHAPE!

Think big, you may only have one chance at success.

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Think big, you may only have one chance at success.

Think big, you may only have one chance at success.

• identified the elements of the project• came up with an executable plan• made sure the executables were met,

even if we had to step on toes to do it.• made provisions for the “politics”

• Space• where we want to be• what’s keeping us from being there

• Technology• hardware & software• Financial• for technology, space improvements and

staff• Personnel• reorganize existing staff identify staff

deficiencies

Think big, you may only have one chance at success.

Put a square peg in a round hole.Put a square peg in a round hole.

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Put a square peg in a round hole.Put a square peg in a round hole.

• We set out to repurpose an under-appreciated department and transform its role in the organization

• We needed to leverage the technical and human resources available to us.

• We needed to shed the elements that had no value to the new operation or would hold us back from achieving the goals

• We had to think outside the box (strangely, from within a box).

Put a square peg in a round hole.Put a square peg in a round hole.

• We reserved our Mac Pro computers for the Library Digital Project operation, data projectors for the screening room, and enough video production gear to produce our own content.

• We reserved any equipment that we felt would help us in our digitization efforts (think vintage gear)

• We hired employees better suited to the new model.

Put a square peg in a round hole.Put a square peg in a round hole.

Make them an offer they cannot refuse.Make them an offer they cannot refuse.

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Make them an offer they cannot refuse.Make them an offer they cannot refuse.

• space• identified the space we wanted for the

department.• worked with the non-library unit that

was in the space to relocate them to other spaces

• digitization• met with the library collection holders

to offer help for projects• offered help with cataloging,

digitization and collection development

Make them an offer they cannot refuse.Make them an offer they cannot refuse.

Show me the money!

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Show me the money!

• transferred equipment to other departments

• library IT contributed computers• used endowment funds, salary savings,

budget remnants• purchased non-contract furniture where

possible• used our expertise to install all equipment

including the screening room, and a vga-over-cat5 digital signage system

• used the campus plant for routine maintenance like painting and ceiling tiles

Show me the money!

Show me the money!

• We kept our phones (display phones cost $400 in our organization)

• We got a commitment from the Dean for the ContentDM funds

• We finally tapped our endowment • We incurred only minor renovation costs,

as we were moving into a finished space. • The other entity bore all the costs of the

renovation of our vacated space

Show me the money!

• We hit up the Library IT department for computers (we had always purchased our own without assistance, so now it was our turn for some love)

• We “sold” off assets to the new a/ provider to the campus and used those funds to help finance the venture

• we even deferred money to this fiscal year!

• We got budget relief from the VP of the tenant operation allowing us to no longer have to earn money

Bring in a ringer.Bring in a ringer.

•We hired a digital collections developer part time temp to jump start the digital collections and a new technician to staff the multimedia center.

•The developer had direct experience with digital collections and ContentDM had to find the $$ to make her perm.

•The developer had the freedom to pursue digital collections and set metadata standards.

•The multimedia operator was a recent SMU graduate with experience helping students with media projects.

Bring in a ringer.Bring in a ringer.

If you build it, they will come.If you build it, they will come.

If you build it, they will come.If you build it, they will come.

•Come up with a theme or “branding’ for the new operation that appeals to your patrons, and then advertise the heck out of it.

•We created a logo in house that was approved Gill.

If you build it, they will come.If you build it, they will come.

If you build it, they will come.If you build it, they will come.

• We had a well attended open house

• We partnered with student employees who also worked at the campus newspaper and got two front page articles, including one headline.

• Digital Signage (interactive)

• Free swag (useful) • Usb flash drives• Free blank dvd’s and cd’s for all students for

an entire year (instead of water bottle giveaways) – branded, naturally!

If you build it, they will come.If you build it, they will come.

If you build it, they will come.If you build it, they will come.

If you build it, they will come.If you build it, they will come.

•We attend public functions on campus like the hot dog cookouts, student orientation and faculty technology seminars.

•This year we are producing television commercials for the campus cable system.

•Meet with RA’s, the Pan-Hellenic organization and student organizations

If you build it, they will come.If you build it, they will come.

•Offer to students for free (or extremely low rates) esoteric digital services like film to video transfer and minidisc to file transfer – specific services needed by the student filmmaker’s association on campus.

•Offer to perform digitization and metadata chores to collection holders to remove impediments

Attention must be paid.Attention must be paid.

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Attention must be paid.Attention must be paid.

• Ongoing promotion required!• digital signage• “swag” (useful)• flyers• campus public spaces

• faculty workshops (target like-minded faculty)• video race competition (2009)• new apps and peripherals attract students• well paid students (with an iTunes gift card

“bonus” each semester)• remain agile!

Attention must be paid.Attention must be paid.

THE EPILOGUE:WHERE’S THE BEEF?

•Where's the innovation quotient?•Change in culture•Pilot project/beta test model in use for the first time•Allowing non-MLS staff to play a leadership role (no librarians were harmed, or even involved, in this project)•Technology staff were seen as having a role in understanding our users

Where’s the beef?Where’s the beef?

•Underused services - when to pull the plug and move on •The power of branding -the core message that we operate by  •Grassroots advertising never underestimate the value of student relationships (especially students who work for the campus newspaper)  •The “numbers” - data collection and presentation of data •The use of Google analytics helps give hyper accurate usage statistics for our digital collections and helps us allocate resources accordingly•useful for both digitization and advertising purposes

Where’s the beef?Where’s the beef?

• Digitization: in house or out house?• routine OCR scanning much faster and

cheaper off campus• when quality is important, digitization stays

in-house• again, never underestimate student

relationships• we’ve had students make automated

processes that have saved months of work

• one student worked for the Dallas Museum of Art and gave us great information on a project we were collaborating on

Where’s the beef?Where’s the beef?

•Having money to “bankroll” the first collections made all the difference. Sometimes just a couple of hundred dollars was all it took.

•Unintended consequences•The power of branding and having a

unique message•Digital collections: start small, and grow

them•“pony” collections

Where’s the beef?Where’s the beef?

Where’s the beef?Where’s the beef?

videoconference

adobe cs3 practice video editing

audio editing

scanning other

users 10 90 53 131 11 54 131

total users 480

Where’s the beef?Where’s the beef?

videoconference

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audio editing

scanning other

users 10 727 434 425 54 338 702

total users 2690

?QUESTIONSQUESTIONS