The
following interim narrative performance report summarizes
work accomplished at the University of Miami Library between
the grant start date on October 1, 1999 and March 31, 2000
in partial fulfillment of IMLS grant #LL-90160. The overall
objectives of the project are to select representative
samples of unique primary and secondary source materials
in the Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC) of the Richter Library
at the University of Miami, convert the materials into
a digital format, improve access to the collection, and
provide a model application of technology that may be used
by other libraries or museums seeking to preserve their
collections.
Publicity
Press
releases announcing the award of the grant were prepared,
submitted, and published in library, university, consortia,
and local media (please see Appendix A).
Staff
Job
descriptions for a Scanning Team supervisor and 2 research
assistants were written and posted in the Office of Human
Resources at the University of Miami. Applicants were
interviewed and the following candidates were hired (resumes
are attached in Appendix B).
Pedro
A. Figueredo, Library Assistant IV, Scanning Team Supervisor
Experience:
Has 10 years of professional experience in academic
and special libraries supervising professional
and clerical library staff as well as student
assistants and volunteers; is skilled at organizing
and cataloging library material in various formats.
Past employment history includes professional
positions at the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami;
the New York Historical Society; and Columbia
University Libraries. Has served as a consultant
for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington,
DC and the Museum of Contemporary Art Library
in Miami, among others. Is currently enrolled
in the School of Library and Information Science,
Distance Learning Program at the University of
South Florida (Tampa). Is fluent in Spanish & English.
Responsibilities:
Oversees daily operations of the IMLS project;
supervises 2 research assistants; facilitates
work toward completion of imaging, indexing,
and providing digital access of selected CHC
material. Coordinates the creation and implementation
of administrative and structural metadata. Performs
quality control on scanned images, metadata,
and indexing; serves as systems liaison; performs
statistical analyses and quantitative assessments
of IMLS production and assists with the preparation
of grant reports.
Maytee
Valenzuela, Research Assistant III, Indexer
Experience:
Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from
the University of Miami with a focus on Cuba.
Worked for the United Nations Headquarters translating
and editing press memos; trade representative
for U.S./Mexico Chamber of Commerce in Miami;
trade associate for the U.S. Department of Commerce
in Miami; supervised the deployment of UPS software
in the Americas Region for United Parcel Service
in Miami. Is fluent in Spanish & English.
Responsibilities:
Provides technical support in the digitization
of primary source and archival material in the
CHC at the Otto G. Richter Library. Facilitates
work toward completion of imaging, indexing,
and providing digital access of selected CHC
material by providing metadata and indexing of
selected materials and by assessing CHC materials
for digitization.
Lina
Velez, Research Assistant II, Scanner
Experience:
Currently enrolled in the School of Information
Studies, Distance Learning Program at Florida
State University (Tallahassee). Has a Bachelor
of Science degree in Broadcast Production from
the School of Journalism and Mass Communications
at Florida International University (Miami).
Interned as a music programmer for MTV Latin
America in Miami, and worked as a customer service
representative for two broadcast video equipment
companies in Miami. Is fluent in Spanish and
English.
Responsibilities:
Provides technical support in the digitization
of primary source and archival material in the
CHC at the Otto G. Richter Library. Maintains
records consistent with CHC Division databases,
cataloging, and indexing practices. Under the
supervision of the Scanning Team Supervisor,
Ms. Velez will facilitate work toward completion
of imaging, indexing, and providing digital access
of selected CHC material by providing metadata
and indexing of selected materials, and by assessing
CHC materials for digitization.
Facilities
Work
towards the preparation of office space to accommodate
the Scanning Team staff, furnishings, and equipment has
been completed. Electric, telephone, and computer data
connections have been installed and activated. The office
is conveniently located adjacent to the CHC and its collections.
It is situated in a secure area that is separate from
the public portions of the main library.
Hardware/Software
Orders
for the following hardware and software products have
been placed:
-
1
Storage Server Subsystem, Sun Enterprise 250 w/Solaris
2.6STD
-
Quickvault
90GB Raid Array storage w/upgrade
-
Optical
Archive Subsystem; Optical Storage Library Media
w/Tracer Magnavault Softwre for Sun
-
KE
EMU and KE Textpress multi-user database management
system
-
1
Epson Expression 836XL scanner with transparency
adapter
-
1
Xerox Docucolor 4LP color laser printer
-
3
Dell Optiflex desktop PIII PCs
-
1
HP laser b&w printer
-
Adobe
Photoshop 5.5; Frontpage 2000; Microsoft Office;
Internet access, etc.
With
the exception of the Sun server and the KE software,
all else has arrived and been installed. The server and
the software are scheduled to arrive at the end of April.
Installation, training, and customization of the hardware
and software will take place in April-May 2000.
Activities
The
Scanning Team has been engaged in a program of orientation
designed to familiarize team members with the University
of Miami, the Richter Library, and the CHC and its collections.
In preparation for the arrival of the Sun server and
software in April, the Scanning Team has been devicing
a work plan for selecting, preparing, scanning, and indexing
items in various formats from selected collections in
the CHC.
Training
in basic rules governing library procedures for processing,
cataloging, and indexing archival and primary source
materials has taken place. Reading assignments and practical
hands-on experience using the scanner, printer, and computers
have provided the Scanning Team members with a good working
knowledge of the equipment. Familiarity with library
operations and with CHC collections has provided staff
with a good understanding of the goals, objectives, and
expectations of this project.
For
now, space on the library's server has been provided
on a provisional basis until the Sun server arrives at
the end of this month. The Scanning Team has built a
database of scanned images, metadata, and adminstrative
data using in-house computer programs like Microsoft
Access and Microsoft Word. The experience gained thus
far will be applied to customizing data entry screens
and populating the database using KE EMU and KE Textpress
multi-user database management system.
Advisory
Board Committee
The
Project Director has invited 3 faculty members to serve
on an IMLS Grant Advisory Board Committee to oversee
the scholarly content of material selected for the grant
and to provide input to the library regarding the selection
and presentation of materials to be digitized through
the IMLS grant. Meetings between the Project Director
and the Advisory Board Committee have taken place. The
members of IMLS Grant Advisory Board committee are:
Dr.
Jaime Suchlicki, Director, University of Miami Institute
for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies
Dr.
Juan Carlos Espinosa, Assistant Director, University
of Miami Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies
Dr.
Luis Aguilar Leon, Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University
Initial
contact has been made between the Principal Investigator
and key members of the Richter Library to start planning
for the completion of project deliverables, e.g., library
systems, cataloging and indexing, and web advisor.
Web-Wise
Conference
The
Principal Investigator and the Technical Advisor attended
the "Web-Wise Conference on Libraries and Museums
in the Digital World," March 15-17, 2000, in Washington,
D.C. |
