Content Group

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Mission:

To select and define the theme and scope of content to be gathered, made available, and/or digitized during the project. To identify, inventory and evaluate, in a comprehensive fashion, the available information and sources of information pertaining to the project theme.

Goals & Objectives:

1. To define a scope of content statement for each phase of the project. The scope of content statement will evolve and be refined as resources are discovered.

2. To identify members for an inter-disciplinary, inter-institutional content advisory group, and to manage this group. The members of this group may be different for each content theme addressed by the project.

3. To document (with the goal of defining) the process of content development for future digital library projects.

4. To develop content expert contacts within this institution, in other institutions, and possibly in the commercial sector. Communication with these contacts will be documented as per project procedures.

5. To identify representative archive and specimen/artifact data from throughout the American Museum of Natural History.

6. To identify other institutions and sources for information outside of the American Museum of Natural History.

7. To locate representative items of different media types, e.g. collection data, maps, manuscript collections, field notebooks, published works, photographic images, sound (music, spoken word, natural sounds), literature, art, corollary biological information, and motion pictures in order to examine how these various formats might be handled and integrated into the digital collection.

8. To locate and select materials appropriate to the users of the project, including non-English speaking people, children, etc.

9. To manage and promote awareness of the project, both internally and externally.

Plan:

1. In cooperation with the Cataloging & Metadata Working Group, identify lists of search terms, including geographic names, group names, proper names, etc., identifying all possible spellings.

2. Use the search terms identified in item 1 to survey the holdings of the American Museum of Natural History Library.

· Search the Library OPAC and Rare Book Collection for publications, especially Museum publications.
· Search Special Collections for photographs, moving images, manuscripts, archive holdings, art, sound, memorabilia, etc.
· Search the Library map collection.

3. Use the search terms identified in item 1 to survey the holdings of the American Museum of Natural History Scientific Departments. Items to look for may include:

· Archival materials such as field notes, oral histories.
· Specimen/artifact data (databased or analog).
· Maps.
· Miscellaneous: memorabilia, sound, anecdotal history, etc.

4. Use the search terms identified in item 1 to locate sources of information from outside the Museum.

· Do a massive regular literature search for journal articles.
· Do a massive regular Internet search for relevant Web sites.
· Identify other institutions which may have holdings relevant to the project theme.

5. In cooperation with the IT Working Group, develop or adopt an efficacious system for recording content sources during the discovery process. Document the discovery of all items, and note difficulties and suggestions for improvement by preparing regular reports. Review and administer rights for use of material. Document the selection process, and record reasons for including or excluding items.

6. Document all communication with contacts. Specific areas to document include:

· How is contact established?
· What questions provide the most fruitful answers?
· How do you find out who has authority to allow:
· Access to materials
· Loan of materials
· What is the best way to document and track loans?
· What can the library offer back to the loaner (i.e. data cleanup, CD copy of fragile materials, etc.)?

7. In cooperation with the Needs Assessment Working Group, identify which non-English languages are most pertinent to the project and consider broadening the content scope of the project to include materials in those languages. Explore software for language translation.

8. In cooperation with the Needs Assessment Working Group, identify which audience reading levels (i.e. K-12, undergraduate, postgraduate) are most pertinent to the project and consider broadening the content scope of the project to include materials at those levels. Explore software for re-purposing data to fit various reading levels. Analyze which reading levels are best served by the content.

9. Prepare cumulated bibliographies, inventories, and other documents (where appropriate) for presentation, for limited publication and/or for sharing with institutional partners.

10. In cooperation with the Library Director and the Project Manager, promote and manage awareness of the project, both within the institution and with project partners. This can include but is not limited to:

· Presentations to Museum committees, trustees, staff.
· Email announcements on the AMNH-staff list.
· Project information Web site.
· Meetings, seminars, etc. (in cooperation Administrative Working Group).

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