Presentation type: Presentation
Abstract:Crowdsourcing transcription of digital materials is a powerful way to engage the broader public in special collections and enhance the discoverability of content. Our experiences working with Indianapolis Public Library, Alabama Department of Archives and History, the Los Angeles County Library, and others demonstrate the value of shared community standards in simplifying the integration and interoperability of two distinct software services.
We will discuss how the goals of these projects led FromThePage and CONTENTdm to use IIIF APIs for the exchange of digital images and metadata between the two systems. By focusing on tangible user needs, we were able to prototype immediate solutions and ultimately make them production-ready. The re-usability of the IIIF APIs meant that those initial technical efforts were quickly rewarded when applied to later projects.
We will also discuss the impact these transcription projects have had both in creating real human engagement with important cultural materials held by libraries and archives, and in expanding the usefulness and accessibility of digital records that would otherwise be invisible to all but the most diligent.
Topics:
- Interoperability in IIIF contexts
Keywords:
- integration,
- crowdsourcing,
- archives,
- special collections