How to Contribute a Collection to Wisconsin Heritage Online

 

All cultural heritage repositories that hold materials related to Wisconsin history and make them available to the public are invited to submit digital collection information for inclusion in Wisconsin Heritage Online, a collaborative, statewide digital collection portal. Institutions will need to have digitized resources to participate.

 

• The Wisconsin Heritage Online portal will provide access to your local digital collection through a metadata harvesting process.

 

• Wisconsin Heritage Online can provide content management services if needed.

 

• Wisconsin Heritage Online can assist with finding digitization vendors and tools, and in establishing a workflow.

 

• Wisconsin Heritage Online does not offer digitization services.

 

Please read the Wisconsin Heritage Online Collection Development Policy and Selection Criteria to determine if your collection meets the criteria for inclusion in Wisconsin Heritage Online.

 

There are four contribution options:

1. You have or share a digital content management system on a server and have web-accessible digital collections. Submit the harvesting application form to get in the queue to have your collection harvested.

2. You have a static repository, with information stored in an XML file at a persistent HTTP URL. Submit the harvesting application form to get in the queue to have your collection harvested.

3. You will apply to the Wisconsin Heritage Online Collection Development Working Group to submit your existing digitized collections via an exported tab-delimited file to the hosted CONTENTdm server at the Wisconsin Historical Society. See Collections Hosted by Wisconsin Historical Society.

4. You will apply to the Wisconsin Heritage Online Collection Development Working Group to start a new digital project on the hosted CONTENTdm server at Wisconsin Historical Society. See Collections Hosted by Wisconsin Historical Society.

For discussion on how to contribute your collection metadata to the Wisconsin Heritage Online collaborative, contact:

Debbie Cardinal

Wisconsin Heritage Online Coordinator

info@wisconsinheritage.org

608 263-5051

728 State St., Rm. 464

Madison WI 53706

 

 

Collections Hosted by Wisconsin Historical Society

 

See Project Cost Estimation for information about how much a digital project may cost.

The application process for the fourth option, using the digital content management system, CONTENTdm, hosted by the Wisconsin Historical Society, has three steps, outlined below.

 

Step One: Selection and Review

 

Select items/collections to submit:

• Participants are strongly encouraged to call or e-mail WHO staff for advice or to discuss possible selections. Call (608) 265-2138 for Debbie Cardinal or e-mail info@wisconsinheritage.org.

 

Review application criteria:

• Historical significance: collections or items should represent experiences that are either common to all Wisconsinites, unique to a specific local community, or that reflect one or more of the Wisconsin Heritage subject categories.

• Scanning potential: suitability for digitization is evaluated in terms of image quality and physical condition. For example, items that have high contrast and/or a clean, crisp font digitize well. Project staff can provide advice on scanning potential.

• Ownership and copyrights: the institution must hold property rights or permissions to the collection or item and make it available to the public for research. Items in copyright will not be accepted without the permission of the holder of the copyright. If your item is protected by copyright, you must include a signed release from the copyright holder. If you are unsure of the copyright, see Michigan Library Consortium, Copyright and Digitization, http://www.mlc.lib.mi.us/cms/sitem.cfm/library_tools/copyright_/copyrightdigitize/ or contact Wisconsin Heritage Online project staff.

 

Consider:

• What are the highlights of your collections?

• What is the most significant, oldest, or most unique item or collection in your institution?

• What collection/item best represents your community or region? What items are most used or requested by patrons?

 

Step Two: Digitization Requirements, Application Form, and Acceptance Agreement

 

1) Establish your budget for the project and obtain funding. WHO staff can help with project planning.

2) Review digitization, metadata and content management requirements:

• Submitting institution must digitize its own collections, and meet minimum WHO standards for image format and resolution. Carefully review Digital Imaging Guidelines before you begin scanning materials. The person who is digitizing the materials is encouraged to contact project staff before beginning digitization.

• Cataloging of the collection must be done using the WHO Metadata Guidelines, which is based on the Dublin Core standard element set. There are only eight MANDATORY field elements. The Metadata Template will help you identify and map the minimum metadata fields needed.

• You will use The CONTENTdm Acquisition Station, a content management client, to input and catalog your collection items.

• You will need broadband Internet access to upload your collection to the CONTENTdm server at Wisconsin Historical Society.

3) Obtain the hosting application form to apply online or send via e-mail, postal mail, or fax. Complete one for each collection you would like to build in the WHS CONTENTdm database.

• Be as specific and thorough as possible and attach additional information, such as catalog records, articles about the object, or finding aids, if available. This will help in the evaluation process.

• Contact project staff if you have any questions.

 

Send forms to:

Debbie Cardinal

Wisconsin Heritage Online Coordinator

728 State St, Rm. 464

Madison, WI 53706

info@wisconsinheritage.org

608 262-6067

 

• You will receive confirmation that we have received your application.

• Applications will be considered in the order in which they are received (unless forms are incomplete). Staff may contact you for additional information after review.

 

4) As soon as project staff has reviewed the forms, you will receive a letter informing you whether your application has been accepted.

5) With the notification letter, you will receive an agreement outlining participant and WHO responsibilities, the Memorandum of Understanding. This form must be signed and returned within three weeks.

 

Step Three: Using CONTENTdm, hosted by the Wisconsin Historical Society

 

1. Meet with a WHO project manager to plan the workflow and timeline for your project.

2. Sign up for one or more digitization training sessions, selecting from scanning, metadata, and CONTENTdm Acquisition Station workshops or modules. Some of the sessions may be online.

3. Install the CONTENTdm client, Acquisition Station, using information from the Wisconsin Historical Society.

4. Work with the project manager to set up your collection and metadata fields, controlled vocabularies, and constant data elements. This is your project definition.

5. Once your collection is set up, you will work with WiLS and WHS staff members to develop and test the collection profile.

6. Set a deadline for project completion. You decide the timeframe for completion depending on the size of project, your project staff, and complexity. The project manager will help you set up a realistic timetable.

7. Work with WHS staff to set up a CONTENTdm collection home page. This will be a prescribed set of actions to include adding your logo, changing default colors and building canned searches of your choice.

8. When you have completed your project, there will be a short time period to test that the project definition meets your needs.