Beyond the Shelf: Serving Historic Kentuckiana Through Virtual Access

The University of Kentucky Libraries and the Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL) propose a two-year project to create a digital collection focused on the published legacy of Kentucky's history by converting preservation microfilm to image and text formats. The target collection is the corpus of microfilm produced by the NEH funded SOLINET/ASERL Cooperative Preservation Microfilming Projects 2 through 5, 1992-2002 for the University of Kentucky. By June 2002, approximately 3,000 titles in 6,000 volumes of imperiled Kentuckiana have been filmed to date. Approximately 1,500 monograph titles will serve as the target collection. with the goal to create 950 digital volumes for the inclusion in the KYVL Kentuckiana Digital Library. KYVL, the UK Libraries and the Kentucky Association of the Teachers of History (KATH), an advisory council of history instructors at the K-12, undergraduate and graduate levels, will review the target collection for relevance. . Beyond the Shelf: Serving Historic Kentuckiana aims to: . Create a digital collection of 950 volumes to be served by the KYVL Kentuckiana Digital Library. Enhance access to important, scarce and brittle publications about Kentucky's history and culture. Develop a high quality digital library of lasting value that is worth preserving into the future by employing accepted and developing standards and best practices. Strengthen collaboration among librarians, scholars, and teachers by developing a collection that meets current and anticipated needs ofKYVL constituents. Demonstrate a hybrid approach to preservation and access by using microfilm print masters, instead of fragile or scarce source documents, to create the digital pages images. Create keyword searchable text to accompany all page images. Establish and document a sustainable high-production oriented workflow for film to digital conversion using two MEKEL microfilm scanners. The completion of the project will establish a significant historical resource for scholars, teachers and students at all interest or grade levels. Beyond the Shelfwill establish a firm foundation upon which to build additional historic digital collections, and it will develop a model for film to digital conversion to share with other participants in the SOLINET/ASERL Cooperative Microfilming Projects. Finally, Beyond the Shelfwill develop a maintenance program to ensure the long-term availability, usability, and integrity of its various end products.