Hitting the Superhighway

Picture it: Reading Period, January 2010.

The final paper for your course on ancient Chinese art is due tomorrow, and before you head to the review session for your history class, it would probably be a good idea to look over those letters from 18th century pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail.

But it's already 1 a.m. Lamont Library is closed and Cabot Library does not have the materials you are looking for. What is a strapped-for-time but eager-to-learn undergraduate to do?

Enter the digital library.

You turn on your computer and head to the World Wide Web. Before you know it, you are scrolling through primary document after primary document, comparing 20 different Chinese silkscreens, and trying to decide which database to tap into.

For current undergraduates, information may not be quite so instantly available yet. But the Library Digital Initiative (LDI), a University-wide campaign announced earlier this year, has begun the work necessary to creating a digital library-an on-line centralized collection of materials hard to store and circulate through traditional "print" libraries.

"Everyone is very excited that Harvard is moving assertively toward the use of more digital content," says Nancy Cline, Larsen librarian of Harvard College and the chair of the LDI steering committee. "It's almost like exploring a new frontier in digital information."

Without a doubt, LDI is still very much in its beginning stages, even though the University has already made forays into digital technology. But LDI is much more ambitious than anything Harvard has attempted before.

When the project is finally completed and information becomes instantly available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to members of the Harvard community, Cline won't be the only person on campus excited about digital information.

Working for You

For Harvard students, a digital library means greater access to statistical information, databases, image banks, archives or letters too delicate to circulate through Widener Library, Cline says.

"One of the frustrations right now is that while this information can be available to students enrolled in certain courses, there are partitions put around much of the material," Cline says.

Several courses already use the Web to make images, data, and audio recordings available to their students, but LDI will take this information off of reserve and make it available to any Harvard affiliate.

"Most of the information is for people in a certain field. We want Harvard's digital library to be universally available," Cline says.

Mary Maples-Dunn, Pforzheimer Foundation Director of the Schlesinger Library, who is chairing a committee to review digital content proposals, says she has already received 19 proposals from a variety of Harvard museums and libraries.

"Most of them have some particular collection that they think would be particularly useful to have on the Web," Dunn says. "The projects are creative, innovative and interesting."

One project, Dunn says, proposes creating a "digital bookshelf" of research material for people writing about the history of Harvard and Radcliffe.

A group from the Yenching Institute has proposed digitizing photographs taken using an early photographic technique that makes the materials flammable, Dunn says. Digitizing the material would give students access to the photographs, which are currently kept locked away.

The list of possibilities goes on and on.

Cline says a digital library could help cut down on the number of books delivered to campus from the Harvard book depository. Specific book chapters or tables of contents could be digitized so students would be able to browse through them before ordering.

The Graduate School of Education has expressed interest in digitizing school district records that their students often use when doing research.

"They want to have that accessible around the clock--not just when their library is open," she said.

Still, the seven-person review committee will not be making final decisions about which groups will be allowed to dip into a $5 million incentive fund to digitize the proposed material until at least early December, Dunn said.

Libraries and museums will also have other opportunities over the next five years to bring a proposal before the committee.

Until then, Dunn says it is "too early to tell" which one of the projects will make it to the Web, especially since technical issues must be resolved for some of the proposals.

"The project is very much in its infancy," Dunn says. "In many ways, we're still feeling our way through the project to see what a digital library might be."

"The proposals we received cut across the spectrum, but we have no indication of what might receive support," she adds.

Making It Happen

But before archives and image banks become available at the fingertips of Harvard students, librarians and University faculty are spending the next five years simply laying the groundwork for the project.

In addition to the project review committee which Dunn chairs, LDI directors have also created an oversight committee that is, as its name suggests, overseeing the first phase of the project, which is expected to last five years.

LDI has also begun the search for software engineers and projects managers, looking for individuals who, Cline says, have "technical and information management techniques."

The process has been made easier, Cline says, because librarians and faculty members from each of the nine graduate schools and the College are working together on the initiative.

"We all want the same end result: to generate good, useful content for the academic programs at Harvard," she said. "We would wind up competing for funds and personnel when a lot more could be accomplished together."

Funding for LDI comes primarily from the University's Capital Campaign. In addition to the $5 million allocated to Dunn's committee, LDI has $7 million earmarked for the next five years.

Still, Cline says she hopes to attract more private donors.

"As we make more choices as to what will be included in the digital library," she said, "we should be able to increase the number of donors."

In August, Sidney Verba '53, Pforzheimer University professor and director of the University library, wrote an appeal to Harvard alumni, asking them to help the University's libraries stay ahead of other institutions who already have digital libraries in the works.

"Like Janus, the Roman god who looked in two opposite directions simultaneously, we must take care of the materials we already have (mostly printed, and primarily books) and at the same time prepare ourselves for a digital era that is transforming how information is created, acquired, stored and disseminated," Verba wrote.

"I must tell you that the Library is one of several areas of the campaign that are simply not receiving the support they deserve," Verba continued. "If we do not rise to this challenge, the campaign will not be success it should be, and Harvard cannot remain the educational leader into the next millennium that is has been for the past 360 years."

Of all the funds within the Capital Campaign, the library fund has lagged the most behind expectations. In June, the library was at 44 percent of its goal. Over-all, the $2.1 billion campaign was at 87 percent of completion.

But while the University is eager to keep up with other institutions such as the University of California system and the University of Michigan which already have digital libraries online and accessible, their digital-information counterparts at the University of California-Berkeley said the field is so new, no one can be expected to be that far ahead in the game.

"We're all at the starting gate," says Roy Tennant, digital library project manager for the University of California-Berkeley. "There's so much to be understood. It's just that all of a sudden, digital libraries have become a very sexy topic."

What About Widener?

And while the digital library Tennant has helped organize for University of California-Berkeley students may feature never-before published photos of early California history, Tennant is quick to say that the kind of libraries he maintains are not meant to replace the stacks undergraduates have grown used to.

"Every library is interested in using whatever technology is available to help us complete our objectives," Tennant said. "This has been going on ever since we used the typewriter to help create card catalogues. In a sense, the digital library project has been going for decades."

Last February, in a packed conference room in Lamont Library's Forum Room, Verba made the same appeal to faculty members and staff who had come to hear about LDI.

"We changed the name of our project from 'The Digital Library' to 'The Library Digital Initiative' partly to make the point that we aren't trying to create a new library," Verba said. "We want to create an integrated library of traditional print resources and new digital networks and other resources."

And from her office in Widener Library, Cline says she is not worried that a digital library would give students the incentive to never venture into the stacks again.

"I'd be surprised if we become totally reliant on digital resources," Cline said. "There's just something about traditional libraries and books."

Working for You

For Harvard students, a digital library means greater access to statistical information, databases, image banks, archives or letters too delicate to circulate through Widener Library, Cline says.

"One of the frustrations right now is that while this information can be available to students enrolled in certain courses, there are partitions put around much of the material," Cline says.

Several courses already use the Web to make images, data, and audio recordings available to their students, but LDI will take this information off of reserve and make it available to any Harvard affiliate.

"Most of the information is for people in a certain field. We want Harvard's digital library to be universally available," Cline says.

Mary Maples-Dunn, Pforzheimer Foundation Director of the Schlesinger Library, who is chairing a committee to review digital content proposals, says she has already received 19 proposals from a variety of Harvard museums and libraries.

"Most of them have some particular collection that they think would be particularly useful to have on the Web," Dunn says. "The projects are creative, innovative and interesting."

One project, Dunn says, proposes creating a "digital bookshelf" of research material for people writing about the history of Harvard and Radcliffe.

A group from the Yenching Institute has proposed digitizing photographs taken using an early photographic technique that makes the materials flammable, Dunn says. Digitizing the material would give students access to the photographs, which are currently kept locked away.

The list of possibilities goes on and on.

Cline says a digital library could help cut down on the number of books delivered to campus from the Harvard book depository. Specific book chapters or tables of contents could be digitized so students would be able to browse through them before ordering.

The Graduate School of Education has expressed interest in digitizing school district records that their students often use when doing research.

"They want to have that accessible around the clock--not just when their library is open," she said.

Still, the seven-person review committee will not be making final decisions about which groups will be allowed to dip into a $5 million incentive fund to digitize the proposed material until at least early December, Dunn said.

Libraries and museums will also have other opportunities over the next five years to bring a proposal before the committee.

Until then, Dunn says it is "too early to tell" which one of the projects will make it to the Web, especially since technical issues must be resolved for some of the proposals.

"The project is very much in its infancy," Dunn says. "In many ways, we're still feeling our way through the project to see what a digital library might be."

"The proposals we received cut across the spectrum, but we have no indication of what might receive support," she adds.

Making It Happen

But before archives and image banks become available at the fingertips of Harvard students, librarians and University faculty are spending the next five years simply laying the groundwork for the project.

In addition to the project review committee which Dunn chairs, LDI directors have also created an oversight committee that is, as its name suggests, overseeing the first phase of the project, which is expected to last five years.

LDI has also begun the search for software engineers and projects managers, looking for individuals who, Cline says, have "technical and information management techniques."

The process has been made easier, Cline says, because librarians and faculty members from each of the nine graduate schools and the College are working together on the initiative.

"We all want the same end result: to generate good, useful content for the academic programs at Harvard," she said. "We would wind up competing for funds and personnel when a lot more could be accomplished together."

Funding for LDI comes primarily from the University's Capital Campaign. In addition to the $5 million allocated to Dunn's committee, LDI has $7 million earmarked for the next five years.

Still, Cline says she hopes to attract more private donors.

"As we make more choices as to what will be included in the digital library," she said, "we should be able to increase the number of donors."

In August, Sidney Verba '53, Pforzheimer University professor and director of the University library, wrote an appeal to Harvard alumni, asking them to help the University's libraries stay ahead of other institutions who already have digital libraries in the works.

"Like Janus, the Roman god who looked in two opposite directions simultaneously, we must take care of the materials we already have (mostly printed, and primarily books) and at the same time prepare ourselves for a digital era that is transforming how information is created, acquired, stored and disseminated," Verba wrote.

"I must tell you that the Library is one of several areas of the campaign that are simply not receiving the support they deserve," Verba continued. "If we do not rise to this challenge, the campaign will not be success it should be, and Harvard cannot remain the educational leader into the next millennium that is has been for the past 360 years."

Of all the funds within the Capital Campaign, the library fund has lagged the most behind expectations. In June, the library was at 44 percent of its goal. Over-all, the $2.1 billion campaign was at 87 percent of completion.

But while the University is eager to keep up with other institutions such as the University of California system and the University of Michigan which already have digital libraries online and accessible, their digital-information counterparts at the University of California-Berkeley said the field is so new, no one can be expected to be that far ahead in the game.

"We're all at the starting gate," says Roy Tennant, digital library project manager for the University of California-Berkeley. "There's so much to be understood. It's just that all of a sudden, digital libraries have become a very sexy topic."

What About Widener?

And while the digital library Tennant has helped organize for University of California-Berkeley students may feature never-before published photos of early California history, Tennant is quick to say that the kind of libraries he maintains are not meant to replace the stacks undergraduates have grown used to.

"Every library is interested in using whatever technology is available to help us complete our objectives," Tennant said. "This has been going on ever since we used the typewriter to help create card catalogues. In a sense, the digital library project has been going for decades."

Last February, in a packed conference room in Lamont Library's Forum Room, Verba made the same appeal to faculty members and staff who had come to hear about LDI.

"We changed the name of our project from 'The Digital Library' to 'The Library Digital Initiative' partly to make the point that we aren't trying to create a new library," Verba said. "We want to create an integrated library of traditional print resources and new digital networks and other resources."

And from her office in Widener Library, Cline says she is not worried that a digital library would give students the incentive to never venture into the stacks again.

"I'd be surprised if we become totally reliant on digital resources," Cline said. "There's just something about traditional libraries and books."

Making It Happen

But before archives and image banks become available at the fingertips of Harvard students, librarians and University faculty are spending the next five years simply laying the groundwork for the project.

In addition to the project review committee which Dunn chairs, LDI directors have also created an oversight committee that is, as its name suggests, overseeing the first phase of the project, which is expected to last five years.

LDI has also begun the search for software engineers and projects managers, looking for individuals who, Cline says, have "technical and information management techniques."

The process has been made easier, Cline says, because librarians and faculty members from each of the nine graduate schools and the College are working together on the initiative.

"We all want the same end result: to generate good, useful content for the academic programs at Harvard," she said. "We would wind up competing for funds and personnel when a lot more could be accomplished together."

Funding for LDI comes primarily from the University's Capital Campaign. In addition to the $5 million allocated to Dunn's committee, LDI has $7 million earmarked for the next five years.

Still, Cline says she hopes to attract more private donors.

"As we make more choices as to what will be included in the digital library," she said, "we should be able to increase the number of donors."

In August, Sidney Verba '53, Pforzheimer University professor and director of the University library, wrote an appeal to Harvard alumni, asking them to help the University's libraries stay ahead of other institutions who already have digital libraries in the works.

"Like Janus, the Roman god who looked in two opposite directions simultaneously, we must take care of the materials we already have (mostly printed, and primarily books) and at the same time prepare ourselves for a digital era that is transforming how information is created, acquired, stored and disseminated," Verba wrote.

"I must tell you that the Library is one of several areas of the campaign that are simply not receiving the support they deserve," Verba continued. "If we do not rise to this challenge, the campaign will not be success it should be, and Harvard cannot remain the educational leader into the next millennium that is has been for the past 360 years."

Of all the funds within the Capital Campaign, the library fund has lagged the most behind expectations. In June, the library was at 44 percent of its goal. Over-all, the $2.1 billion campaign was at 87 percent of completion.

But while the University is eager to keep up with other institutions such as the University of California system and the University of Michigan which already have digital libraries online and accessible, their digital-information counterparts at the University of California-Berkeley said the field is so new, no one can be expected to be that far ahead in the game.

"We're all at the starting gate," says Roy Tennant, digital library project manager for the University of California-Berkeley. "There's so much to be understood. It's just that all of a sudden, digital libraries have become a very sexy topic."

What About Widener?

And while the digital library Tennant has helped organize for University of California-Berkeley students may feature never-before published photos of early California history, Tennant is quick to say that the kind of libraries he maintains are not meant to replace the stacks undergraduates have grown used to.

"Every library is interested in using whatever technology is available to help us complete our objectives," Tennant said. "This has been going on ever since we used the typewriter to help create card catalogues. In a sense, the digital library project has been going for decades."

Last February, in a packed conference room in Lamont Library's Forum Room, Verba made the same appeal to faculty members and staff who had come to hear about LDI.

"We changed the name of our project from 'The Digital Library' to 'The Library Digital Initiative' partly to make the point that we aren't trying to create a new library," Verba said. "We want to create an integrated library of traditional print resources and new digital networks and other resources."

And from her office in Widener Library, Cline says she is not worried that a digital library would give students the incentive to never venture into the stacks again.

"I'd be surprised if we become totally reliant on digital resources," Cline said. "There's just something about traditional libraries and books."

What About Widener?

And while the digital library Tennant has helped organize for University of California-Berkeley students may feature never-before published photos of early California history, Tennant is quick to say that the kind of libraries he maintains are not meant to replace the stacks undergraduates have grown used to.

"Every library is interested in using whatever technology is available to help us complete our objectives," Tennant said. "This has been going on ever since we used the typewriter to help create card catalogues. In a sense, the digital library project has been going for decades."

Last February, in a packed conference room in Lamont Library's Forum Room, Verba made the same appeal to faculty members and staff who had come to hear about LDI.

"We changed the name of our project from 'The Digital Library' to 'The Library Digital Initiative' partly to make the point that we aren't trying to create a new library," Verba said. "We want to create an integrated library of traditional print resources and new digital networks and other resources."

And from her office in Widener Library, Cline says she is not worried that a digital library would give students the incentive to never venture into the stacks again.

"I'd be surprised if we become totally reliant on digital resources," Cline said. "There's just something about traditional libraries and books."