Digital Workflows and Interoperability for Emblem Studies

Cole, Timothy W.; Han, Myung-Ja K.; Vannoy, Jordan

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/28354 Copy

Description

Title

Digital Workflows and Interoperability for Emblem Studies

Author(s)

• Cole, Timothy W.
• Han, Myung-Ja K.
• Vannoy, Jordan

Issue Date

2011-06

Keyword(s)

Emblem books, Emblems, Digital Library, Interface design, Iconclass

Abstract

Over the course of the last decade, scholars' expectations of digital libraries have evolved. More advanced functionality and consistency spanning scholarly domains is now required. For digitized special collections materials such as our digitized emblem resources collection, this has required the UIUC Library to re-conceptualize our digitization workflows and rethink how we provide access to such digitized special collections content. Local, idiosyncratic approaches specific to a particular collection at a single institution no longer suffice. Our collaboration with HAB and Arkyves on the Emblematical Online project has required us to develop new workflows more in keeping with standard Semantic Web and Linked Data principles. Ongoing development of a truly robust and global Open Emblem Book Portal has required us to upgrade to globally-scoped, persistent and precise identifiers for our digitized emblem resources and develop new strategies for maintaining fulsome provenance and relationship metadata for both analog print resources digitized and digital derivatives created. We now make use of the collaboratively developed SPINE metadata format for digitized emblem resources in lieu of our own locally developed schema. Locally we have also modified workflows to support the creation of additional digital derivatives and new views of our digitized emblem books. These new ways to present digitized emblem resources to scholars facilitate use and reference to digitized content. In particular we now make it possible to discover our emblem resources in more ways than previously available and to view and persistently reference digitized emblem resources at a broad range of granularity and specificity. These changes and updates recognize and support the changing needs of our users, both here at UIUC and (increasingly) elsewhere throughout the world. This approach also facilitates interoperability not only with other emblem digitization projects, but also with broader initiatives in the Digital Humanities community. The work described in this presentation serves as a model for other ongoing digitization work at Illinois in support of focused scholarly communities.

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/28354

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

National Endowment for the Humanities

Owning Collections