ARCHIVES 2017

In 2007 OCLC Research and the Society of American Archivists held a seminal meeting to explore barriers preventing institutions from scaling up digitization of archives and special collections. Inspired at the time by book scanning projects spearheaded by Google and the Internet Archive, participants examined what was preventing libraries from doing more to get collections into the hands of users. A report from that meeting, “Shifting Gears: Gearing Up to Get Into the Flow,” summarized these (sometimes contradictory) ideas for making digitized special collections more ubiquitously available.   
Ten years later, digitization of archives and special collections has moved across the spectrum from boutique scanning and carefully curated online exhibits to massive digitization projects that have converted millions of pages of documents and microfilm for online access. There have been major advancements in access to digitized materials through state-wide digital libraries, the partnerships that formed HathiTrust, and the emergence of the Digital Public Library of America as an aggregator. Legally there is growing support for digitization as a fair use and a value added contribution. Once only accessible to the most privileged of users, archives and special collections are now available to diverse populations around the world.    
Yet, are we any closer to reaching the scale we imagined ten years ago? Are the challenges and solutions to large-scale digitization any different? How has the landscape changed, or remained the same, in special collections and archives? How should special collections and archives approach digitization in the future? What opportunities lie ahead?   
Moderated by Merrilee Proffitt, OCLC Research, this panel discussion will include Erik Moore from the University of Minnesota and Michelle Light from UNLV, and will encourage audience feedback.