2.9 PHASES OF DIGITIZATION
2.10.5 Availability of specialized staff
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2.10.4.2 Know your users
According to Layton (2011:Know your users), knowing your users makes it easy to understand their needs and decide how digitization of specific materials will benefit them, as well as how to present it to them. Beagrie (N.d.:User needs) stated that understanding user needs can be essential in developing a digitization strategy.
2.10.4.3 Determine your selection principles and rules
Layton (2011:Determine your selection …) argued that the fact that digitization of materials is expensive, in-as-far as time and financial and human resources are concerned, the digitization strategy must set up rules to determine what and how to go about digitization within the selected collection. Layton (2011:Determine your selection …) cautioned that it may not be possible to digitize everything within the collection and different rules may be set for different collections and institutions, as the strategies and policies are not a “one size fits all” kind of thing.
2.10.4.4 Describe the digital items and collections
According to Layton (2011:Describing the digital …), it is important to clearly specify the format, media and metadata to use for the collection. The strategy must specify in which repository the digital collection will be housed.
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2.10.5.1 Staff requirements for digitization
According to Zhou (2005:235), human resources are the most important resource;
“without human resource, no resource may be useful.” Posgate (2008:9) stressed that since staff is likely to take the biggest part of the budget, it is important to plan beforehand the staff requirements in terms of staff size and required skills. Posgate (2008:9) indicated that there must be plans concerning how many staff are required, what budget will be used to cover staff cost(s) and where the money is coming from.
Posgate (2008:9) felt that there must be indications as to the required skills needed for the team, as well as plans and budgets for the training needs of staff and “what kind of work can be done by unskilled staff or volunteers”.
Zhou (2005:235) reasoned that the most critical task to convert a traditional library to a digital one lies in successfully changing the human resources of the library into
“digital librarians”. Digitization processes of the library materials require a number of specialized skills in contrast to the traditional library of print and hard copies.
According to Chavan (2012:3), “the basic goal of library and information profession has always been to provide access to information to those who need it.” The role of library professionals is dramatically changing with the changing face of libraries.
Anderson and Gesin (1997:Impact of digital …) stated that information-seekers no longer have to leave their homes or offices to locate and access information, but can access it electronically via digital gateways from their desktops. According to Murphy (2010:3), technological advancements have enabled people, especially young people to access information through cellphones and other devices such as i-pads.
Anderson and Gesin (1997:Impact of digital …) added that the digital age is bringing changes in the way information is stored and accessed, bringing about changes in library and information professionals. Library staff are learning new skills, skills related to digital information (Anderson and Gesin 1997:Cost of ownership).
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Ferguson and Bunge (1996:252) felt that librarians need to radically change their perspectives on user needs, and even transform the ways in which they organize themselves, to serve these needs. Ferguson and Bunge (1996:252) stated that academic librarians are aware of the need to work aggressively towards bringing “the library to the users’ rooms, residence halls, offices, and anywhere else the network goes.”
According to Hammond and Davies (2009:16), “digitization projects have staffing requirements that are distinct from most roles in a university: specific skills are required, but contracts are typically limited to 18-24 months.” Isfandyari-Moghaddam (2009:33) stressed that, for the success of digital libraries, it is important that all staff, whether familiar or unfamiliar with theory and practice of Digital Libraries (DLs), had better learn the needed skills of working in these libraries through continuing informal education.
For the successful implementation of digital library and digitization processes, the library personnel need to be well-trained in order to acquire the required knowledge and skills for this venture. Mohsenzadeh and Isfandyari-Modhaddam (2011:347) stated that library staff needs to be aware of the implications brought about the changes in library environment, and develop technological and managerial skills to make them effective in using information and making it accessible.
According to Isfandyari-Moghaddam and Bayat (2008:852), specialized human resources are very important elements in the success of digitization. Isfandyari- Moghaddam and Bayat (2008:852) added that specialized staff is not necessarily limited to librarians as cataloguers, indexers and archivists, but also includes other fields such as information technology and project management.
Some of the literature reviewed indicated that librarians should be capable and competent in several fields so that they can play an influential role in developing and
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managing digital libraries (Zhou 2005:437; Isfandyari-Moghaddam and Bayat 2008:852). Isfandyari-Moghaddam and Bayat (2008:852) identified 21 skills which the digital library staff should have. These include:
Ability to formulate search strategies
Know how to evaluate the websites
Be able to guide and educate users
Understand how to integrate network resources
Ability to catalogue and organize digital information
Understand visualization and digitization technologies
Be able to design user interfaces and portals
Have knowledge of analysis and interpretation of information
Project management
OCR (optical character recognition)
Be aware of mark-up languages such as SGML, HTML and especially XML
Indexing & Abstracting
Technologies of databases
Programming
Web technology
Familiarity with web search tools
Management of e-publications
Information architecture (IA)
Information literacy (plus literacy of computer and network)
Metadata
E-metrics and evaluation methods of DLs
2.10.5.2 Staff training for digitization projects
Hammond and Davies (2009:16) stated out that digitization projects have staffing requirements that are distinct from most roles in a university. Hammond and Davies
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added that specific skills are required for digitization projects and sometimes it is not easy to get the right people with such skills. As a result, more time might have to be invested in training staff at the beginning of the project.
According to Beagrie (N.d.:Training) good, early staff training would make a significant difference, more especially because digitization is a complex process.
Beagrie (N.d.:Training) stated that “training in digitization can make a valuable contribution to skilling up staff to either undertake or manage digitization projects.”
Hammond and Davies (2009:16) agree with Beagrie, in that it is important to determine what training staff will require from the word go and how such training will be done.
Training librarians and/or other library personnel to work effectively, properly and with understanding of their roles in the new environment can contribute to the success of digitization. Constant training of staff for digitization projects is a necessity.