The Department of Digital Initiatives was established in July 2006 with the purchase of two high-quality scanners, a Canon Flatbed Scanner and a BookEye Planetary Scanner. The BookEye Scanner is specifically designed to accommodate oversized and especially fragile materials as it scans from above. This equipment, along with trained staff, allow for the creation of high-quality scans while even the most delicate materials are handled with the utmost attention and care.
By converting materials to digital formats, the Department of Digital Initiatives can support research and instructional needs. In addition, digital surrogates can be used as a means to highlight and promote the University Libraries’ materials in such as way that more users can gain access and discover them, and the materials themselves can be better preserved.
To expand the reach of Binghamton University Libraries’ Special Collections, they licensed the OCLC’s (Online Computer Library Center’s) CONTENTdm Digital Collection Management Software and became a development partner for one of its competitors, Innovative Interface’s ContentPro. Both software platforms handle all media types and allow the libraries to easily handle thousands of digital images with standardized descriptive metadata that permits patrons worldwide to easily search and retrieve the information they need.
The first project using CONTENTdm is the Edwin A. Link, Jr. Digital Archives. These digital archives display photographs from collections portraying Edwin A. Link, Jr., the local inventor, industrialist and pioneer in aviation simulation, underwater archaeology and ocean engineering. The digital archive will continue to be expanded in the future to include materials from other collections.
ContentPro has been used to highlight our Binghamton Local History Postcards Collection, a large collection with images depicting monuments, buildings, building interiors, bridges, and other landmarks from cities and towns in Broome County and the surrounding areas. Currently, videos of readings from the Binghamton Community Poets' "Big Horror Reading Series" are being added to ContentPro. This Poets’ series took place in the Binghamton area from 1983-1996, featuring nationally and internationally-known writers as well as local community writers such as Milton Kessler and Robert Creeley.
Special Collections, Preservation,and University Archives | Binghamton University Libraries
P.O. Box 6012, Vestal Parkway East, Binghamton, NY 13902-6012 | 607.777.4844 | special.collections@binghamton.edu
© 2009 Binghamton University Libraries
