Digitisation Plan 2019–2022
The digitisation plan 2019–2022 sets out the National Library’s priorities for digitisation over the next three years. We aim to update the digitisation plan annually in August.
Te huri mōhiotangi hei uara — Ngā Tohutohu Rautaki ki 2030 | Turning knowledge into value — Strategic directions to 2030
The Library's strategic plan ‘Te Huri Mōhiotanga hei uara — ngā tohutohu rautaki ki 2030 — Turning Knowledge into Value – Strategic Directions to 2030’ was published in December 2016 following stakeholder and staff consultation.
The mission states that:
the National Library will create cultural and economic value for New Zealanders through leadership and collaboration. We will remove barriers to knowledge, ensure New Zealanders have the skills to create knowledge and preserve knowledge for future generations.
Background to Digitisation Plan 2019-22
The National Library works with stakeholders including iwi Māori and other partners to enable New Zealanders to access knowledge and share it more easily. Digitisation is one of the ways in which this is achieved. This three-year plan outlines how we will work to digitise our own collections and how we will collaborate and partner with others in digitisation initiatives so that physical knowledge resources that are important to New Zealanders are digitised and made available online. The plan will be reviewed and updated annually.
This plan replaces and is informed by the Digitisation Strategy 2014-2017. The National Library of New Zealand's ‘Turning knowledge into value – strategic directions to 2030’, published in December 2016, provides the strategic vision and context for the Digitisation Plan 2019-2022. The Crown’s Strategy for Māori Language Revitalisation, Maihi Karauna, and the Digital Government Strategy inform the broader context in which the Library operates.
Digitisation is defined as the end-to-end process that transfers analogue materials to a digital format. It makes it possible for knowledge resources to be processed and transmitted using computer technology enabling preservation, online access and new methods for discovering and reusing knowledge. This document focuses on digitisation of analogue material already held. The collection of born-digital objects is covered in the National Library of New Zealand Collections Policy and is not within the scope of this document.
Digitisation Strategy 2014-2017 (pdf, 1.3MB)
National Library of New Zealand Collections Policy
Our Mission
The National Library will create cultural and economic value for New Zealanders through leadership and collaboration.
We will remove barriers to knowledge, ensure New Zealanders have the skills to create knowledge and preserve knowledge for future generations.
Our principles
We lead and collaborate
We are trusted experts
We develop literate citizens
We inspire knowledge creation
We champion equity of access
Definition of digitisation
Digitisation is defined as the end-to-end process that transfers analogue materials to a digital format. Born-digital objects are not in this plan’s scope.
The steps in the digitisation process and where that process connects to delivery and digital preservation.
Goals
There are four goals for digitisation 2021-2022. Each goal has been broken down into actitivies and sub-activities. The four goals are:
build digitised collections for enhanced access and use
increase the capability to digitise at scale
make more te reo Māori resources more readily available
measure the impact of digitisation
Specifically, in 2021-2022 we will:
continue, by working with our partners, to digitise newspapers and periodicals for Papers Past
continue to digitise for preservation, including audio-visual material
digitise items listed in Books in Māori, 1815-1900: an annotated bibliography — Nga tanga reo Māori: nga kohikohinga me ona whakamarama
The business units involved are:
Learning and Literacy
Collection Services (Alexander Turnbull and National Library of New Zealand)
Digital NZ
Office of National Librarian
Digitisation (Alexander Turnbull and National Library of New Zealand)
Goal 1 — Build digitised collections for enhanced access and use
Objective 1 — Deliver on funded digitisation outputs efficiently and effectively
1.1 Agreed digitisation targets delivered through Alexander Turnbull Library and Content Services work programmes
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
1.1.1 Newspaper digitisation programmes | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
1.1.2 Collaborative newspaper digitisation programme | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
1.1.3 Periodicals digitisation programme | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
1.1.4 Annual digitisation of access and preservation items from Alexander Turnbull Library (including Audio-visual) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
1.1.5 Public requests fulfilled | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
1.1.6 Investigate sustainable funding options | ✔ | ✔ |
Objective 2 — Explore and evaluate new methods to increase digitisation and access to digitised content
1.2 Pilot projects delivered and evaluated
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
1.2.1 Investigate digitisation at the point of acquisition | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
1.2.2 Evaluation of existing commercial partnerships to digitise heritage material onsite. | ✔ | ||
1.2.3 Release of digitised content as open data | ✔ | ✔ | |
1.2.4 Pilot text capture of handwritten documents | ✔ | ||
1.2.5 Scope functional requirements and potential collections for digitisation | ✔ | ✔ | |
1.2.6 Book digitisation programme made available on Papers Past | ✔ | ✔ |
Objective 3: Improve digitisation workflows
1.3 Tools and processes are investigated and improvements implemented
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
1.3.1 Implement software for automated quality assurance checking | ✔ | ✔ |
Objective 4: Increase involvement with stakeholders for system wide digitisation initiatives
1.4 Actively engage with external stakeholders to identify common areas of interest.
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
1.4.1 Increase diversity of collections by working with different communities | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
1.4.2 Learning & Literacy identify items to support teaching, learning, and reading engagement and digitised collections can be used across the whole school sector. | ✔ | ✔ | |
1.4.3 Collaborative periodicals programme to be scoped | ✔ | ✔ |
Goal 2 — Increase capability to digitise at scale
Objective 1: Understand what is important to New Zealanders to digitise and develop a transparent approach to prioritise digitisation activities
2.1 Develop prioritisation framework for the library
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
2.1.1 Explore ‘what is important to New Zealanders’ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
2.1.2 Develop a prioritisation framework to support the selection of content for digitisation. | ✔ | ✔ |
Objective 2: Prepare to scale up digitisation
2.2 Methods for achieving digitisation at scale are investigated and implemented
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
2.2.1 Research and document requirements for processes and technology to support scaled up digitisation programme/s. For example, workflow management | ✔ | ✔ | |
2.2.2 Explore collaboration and partnership opportunities working with publishers, licensing bodies and other stakeholders | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
2.2.3 Investigate digital delivery through Papers Past of material already digitised by external agencies including development of guidelines for agencies wanting to digitise. | ✔ | ✔ | |
2.2.4 Explore opportunities for an Archives New Zealand and National Library joint digitisation programme | ✔ | ✔ | |
2.2.5 Investigate how access might be provided to New Zealand content already digitised and held within national and international repositories e.g. digital repatriation. | ✔ | ||
2.2.6 Implement audio-visual digitisation project starting 2021 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Objective 3: Enhance copyright and rights management within the Library
2.3 Increase the Library’s rights research and copyright capability and capacity
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
2.3.1 Implement RightsStatements.org across the library collections | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
2.3.2 Investigate need for a copyright & rights specialist to develop and implement policies and guidelines across the Library | ✔ | ✔ |
Goal 3 — Make more te reo Māori resources more readily available
Objective 1: Increase the amount of te reo Māori material that is digitised and available online
3.1 Digitisation of te reo Māori is prioritised
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
3.1.1 Work with iwi to identify digitisation priorities and scope | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
3.1.2 Digitise items identified in Books in Māori and make content available online through Papers Past | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
3.1.3 Digitise serials that are of importance to Māori | ✔ | ✔ | |
3.1.4 Deliver Alexander Turnbull Library annual programme of digitised items of Māori content | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
3.1.5 Complete analysis of unpublished collections to identify te reo Māori content for digitisation | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
3.1.6 Literacy and Learning identify items for digitisation to support teaching, learning and reading engagement | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
3.1.7 Complete Te Upoko o Te Ika partnership work | ✔ |
Objective 2: Increase the accessibility of online te reo Māori collections, including sound and film
3.2 Work with iwi Māori and other partners to improve accessibility of digitised material
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
3.2.1 Research and develop approaches to improve online discovery and interaction with digitised te reo content for speakers in support of language revitalisation, research and scholarship. Books in Māori priority for years 1 and 2 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
3.2.2 Expand the use of Māori Subject Headings Ngā Upoko Tukutuku to support a te ao Māori lens (i.e. relationship/whakapapa based) on digitised material internally and across the GLAM sector | ✔ | ✔ | |
3.2.3 Develop strategy and policy for open data sets related to te ao Māori | ✔ | ||
3.2.4 Develop a policy on access and indigenous rights in consultation with iwi. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Goal 4 — Measure the impact of digitisation
Objective 1: Develop consistent measures that can be used over time
4.1 Develop and implement a framework for measuring the impact of digitised resources
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
4.1.1 Documentary heritage hui to explore frameworks for impact measurement | ✔ |
Objective 2: Share stories that illustrate the impact of digitisation
Activities | 2019–2020 | 2020–2021 | 2021–2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
4.2 Document stories that show the impact of digitised content in enriching the cultural and economic life of New Zealand | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Appendix 1 — Digitisation end-to-end process
This process was developed by the Digitisation Working Group as part of the Strategic Partnership between National Library of New Zealand and Archives New Zealand.
Scope
Stage | Detailed step |
|---|---|
Select | Selection for digitisation |
Stakeholder engagement | |
Prioritisation | |
Rights management | |
Assess | Collection characteristics |
Condition assessment | |
Collection location |
Plan
Stage | Detailed step |
|---|---|
Project approach | Filename requirements |
Capture standards | |
Equipment / software requirements | |
Data storage requirements | |
Design monitoring requirements for output | |
Skill assessment | |
Delivery mechanism | |
Cost / Resourcing | |
Retention | Retain originals |
Retain digital object | |
Digital Preservation |
Process
Stage | Detailed step |
|---|---|
Prepare | Retrieval |
Conservation treatment (including microfilm duplication) | |
Transportation | |
Scan | |
Capture | Text capture |
Post processing incl. colour correction | |
Text correction | |
Transcription | |
Enrich | Phonetic / voice/ face recognition |
Assembly complex objects (incl. epub, pdfs | |
Measure output against targets | |
Refine | Refine Project methodology |
Quality checks – Validation | |
Quality checks – Image and textual | |
Accept | Customer acceptance |
Record metadata | |
Store | |
Online publication |
Deliver
Stage | Detailed step |
|---|---|
Describe | Harvest for use in discovery tools |
Publish | Customer use |
Stakeholder management | |
Communication | |
Monitor | Digital Preservation |
Related content
Collaborative digitisation
The Collaborative Digitisation Programme works with organisations to get heritage newspaper, magazine and journal titles digitised and published on the Papers Past website.Collection use and reuse policy
Find out about the use and reuse of collection items from the National Library and the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Digitisation Strategy 2014-2017
Read the Digitisation Strategy 2014-2017.Feature image at top of page — detail of some of the letters and diaries digitised in 2013, composition by Ish Doney. For more information read Ish's blog Off at last the goodbye would have been too awful.