Selecting Research Collections for Digitization: Applying the Harvard Model

One of the most important challenges facing digital library planners is the selection of research collections for digitization. The costs associated with creating digital resources are significant. Planners must develop selection criteria and procedures in order to ensure that limited time and resources are committed to projects to digitize the most significant collections with the highest probability of successful completion. Librarians at many academic libraries have developed selection criteria for the creation of digital collections. These criteria consider many of the same factors that go into the decision to license or purchase information resources. However, there are additional considerations. Librarians at Harvard University have written the most comprehensive guide to selecting research collections for digitization. In this article, the author applies the Harvard Model to a digitization project at Indiana University in order to evaluate the appropriateness of the model for use at another institution and to adapt the model to local needs.