Coverage of digitization issues in First Monday

First Monday, a peer-reviewed journal that is published on the Internet, covers as part of its purview some of the issues that impact digitization projects, including copyright, the development of cultural content, and preserving digital assets. The journal also carries articles on specific projects, such as "Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains." This is a good place to look for articles by authors who are well versed in the issues, trends, and potential pitsfalls of creating, managing and preserving digital assets.

One article worth reading/skimming is a 2003 article by Gerry Wall entitled "Business model issues in the development of digital cultural content." Based on a study conducted in Canada, Wall notes that funding is an issue that may only be solved long-term by the adoption of business models such as user fees or content licensing. Although the ideas fly against the notion that information should be free, they must be considered since governments and other grantors are unlikely to fund all the digitization that cultural heritage organizations want to do.