Digitization Projects Showcase 2

The CARLI Preservation Committee is delighted to showcase digitization projects at Illinois libraries as part of the Summer Digitization Webinar Series in partnership with the Florida Virtual Campus. 

Project 1: “Picturing Lincoln: Digitizing a Physical Collection at the ALPLM” presented by Kelsey Wise and Matthew Deihl, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The initiative to digitize the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s ‘Picturing Lincoln’ collection was a large undertaking, but well worth it for the preservation and accessibility of the collection. The Picturing Lincoln online collection reduces the wear and tear of handling the physical materials while also removing the barrier of location-based, in-person only access to audiovisual materials related to Abraham Lincoln. A generous grant from the Illinois State Library made the work possible. Kelsey Wise and Matthew Deihl will cover the entire process of digitizing this archival collection; from applying for the grant that funded the work and procuring a vendor to scan the materials to creating and promoting the online collection.

Project 2: “Collaborative Preservation at the Crossroads of Science and History: Digitizing the Barnard Atlas” presented by Abigail Mann and Liz Bloodworth, Illinois Wesleyan University
Rooted in the goals of preserving and presenting university history by creating a digital archive of the Curtis Trout Collection, Liz Bloodworth, Abigail Mann, and Dagan Turcotte-Cutkomp will share Illinois Wesleyan University’s endeavor to address the challenges of 3D digitization and narrative storytelling in the digital humanities through an experiential learning opportunity for an undergraduate student.  Over his 30-year career as a scenic designer and theater professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, Curtis Trout created more than 100 designs for the School of Theatre Arts and amassed an impressive archival collection of his work that surpasses the amount of physical space available in the University Archives. The physical reality of that collection necessitates the development of workflows and strategies to digitally preserve a wide array of materials, many non-textual, in a way that prioritizes accessibility and engagement.