diglib: principles of good digital collections

[Carol Hixson <chixson@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>]

I was reviewing the IMLS document on digital collections
http://www.imls.gov/pubs/forumframework.htm and wanted
to pass the following on as a reminder to all of us.
We've done better on some aspects than on others.
And, since we're really just getting started, we can
try to be more alert to these issues for future projects.

Carol
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Principles of Good Digital Collections, taken from:

A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections,
Institute of Museum and Library Services, November 2001.


Collections principle 1: A good digital collection is created
according to an explicit collection development policy that
has been agreed upon and documented before digitization
begins.

Collections principle 2: Collections should be described so
that a user can discover important characteristics of the
collection, including scope, format, restrictions on access,
ownership, and any information significant for determining
the collection's authenticity, integrity and interpretation.

Collections principle 3: A collection should be sustainable
over time. In particular, digital collections built with special
funding should have a plan for their continued usability
beyond the funded period.

Collections principle 4: A good collection is broadly
available and avoids unnecessary impediments to use.
Collections should be accessible to persons with disabilities,
and usable effectively in conjunction with adaptive technologies.

Collections principle 5: A good collection respects
intellectual property rights. Collection managers should
maintain a consistent record of rightsholders and permissions
granted for all applicable materials.

Collections principle 6: A good collection provides some
measurement of use. Counts should be aggregated by period
and maintained over time so that comparison can be made.

Collections principle 7: A good collection fits into the larger
context of significant related national and international digital
library initiatives. For example, collections of content useful for
education in science, math and/or engineering should be usable
in the NSDL.

Objects principle 1. A good digital object will be produced in
a way that ensures it supports collection priorities.

Objects principle 2. A good object is persistent. That is, it
will be the intention of some known individual or institution
that the good object will persist; that it will remain accessible
over time despite changing technologies.

Objects principle 3. A good object is digitized in a format that
supports intended current and likely future use or that support
the development of access copies that support those uses.
Consequently, a good object is exchangeable across platforms,
broadly accessible, and will either be digitized according to a
recognized standard or best practice or deviate from standards
and practices only for well documented reasons.

{no Objects principle 4 in the document}

Objects principle 5. A good object will be named with a
persistent, unique identifier that conforms to a well-documented
scheme. It will not be named with reference to its absolute
filename or address (e.g. as with URLs and other Internet
addresses) as filenames and addresses have a tendency to
change. Rather, the filename's location will be resolvable with
reference to its identifier.

Objects principle 6. A good object can be authenticated in at
least two senses. First, a user should be able to determine the
object's origins, structure, and developmental history (version,
etc.). Second, a user should be able to determine that the
object is what it purports to be.

Objects principle 7. A good object will have and be associated
with metadata. All good objects will have descriptive and
administrative metadata. Some will have metadata that
supplies information about their external relationships to
other objects (e.g. the structural metadata that determines
how page images from a digitally reformatted book relate
to one another in some sequence).

Metadata Principle 1: Good metadata should be appropriate to
the materials in the collection, users of the collection, and
intended, current and likely use of the digital object.

Metadata principle 2: Good metadata supports interoperability.

Metadata principle 3. Good metadata uses standard controlled
vocabularies to reflect the what, where, when and who of the
content.

Metadata principle 4. Good metadata includes a clear
statement on the conditions and terms of use for the digital
object.

Metadata principle 5: Good metadata records are objects
themselves and therefore should have the qualities of good
objects, including archivability, persistence, unique identification,
etc. Good metadata should be authoritative and verifiable.

Metadata principle 6. Good metadata supports the long-term
management of objects in collections.

Projects principle 1: A good project has a substantial design
component.

Projects principle 2: A good project has an evaluation plan.

Projects principle 3: A good project produces a project report.