About the Project

Ohio Memory Project Progress Report,
July 2000-October 2000

Overview

In February 2000 the Ohio Public Library Information Network (OPLIN) Board of Trustees approved funding for the first component of the Ohio Memory Project, the creation of an online scrapbook of historical materials covering prehistory through 1903. On July 1, 2000 the funding was released to the Ohio Historical Society. Since then the Ohio Memory Project has made great progress. Five staff members have been hired and trained. With the assistance of the Ohio Library Council (OLC), the staff organized and presented thirteen workshops to more than 220 potential project participants from cultural heritage repositories throughout Ohio. The project team designed a project web site to make information about Ohio Memory available and encourage participation. In addition, OhioLINK agreed to store and provide access to the scrapbook images. Staff began to work out the details of that collaboration.

Staff

Policies and Procedures

Once staff were in place, the project team established goals, priorities, and procedures. They made three important decisions:

• In the interest of widespread participation, every effort will be made to accept at least one item from each institution that submits materials.
• Eligible institutions include cultural institutions such as museums, historical societies, archives, and libraries (public, academic and special).
• The project will not accept materials submitted or owned by individuals.

Project staff also developed a framework for the project including selection criteria, subject categories, deadlines, and the submission process. Submission forms can be emailed, submitted online, or sent in the mail via paper forms. Content Editors are available to assist in determining what to submit and how to fill out the forms, and to answer any other questions.

Submissions will be accepted on a quarterly basis; the first deadline is November 15, 2000. Materials can be scanned at the Ohio Historical Center or at the submitting organization, as long as scanning specifications are met. A copy of the guidelines for scanning can be found at http://www.ohiomemory.org/participate.html.

Project Web Site and Online Scrapbook

Staff reserved the domain names and for the Ohio Memory Project in spring 2000. The Ohio Memory web designer created a web site that debuted in late August 2000. Currently, the site features project information, such as the history of the project, frequently asked questions, staff and contact information, links to digital projects and digitization resources, and listserv subscription. Also available for downloading in multiple formats are presentations, handouts, and forms. As of October 2000, the site allows institutions to submit forms online. The URL will eventually be the home of the online scrapbook, which will provide access to historical materials. When the staff finalizes the design of the online scrapbook, the project information that is currently available will be condensed and incorporated into the permanent site structure.

In October the site registered 40,000 hits, averaging more than 1300 per day. There were 1,048 hits on the home page, 2,437 page views (impressions), and 2,341 visitor sessions.

OhioLINK will serve as the host repository for the images that will be part of the online scrapbook. The database and images will be stored on and served from the OhioLINK servers. The web interface, including exhibits, tours and background, will remain on the OHS server. Several meetings were held with OhioLINK staff to discuss the various necessary database components and storage needs.

Articles and Press Releases

• Laurie Gemmill submitted an article focusing on selection criteria in digital projects, focusing on Ohio Memory, for the October 2000 edition of the Midwest Archives Conference (MAC) Newsletter.
• Fran Haley, Executive Director of the Ohio Library Council (OLC) contributed an article about the project to the April 2000 issue of the OLC publication Access.
• The August/September 2000 issue and the October/November 2000 annual report issue of the Ohio Historical Society publication Echoes included articles describing the project.
• The OHS Society Relations Division issued a press release concerning the project on October 6, 2000.
• An article discussing the project and focusing on the ways that local historical societies and museums can participate will appear in the November 2000 issue of the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums (OAHSM) publication The Local Historian.

The Ohio Library Council (OLC) organized a series of 12 workshops held throughout the state. (Thirteen were originally scheduled, but the Cincinnati workshop was cancelled due to a vice-presidential speaking engagement at workshop site). The purpose of the workshops was to explain the Ohio Memory Project and encourage participation. More than a thousand flyers advertising the workshops were distributed to a wide array of institutions including libraries, museums, historical societies and archives. All public libraries, OLC directors, Regional Library System Directors, members of the Ohio Association of Historical Societies and Museums (OAHSM), selected art museums, and OLC Subject and Special Collections Division received the workshop brochure. Project staff also sent workshop notices to the Society of Ohio Archivists (SOA) and H-Ohio listservs.

The list below indicates workshop dates and sites:

Workshop sessions included:

• Introduction to Digital History Web Sites
• How to Decide What to Submit
• Brainstorming Session on What Institutions Can Submit
• How to Submit Materials
• Digitization Process

Staff members participating in the workshops included Fran Haley, OLC Executive Director, Laurie Gemmill, Mary Alice Mairose, Shawn Martin, Angela O'Neal, and Phil Sager.

Workshop attendance was good, although expectedly lower in less populous areas. Two hundred and twenty three people pre-registered for the workshops. In addition, some participants registered on site. Many types of organizations sent representatives. Staff from academic libraries, public libraries, special libraries and regional library organizations were numerous. There were also many staff members from museums, historical societies, and archives. Other noteworthy attendees represented the Ford Nature Center, Franklin County Conservatory, the Cincinnati Zoo, and the Cleveland Zoo. A total of 173 workshop participants completed evaluations. In general, the evaluations were very positive. A summary of evaluations is attached.

Project staff viewed the workshops as an excellent opportunity to gather input about what potential participants wanted to see in the online scrapbook. Workshop participants had excellent suggestions about searching mechanisms they desired, as well as the kinds of interactivity and activities in which they were interested. They were enthusiastic about the idea of exhibits and guided tours and a customizable "my scrapbook" feature, wherein individuals gather their favorite images together in their own virtual display area. Tours they suggested included traveling along the canals of Ohio, the National Road, and the railroad lines.

Although the workshops were spread throughout the state, not all interested individuals were able to attend. Some cited scheduling difficulties and many indicated they could not be away from their institutions for a day. Thus, the project team would like to plan another series of five half-day workshops for Spring 2001, one in each of the four corners of the state and one in Columbus. The spring workshops will likely be similar to an abbreviated, two-hour session staff prepared for the OAHSM annual meeting on November 3, 2000.

Additional Presentations

Ohio Memory Staff gave a presentation to the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board (OHRAB) on October 13, 2000. OHRAB is the central body for historical records planning in the state. Board members represent Ohio's public and private archives, records offices, and research institutions.

Elizabeth Nelson spoke about the project in a panel discussion at an OhioNet conference on October 10, 2000.

Inquiries and Outreach

OPLIN graciously agreed to host a project listserv. The listserv will be used to keep interested parties up to date on project news and to facilitate communication. There are currently 98 subscribers.

Project staff met with various groups including the "Our Town Digital Library Project," a cooperative project between the Shaker Heights and Worthington Public Libraries and Historical Societies. The project teams discussed the ways in which we could cooperate and agreed to work together.

Staff also made contact with various regional library consortiums. Norweld, GCLC, MOLO, SOLO, and CAMLS were all interested in cooperative digitization efforts. Some of these institutions have scanning equipment and are willing to allow members to use the equipment to scan materials for the Ohio Memory Project.

Project staff responded to more than 50 requests for information via phone, fax, and email.

In the coming months, the project staff will meet with the curators in the Ohio State University Library system, Ohio Bicentennial Commission Area Coordinators, and the Greater Cincinnati Library Consortium to discuss the project and the ways that they can participate.

Advisory Group

The Ohio Memory Advisory Group, which is composed of twelve members, will provide oversight for the project. It will meet at least twice each year, in the spring and fall. A roster is attached.

Ohio Historical Society Strategic Planning

The Ohio Historical Society has incorporated the Ohio Memory Project into its strategic planning process, Vision 2000. Stage One Plan of the Vision 2000 Statement is available on the Ohio Historical Society web site, . The plan calls for the society to design lesson plans, games, online exhibits, or other educational resources that will encourage teachers and students to use the scrapbook.

Conclusion

The Ohio Memory project is off to an excellent start. The workshops generated significant interest in the project and inspired participants to consider submitting materials. Project staff look forward to the first submission deadline of November 15, 2000. The project team will evaluate the submissions based on established criteria. Once the team selects materials for inclusion, the Content Editors and Scanning Technicians will make arrangements for transfer of materials, digitization, and cataloging.

In the coming months, project staff will be immersed in the selection and digitization of collections for the scrapbook. However, they will continue to meet with individuals and organizations interested in being part of Ohio Memory. Together with other society staff, Ohio Memory staff will create educational materials that help students, teachers, and lifelong learners use the primary source materials in the Ohio Memory online scrapbook. They will begin usability testing of the online scrapbook, which will help to refine and finalize the design of the site, making sure that it meets the needs of its users. In addition, the project team will plan a second round of workshops to be given in the spring of 2001. Finally, the society will continue to seek additional resources to continue the project, identifying and digitizing materials that relate to 20th-century Ohio history.

Ohio Memory Advisory Group

Greg Byerly
Associate Professor
Kent State University
2881 Bellaire Rd.
Silver Lake, OH 44224

Theresa Fredericka
Executive Director
INFOhio
2455 North Star Rd., Suite 1
Columbus, OH 43221

Laurie Gemmill
Ohio Memory Project Manager
Ohio Historical Society
Archives/Library
1982 Velma Ave.
Columbus, OH 43211-2497

Tom Kuhn
Director Ross County Historical Society
45 W. Fifth St.
Chillicothe, OH 45601

Michael Lucas
State Librarian
State Library of Ohio
65 South Front St.
Columbus, OH 43215-4163

Meribah Mansfield
Director
Worthington Public Library
820 High St.
Worthington, OH 43085

Jim Marshall
Toledo-Lucas County Public Library
Genealogy Department
325 Michigan St.
Toledo, OH 43624-1614

Elizabeth Nelson
Head, Special Projects Department
Ohio Historical Society
Archives/Library
1982 Velma Ave.
Columbus, OH 43211-2497

Jim Oda
Director Piqua Historical Society
Flesh Public Library
124 W. Green St.
Piqua, OH 45356

George Parkinson
Archives/Library Division Chief
Ohio Historical Society
1982 Velma Ave.
Columbus, OH 43211-2497

Kristin Pool
Archivist/Local History Librarian
Shaker Heights Public Library
16500 Van Aken Blvd.
Shaker Heights, OH 44120-5318

Tom Sanville
Executive Director
OhioLINK
2455 North Star Rd., Suite 300
Columbus, OH 43221

Anna Truman
Records Specialist
Archives & Rare Books Dept.
8th Floor - Blegen Library
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0113

About the Project