As libraries look to surface unique special collections, or preserve/replace deteriorating print resources with more durable and functional digital surrogates, it is important to come to grips with the pros and cons of a variety of available strategies for achieving library goals. The default strategy has been to let commercial interests take the lead in developing and managing this content; libraries then deciding to buy or not buy based on perceived local interest. Increasingly, though, we're seeing experimentation with other models that give the library community greater control over selection decisions, standards for digitization, long-term archiving, and terms for accessibility. The following business models will be considered with an eye to building a higher degree of support for library and user friendly strategies for building significant digital corpora:
- Locally funded and maintained digitization with post-hoc aggregation of metadata in initiatives like DPLA
- Library-led and communally funded initiatives like the Text Creation Partnership
- Agency partnerships with entities like Reveal Digital that can help prioritize, fund, digitize, and aggregate open-access digital resources.
These and related business models speak to the aspiration of many libraries to find more sustainable approaches to making archival resources more globally visible, accessible and useful. Participating panelists will speak to the relative merits and limitations of emerging strategies for curating library special collections.
