Preview of Computers in Libraries next week

The Computers in Libraries (CIL) conference is next week in Crystal City, VA. I'm giving a workshop on Sunday afternoon entitled "Digitization 101: The Workshop." Last I heard, there were at least 18 people registered for it.

If you are attending CIL or just coming to visit the exhibit hall, you should know that there are several digitization-related vendors that will be there. The ones that pop out on the list are:

• Indus International, Inc. (Hardware)
• Ingram Digital Group (Content Mgmt.)
• NMS Imaging (Digitization Services)
• OCLC (Digital Asset Mgmt. and Digitization Svcs.)
• PTFS, Inc. (Digital Asset Mgmt. and Digitization Svcs.)
  

In addition, these federated search companies stand out on the list:

• Deep Web Technologies
• Ex Libris USA
• Serials Solutions

Of course, the list doesn't give company descriptions (there must have been an extra cost for that), so there may be other companies that should be included above that I have missed.

There will be free Cyber Tours in the exhibit hall. Among them are:

Library of Congress Flickr Pilot
Monday, 12:30 PM – 12:45 PM

Michelle Springer, Project Manager, Digital Initiatives, Library Of Congress

Join Flickr members and comment, tag, and add notes to approximately 3,000 photographs from two photo collections with no known copyright restrictions. This pilot project hopes to make more people aware of photos in the Library’s collection and give them a better understanding of how social tagging and community input could benefit both users of collections and the LC. Hear more about the development and implementation of the pilot, including selection of photos, challenges, pilot goals, and experience to date.

Next-Generation Digital Libraries
Wednesday, 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM

Jason A. Clark, Digital Initiatives Librarian, Montana State University Libraries
Want a glimpse at what the future might look like? Clark uses an example of a partnership with Montana PBS, various independent filmmakers, The Media/Theatre Arts Department at Montana State University, and Montana State University libraries to illustrate a next-gen digital library. He discusses how the library builds/programs/codes the site and has created a content management architecture (metadata, data preservation architecture).

As for sessions, there are several that might be pertinent (depending on what in total you are doing). This one stood out as being more relevant to digitization programs:

Session A202 – "Barn Raising" One ILS at a Time
Tuesday, 11:30 AM – 12:15 PM

Patti Butcher, Director, State Library of Kansas
Jeff Hixon, Deputy Director Statewide Resource Sharing, State Library of Kansas
Albert Flores, Vice President of Sales, Auto-Graphics, Inc
This session highlights two statewide initiatives: creating consortial automated library groups using a single solution and migrating from a 40 year old union catalog to a virtual hybrid catalog that connects Z target library catalogs. It focuses on three different regional consortial solutions in place, one using Auto-Graphics Verso, one using Sirsi Unicorn, and one using Koha Zoom open source. Speakers discuss creating a virtual hybrid state union catalog overlaid with a new federated search engine. The result is a Google-like search of statewide, library-owned resources; vendor-supplied databases; digitized state documents; and the state library’s website. Implementation of Quova (geolocation software) to authenticate Kansas users automatically is addressed.

Not as much digitization-related stuff as I would like. I'm particularly saddened to not see more vendors.

Stay tuned next week for updated from CIL. If you are attending and want to chat, here is my schedule.

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Technorati tags: Digitization, CIL2008