Carol Pfeiffer, Chair VIVA Electronic Collections Committee Alderman Library University of Library Charlottesville, VA 22901

Dear Carol:

The Special Collections Subcommittee held its third meeting on January 13 in Charlottesville. On behalf of the Subcommittee I wish to forward several concerns for the attention of the Electronic Collections Committee and the VIVA Steering Committee.

1. List of Basic Hardware, Software, and Services Needed for Digitizing Special Collections (Attachment 1)

   The Special Collections Subcommittee has enumerated what participating libraries will need in order to make their Special Collections finding-aids and holdings accessible through VIVA. Some doctoral institutions have or soon will have everything on this list, but internal allocation of these resources should include provision for ready access by Special Collection staff.

2. Funding for Student Workers to Tag Special Collections Information

   In November the SCS requested modest funding to enable the doctoral institutions to begin the finding-aids project during spring semester 1995. The Steering Committee preferred not to got SCHEV with the request, saying that the institutions themselves should be able to find internal resources for this purpose. In the SCSŐs judgment the other essentials soon will be in place, and we request that the administration at each doctoral institution consider how to make funding available for student workers to move the finding-aids project forward.

3. The SCS wishes to share with the Electronic Collections Committee its progress in conceptualizing VIVAŐs Special Collections component. We request a slot on the agenda at the May meeting, assuming that this meeting will take place in Charlottesville, where Alderman can accommodate our electronic needs.

4. The SCS requests that the VIVA Steering Committee commend the SubcommitteeŐs proposal for updating The Directory of Repositories in Virginia to the administration of the Library of Virginia and invite the participation of Dr. Manarin and his associates in the planning and revision process. We request that the Library of Virginia be asked to designate a project liaison to attend the February 3 meeting of the SCS.

Background information on these proposals is contained in the minutes of the SCSŐs January 13 meeting (Attachment 2). Please contact me or any other member of the Special Collections Committee if you have questions of wish to suggest a better mechanism for presenting our concerns.

Sincerely,

Becky Laine
Liaison from VIVAŐs Electronic Collections Committee to the Special Collections Subcommittee

BASIC HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND SERVICES
NEEDED FOR DIGITIZING SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Each institution digitizing special collections material through the VIVA project should have access to the following:

• At least two PCs or MACs with the minimum computing power of a 486DX2 with 66 MHz and 16Mb -- 24 Mb for a scan station. The scan station should have at least a 1.0 Gb drive. If the station is to be used as a temporary server, the drive should have at least 4Gb. The monitors attached to these terminals should preferably be 20 inch monitors, 17 inches at minimum.

• At least one color, flat-bed scanner with the minimum capacity of a IICX and Adobe Photoshop 3.0.

• At least one high run printer.

• Direct access to a server in order to mount files at least temporarily while working on them. Long-term storage of documents can be worked out consortially.

• A variety of SGML tagging software, much of which is shareware and freely available. Some of the special collections personnel will need training in use of the software.

  One of the terminals, the scanner, and the printer should be configured to work together as a scan station.

  A World Wide Web client (Netscape, etc.) should be on each terminal.

List prepared by Stephen Zietz, with assistance form James Powell and comments form the Special Collections Subcommittee and ECC members' technical contacts

http://spec.lib.vt.edu/viva/minutes950119.html