MLA Handout 2012
- 1. Invisible Books Preservation Detroit, the city’s oldest and largest historic preservation group, has a collection of more than 200 books about local history, architecture, and preservation in its library, but had no efficient way to connect them to potential users. In the past, access to the books has been by appointment only, with potential users having no way to know what books are in the collection other than by consultation with the librarian. This meant that although Preservation Detroit’s local history and local architecture collection was one of the best in the Metro Detroit area; it was used almost exclusively by staff and interns. As the group sought to serve its members and the community more effectively, it was determined that new social media tools might provide an opportunity to open up access to the books. After researching various options such as Omeka, WordPress (the platform for the organization’s website), and the Library of Congress’s new Viewshare collection tool, the group’s volunteer librarian concluded that Flickr provided the simplest, most volunteer-friendly, lowest maintenance way to experiment with increased access to the book collection. Although alternatives such as Omeka and Viewshare provide more robust ways of cataloging and describing a variety of information objects, such as books, images, or artifacts, they are more complex to the casual user than Flickr. They require a larger time investment to learn the software, and a deeper understanding of web technology and library cataloging practices to get the most from them. Viewshare, in particular, takes more time to learn to use its non-intuitive interface. Working with WordPress as a simple website platform is straightforward, but using it to present a collection in a way that would be easily searchable is a greater challenge, one which requires some basic programming ability. Any of these alternatives could work well in an organization that has an in-house technology staff, or committed, long-term volunteers who are tech savvy. Preservation Detroit is an all-volunteer organization, with no technology department or staffers, and core volunteers with widely varying technology expertise and information literacy. Additionally, because many of the volunteers and interns are working on school-related projects, there is a high percentage of turnover from semester to semester. Any system that Preservation Detroit uses needs to be easy for novice users to pick up with a minimum of oversight. Contact us: Preservation Detroit email info@preservationdetroit.org website http://preservationdetroit.org/ or like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PreservationDetroit Presenter Contact Information Erin Durrett, MLIS, Wayne State University durrett.erin@gmail.com Lisa Phillips, MLIS candidate, Wayne State University es6258@wayne.edu Julianne Novetsky, MLIS candidate, Wayne State University bb7904@wayne.edu Presented by Erin Durrett, Julianne Novetsky & Lisa Phillips Preservation Detroit Wayne State University Public Access: Using Flickr to Catalog Special Collections November 7, 2012
- 2. Background Research and Existing Projects Literature about the ways that public libraries are utilizing Flickr is as diverse as the projects that libraries are pursuing using this platform. Advantages include: Literature about projects similar to ours (cataloging physical books in Flickr) is scarce Literature about libraries/museums using Flickr focuses on its collaborative and Web 2.0 qualities Resources like Flickr allow individuals with limited knowledge of web development to make simple but professional-looking sites. It also allows for more collaboration. Flickr is a no cost or low cost way to host image-based information The easy to use and intuitive platform makes Flickr a useful platform for libraries, museums, and individuals to share, tag, and discuss image-based items of cultural and historical importance (Terras, 2011, p.689). Online “museums” of this type are a small but growing presence (Terras, 2011, p. 699), and many well-known institutions are taking advantage of Flickr including: the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the Powerhouse museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the New York Public Library. These groups are releasing digital images copyright- free in a joint project known as the Commons on Flickr (Terras, 2011, p. 700). Public libraries are also increasingly using Flickr to build community engagement and to provide access to collections and services (Forsyth, 2010, p.6). Libraries and museums should use Flickr as a way to interact with their patrons and community; it should not be used only to provide access to images (Forsyth, 2010, p.7). Do It Yourself The methods used for creating Preservation Detroit’s public Flickr collection were simple and could be easily duplicated to catalog any collection of standard or nonstandard items. Instead of using pre-existing digital cover images of books in the Preservation Detroit collection (from public domain image sites), digital photographs of each book cover were taken, uploaded onto a Mac computer, and refined and sharpened using photo editing software. Fields were primarily drawn from Dublin Core, which is easy to share across different systems. The fields listed for each book include the creator, contributor, publication date, ISBN, description, subjects and LOC call number. These fields were chosen to give the viewers an indication of what they may find in each book, as well as create access points to the items by including the more commonly searched fields, such as creator and contributor. The catalogers also added tags whenever possible to make access to each item that more attainable. Once the images were loaded onto Flickr, each book took about ten to fifteen minutes to catalog. Wayne State’s catalog was used to identify LOC Call Number and possible subject headings as well as OCLC Worldcat. Where possible, LOC subjects headings were used, but non-LOC headings were created when necessary. Amazon was also used to help with fields such as ISBN and description, when they were not provided elsewhere. But Does It Really Work? Although the initial process of loading images to Flickr and creating the catalog records is going smoothly, it is too early to tell if it will result in increased use of the book collections. There is a clear need for an organization to publicize a new access portal through traditional and social media to promote its use. Even volunteers who have never used Flickr before find it easy to work with. Best practice in selecting terms for tagging, because it can be very individual, is to provide a controlled vocabulary and examples. One of the best qualities of Flickr is its search functionality. Descriptions are full-text searchable. A Flickr collection can be linked to a library’s website, or a slideshow from it can be embedded in a website. What Else Can A Library Do With Flickr? Public libraries are already using Flickr for a variety of reasons. The two main uses are in documenting events and promoting collections (Forsyth & Perry, 2010, p.6). Other uses include library tours, providing photos for the press, social media campaigns, photography competitions, sharing information with other professionals, exhibits, advertising library services, helping to build community, and as a platform to display heritage images (Forsyth & Perry, 2010 p.6). One library used Flickr to display images of its remodeling project. (Forsyth, 2010, p.6). Another used RSS feeds to create a video wall in the library (Forsyth & Perry, 2010, p.6) We believe it would also be an excellent resource for showcasing special collections that had been donated to the library, which would not necessarily be entered in the ILS. Some examples of opportunities to use Flickr might include: Donated materials such as postcards, photographs, or ‘zines Historical artifacts or object collections such as quilts or antique dolls Online gallery to document art exhibits within the library Document special events or book clubs Add an interactive component to a summer reading program Ask readers to contribute photos of themselves with their favorite books Libraries can utilize Flickr in many creative ways. The possibilities are nearly limitless. Reference and Further Information Flickr: Brooklyn Museum's Photostream. (n.d.). Flickr - Photo Sharing. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooklyn_museum/ Flickr: New York Public Library's Photostream. (n.d.). Flickr - Photo Sharing. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/nypl/ Flickr: Powerhouse Museum Collection's Photostream. (n.d.). Flickr - Photo Sharing. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/powerhouse_museum/ Flickr: Preservation Detroit Library & Archives - Research Library Books. (n.d.). Flickr - Photo Sharing. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/78805081@N08/sets/72157630308011040/ Flickr: Smithsonian Institution's Photostream. (n.d.). Flickr - Photo Sharing. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/smithsonian/ Flickr: The Library of Congress' Photostream. (n.d.). Flickr - Photo Sharing. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/ Forsyth, E. & Perry, L. (2010). Picturing your community: Flickr use in public libraries. Library Hi Tech News, 27(1), 6-9. jtrant. (n.d.). Flickr: steve.museum. Flickr - Photo Sharing. Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/groups/stevemuseum/ Preservation Detroit. (n.d.). Preservation Detroit. Retrieved from http://preservationdetroit.org/ Terras, M. (2011). The digital wunderkammer: Flickr as a platform for amateur cultural and heritage content. Library Trends, 59(4), 686-706. Welcome to the Steve Project. (n.d.). Steve.Museum | Steve: The Museum Social Tagging Project. Retrieved from http://www.steve.museum/