Clea ing a Pa h o
a Vi ual Reading
Room P og am
Sa a Fuchs & Ka he ine Fishe
Emo y Uni e si y
Lindsey Memo y
B igham Young Uni e si y
My name is Sa a Fuchs, and I am a isi ing lib a ian a he S ua A. Rose
Manusc ip s, A chi es, & Ra e Book Lib a y a Emo y Uni e si y – I was hi ed
as a wo-yea p ojec manage o a Mellon planning g an on i ual eading
ooms. I’m joined by Ka he ine Fishe , Head o Digi al A chi es a he Rose,
and PI on his g an , and also Lyndsey Memo y, he Head o Digi al Ini ia i es
a B igham Young Uni e si y.
The QR code ha you see on his i s slide akes you o he sha ed no es
sec ion ha was se up by he con e ence o ganize s. I’ e added a link o ou
con e ence p esen a ion and some esou ces abou i ual eading ooms.
Feel ee o add you own hough s and no es in he e as well.
Do no edi
How o change he design
Join a slido.com
#3158168
P esen ing wi h anima ions, GIFs o speake no es? Enable ou Ch ome ex ension
📣 This is Slido in e ac ion slide, please don' dele e i .
✅ Click on 'P esen wi h Slido' and he joining ins uc ions will appea when you ge
o his slide.
In an e o o make his mo e in e ac i e, we’ll be doing li e polling using Slido.
You can log in using he QR code on you phone o by going o he websi e -
slido.com - inpu ing his code - 3158168. The i s sc een you see on you
de ice will be he Q&A slide. You’ e welcome o submi ques ions he e a any
poin in he p esen a ion – hey’ll be displayed on a sc een a he end, and we
can answe hem hen. The e is a sepa a e ab o polling ques ions – hose
will pop up au oma ically on you de ice when we each hem in he
p esen a ion.
Wha Is a
Vi ual
Reading
Room?
So we’ e he e o alk abou i ual eading ooms, and ou expe iences
implemen ing hem, and wha we’ e lea ned along he way, bu we wan ed o
s a ou by alking abou wha we mean by a i ual eading oom, bu also
wha o he s mean, and wha o he s a e doing in his space.
Emo y Wo king Defini ion
“A i ual eading oom (VRR) is a mechanism o p o ide
access o digi al a chi al ma e ials ha a e p o ec ed by
copy igh and ha we do no ha e pe mission o display on an
open, public websi e. The goal is o ep oduce he expe ience
o a physical eading oom wi h one basic di e ence:
emo ing he geog aphical limi a ions. Emo y's i ual
eading oom o media ed emo e access o collec ions is
in ended o p o ec c ea o s’ in ellec ual p ope y and espec
hei desi es while democ a izing access and mo e seamlessly
enabling use o a chi es spli be ween Emo y and o he
ins i u ions o sepa a ed om hei communi ies o o igin.”
We all wo k in special collec ions lib a ies and a chi es, so we ha e a physical
eading oom, whe e people make an appoin men , eques ma e ials, pu all
hei belongings in a locke , and ollow all he ules equi ed ahead o ime o
look a a e books and a chi al ma e ials. A Emo y, we wan ed o know - can
we c ea e a i ual space ha eplica es some o hese es ic ions, allowing us
o sha e copy igh - es ic ed ma e ial wi h a g ea e audience? Can you iew
some o his ma e ial wi hou a eling o A lan a, Geo gia?
So his is ou wo king de ini ion a he momen – we wan o p o ide media ed
access o copy igh ed ma e ial ha we don’ ha e pe mission o display on an
open, public websi e. We wan o p o ec c ea o s’ in ellec ual p ope y and
espec hei desi es bu also enable use o a chi es ha a e sepa a ed om
hei communi ies o o igin.
And media ed is he key wo d he e – how do we media e his access?
BYU Wo king Defini ion
“To us, a i ual eading oom will be
a DAMS h ough which we acili a e
access o a chi al & AV ma e ials ha
canno be displayed on he open web,
ei he o p i acy, emba go, o
copy igh easons. Ou VRR will ha e
a geog aphic limi a ion o ou campus
oo p in . I s use will be ini ia ed
h ough a eques p ocess simila o
making an in-pe son eading oom
appoin men .”
A BYU – hey' e also wo king on p o iding g ea e access o digi ized
iles. Fo hem, he es ic ion is also geog aphic – he digi ized iles can
be iewed while on campus. Lindsey will go in o mo e de ail la e on in he
p esen a ion.
Online Access
Res ic ions
Bu eally wha we’ e alking abou is access plus es ic ions. And wha
di e en ia es us is he way ha we’ e p o iding es ic ion.
The Vi ual Reading Room (VRR) a he Uni e si y o
Manches e Lib a y
Uni e si y o London
Uni e si y o Edinbu gh
The Hun ing on Lib a y
Na ional Lib a y o Sco land
Uni e si y o Melbou ne
Uni e si y o Manches e
Leeds Uni e si y
Media ed i ual e e ence
wi h a came a
Fi s , many ins i u ions use he ph ase “ i ual eading oom” o mean a
se ice, ha became popula du ing Co id, whe e a moun ed came a is used
o show collec ion ma e ials. A s a membe u ns he pages, he esea che
wa ches o e Zoom, and hey’ e able o iew a collec ion emo ely. Resea ch
Lib a y UK c ea ed a oolki on how o implemen hese VRR se ices and
w o e a e y ho ough epo on how hey’ e being used. Some ins i u ions
con inued o e ing hese se ices once he eading ooms opened up, as i was
a low-cos way o p o ide g ea e access. Bu i ’s basically ano he se ice
poin – you make an appoin men , eques ma e ial, and hen someone goes
h ough he boxes wi h you. Some places ha e es ic ions on how many
appoin men s you can make, o how many boxes hey’ll go h ough. Some
places allow you o eco d he Zoom session, so hey can pause and look
mo e closely a he ma e ial on hei own ime. Some esea che s liked i
because hey could ge a be e sense o wha was in a collec ion be o e a
esea ch isi , he e o e maximizing hei ime when hey we e he e. They also
liked consul ing wi h someone who was knowledgeable abou ha collec ion
du ing he iewing session. Fo smalle ins i u ions wi hou he esou ces o
digi ize ma e ial o he in as uc u e o s o e o p o ide access o hem, his
was an easie way o make hei collec ions mo e b oadly a ailable.
Desk op Vi ualiza ion
●U ilizes exis ing campus se ice
●Sponso ed accoun is c ea ed
●Reques ed ma e ial is manually loaded
●Access is gi en o 30 days
A he Special Collec ions Cen e a No h Ca olina S a e Uni e si y, hey
u ilized an exis ing campus se ice – desk op i ualiza ion – o p o ide
empo a y online access o digi ized ma e ial. The ma e ial is manually loaded
in o he sys em, a sponso ed use accoun is c ea ed, and use s ha e 30 days
o look a he ma e ial.
Aeon Pho oduplica ion Fea u e
●Res ic ed digi al i ems a e in Calisphe e
●Reques i em h ough Aeon
●I em deli e ed h ough email
A UC I ine, hey a e using he pho oduplica ion ea u e in Aeon o eques
digi al i ems loca ed in Calisphe e – om Calisphe e, he eposi o y o
Uni e si y o Cali o nia lib a ies - you’ e di ec ed o c ea e o log in o you
Special Collec ions Aeon accoun , and he i em is deli e ed by email. I ’s
again, a manual p ocess – he eques needs o be app o ed by a s a
membe be o e i ’s sen ou .
Emo y Uni e si y:
Cu en Access Op ions
●Reading oom
●Rep og aphic se ices
●Digi al collec ions si e wi h public and Emo y-only ie s
●A ia y wi h public, Emo y-only, and eques -only ie s
By way o backg ound, we ha e se e al op ions o people who wan o iew ou
collec ions: Resea che s can isi in pe son. They can eques copies (which migh
p omp digi iza ion on demand o deli e y o exis ing digi al su oga es o bo n-digi al
iles). O hey can use one o ou exis ing digi al access sys ems o some digi al
con en , al hough hese a e con usingly agmen ed o use s and ha e a ying le els
o emo e access.
Some sys ems a e accessible in he eading oom only: Mos audio isual ma e ial is
in a homeg own Fedo a p ese a ion eposi o y wi h an access laye . We dis ibu ed
empo a y c eden ials o emo e use du ing he COVID-19 pandemic bu hen had o
s op. Mos o he bo n-digi al ma e ial is in LIBSAFE Go; we a en’ using he o icial
end-use in e ace, bu we use a wo ka ound o access in he eading oom.
Fo b oade access, we ha e a Sam e a-based eposi o y ha is in ended mos ly o
public con en bu does ha e some ma e ial behind an Emo y login o accessible in
eading oom using dedica ed e minals. We use A ia y o selec AV; hese i ems a e
ei he public o media ed, equi ing he use o c ea e an accoun , submi a eques ,
and ecei e s a app o al. (This is cu en ly ou closes hing o a VRR unde Emo y’s
p e e ed de ini ion.)
Emo y Uni e si y:
P oblems We’ e T ying o Sol e
●Ba ie s o in-pe son esea ch isi s
●Spli o displaced collec ions
●Limi ed con en a ailable o si e
●Limi ed unc ionali y o media ed emo e access
●Legal and echnology conside a ions d i e decisions
So ou in as uc u e isn’ bad, and we ha e se e al op ions o p esen ing ma e ial
online. Wha ’s he p oblem, hen? Lo s o people can’ isi ou eading oom ( o
easons anging om inances o geog aphy o disabili y o schedules). We also ha e
collec ions ha a e spli be ween us and o he ins i u ions o ha a e emo ed om
communi ies o o igin. We wan ed o educe he impac o hese ba ie s by making
much mo e con en a ailable emo ely, bu no e e y hing can be ully public o legal
o o he easons and he e’s no mechanism in ou p ima y sys ems o media ed
access o non-Emo y use s.
We had he oppo uni y o apply o a Mellon g an ocused on expanding access o
ou I ish poe y collec ions o esea che s in I eland (and elsewhe e, bu ha was he
ini ial inspi a ion). One goal was o design a se ice ha isn’ jus buil a ound
echnical cons ain s and legal isks–which ha e been he d i ing ac o s o us in he
pas –bu also accoun s o use needs and expe ience, s a ing conside a ions, o g
eadiness, e hical commi men s, sus ainabili y, e c. We wi e amed lo s o op ions as
ligh weigh p o o ypes; conduc ed ocus g oups wi h end use s, s a , and o he
s akeholde s; and go lo s o g ea ideas abou wha people wan om a VRR and
how i could wo k.
Emo y Uni e si y:
Ou Plans
●Someday:
○Indi idual accoun s and au hen ica ion wi h non-Emo y iden i ies?
○VRR dashboa d o manage en i e esea ch expe ience?
○Sha ed disco e y en i onmen s and side-by-side display?
●Fo now: pa ne -si e access using IP add esses
○Cons: geog aphically bound, limi ed collec ions, limi ed con en
ypes, p oduc suppo , bu den on echnical se ices and digi al
a chi es s a
○P os: mo e access, ela i ely simple o implemen , ex ensible,
igh sholde p o ec ion, educed bu den on public se ices s a
We came ou o ha p ocess wi h se e al ideas ha we’d like o implemen someday,
bu hey a e beyond he scope o he p ojec and ou side ou cu en capaci y.
In he mean ime, we se led on pilo ing a mo e modes in e im solu ion o show how a
VRR buil on ou cu en in as uc u e migh wo k and hen assess usage le els. We
plan o c ea e a new access con ol in ou Sam e a eposi o y ha will allow access
o selec objec s om kiosks o wo ks a ions in pa ne o ganiza ions’ eading ooms
based on hei IP add esses. The majo downside o his app oach: access is s ill
geog aphically bound. I also equi es lo s o digi iza ion, he sys em can’ suppo all
con en ypes, and he solu ion equi es a new IT suppo model and OLA o ex e nal
audiences. On he plus side: I inc eases access o key cons i uency o subse o
collec ions and helps build new pa ne ships. I ’s an enhancemen o ex ension o
exis ing in as uc u e, so i equi es minimal new de elopmen wo k. I can easily be
duplica ed o o he collec ing a eas and pa ne si es, i ’s aligned wi h igh sholde s’
wishes and isk ole ance, and i has limi ed impac on public se ices s a a he hos
and access si es.
IP-Based Access
Rose Reading Room
A lan a, GA USA
NLI Reading Room
Dublin, I eland
To es his me hod, we’ e s a ing wi h ou Seamus Heaney pape s. This is a g ea
example o a spli collec ion–we ha e his co espondence, he Na ional Lib a y o
I eland has his manusc ip s, and Queen’s Uni e si y Bel as , has his s uden
no ebooks. Wi h he pe mission o he Heaney es a e, we’ e digi ized a po ion o he
wo k ha we hold and a e using ha wo k, along wi h some ela ed collec ions, o pilo
his IP-based access. So how his would wo k is ha i you a e esea ching Heaney’s
wo k in I eland, you can go o he eading oom a he Na ional Lib a y o I eland,
whe e you would ha e o ollow all o he ules ha hey ha e, and iew hese
digi ized acsimiles he e.
Now we unde s and ha his s ill isn’ widesp ead access. Howe e , Emo y’s a isk
a e se ins i u ion. And es a es ha e alid conce ns abou making hei wo k publicly
a ailable. This is one solu ion ha we can easily pilo , wi h he hopes o p o iding
g ea e access in he u u e. We wan o p o ide he app op ia e gua d ails, so ha all
he s akeholde s–Emo y, he Heaney es a e, NLI–a e com o able wi h wha we’ e
doing.
B igham Young Uni e si y:
Cu en Access Op ions
●Rep og aphic se ices
●Reposi o ies wi h public-only ie s
●Reading oom wi h kiosk connec ed o Box s o age
managed by Digi al Ini ia i es & Re e ence; con en s
e o ma ed upon eques
BYU has had many o he basic digi al access pieces in place o yea s: om a
digi iza ion lab p o iding ep og aphic se ices o a DAMs p ima ily housing digi ized
con en , wi h he occasional one-o , licensed bo n-digi al i em shoeho ned in. We
ecen ly added AV digi iza ion se ices, and he cu a o who ini ially de eloped i had
nowhe e o s ash he iles excep in Box cloud s o age, which I guess you can
conside ou i s VRR.
I ook o e managemen o he digi al ini ia i es depa men and digi al access i e
yea s ago, and I was p imed ( h ough DLF and MLS) o unde s and ha di e en
access solu ions will p obably be eques ed o me du ing my ca ee . I inhe i ed
echnical deb elsewhe e in my in as uc u e and so I sough o be in en ional wi h my
sys ems and p og am decisions o p epa e o i ual access. All his o say, I’m no in
he same place as Emo y bu I’m he e o alk abou wha can be done in he in e im:
how o lay he ounda ion while he e is no manda e.
Fi s s op is wi h you ins i u ion’s legal counsel.
BYU: Clea ing he Legal Pa h
-His o ically isk-a e se w digi iza ion and digi al access
- Tole ance o digi al access w/o license o i ems ~20 yea s om
copy igh expi a ion, pe sec ion 108h
- Recen AV digi iza ion esul ed in geog aphically-limi ed digi al
access being jus ified h ough TEACH Ac
-No app o al o explo e emo e access wi h use
au hen ica ion/ag eemen
BYU’s O ice o Gene al Counsel and Copy igh o ice a e his o ically isk a e se, bu I
cul i a ed ela ionships wi h hem. I sough o unde s and hei isk ole ance and
conce ns. I came o con e sa ions e y con e san in he case law and ele an
s a u es ha apply o lib a ies and digi al access. Because o his, I’ e made in oads
ad oca ing o access expansion.
- Thanks o IA’s whi e pape , OGC accep ed 108h as a ionale o digi izing
o phan i ems in hei las 20 yea s o copy igh and hey buil me a due
diligence checklis o ill ou pe i em.
- The ecen c ea ion o a la ge cache o copy igh ed AV ma e ials lead o mo e
o e eques s o sol e es ic ed digi al access: I s a ed asking OGC wha
can I do he e? Yes o lib a y s eaming wi h 108, and I b ough in he TEACH
ac o expand o campus oo p in wi h p o isos. I go a solid no o emo e
access, I ha e since lea ned wha hei wo s nigh ma e scena ios wi h p i acy
a e so I can wo k a ound hem. I’ll alk abou u u e copy igh ad ocacy plans
la e in he p esen a ion.
In addi ion o laying he g oundwo k by ob aining legal “pe mission” o p o ide i ual
access, as I p edic ed, hose es ic ed access eques s ha e s a ed o come in om
my s akeholde s. This leads o my nex a ea o g oundwo k-laying: s a egic
p io i iza ion [click]
BYU: P io i y Shi s
- Recen explo a ion o mo e digi al collec ing due o space
c unch
- T ickie p og amma ic digi iza ion desi ed, which benefi s
om mo e ma u e es ic ed access op ions:
- AV digi iza ion
- “Digi ize-and- e u n” pos -cus odial collec ing
- “Digi ize-and-wi hd aw” p ocess sough o ex an
collec ions
- Admin suppo o digi al li ecycle gap analysis
O e he pas i e yea s, bo h digi iza ion and digi al collec ing ha e ecei ed
inc eased s a egic adminis a i e p io i iza ion due o a space c unch and om
acul y’s expec a ion o digi al access. This has u he accele a ed due o eques s o
ickie p og amma ic digi iza ion, like [ ead om slide] which bene i s om ma u e
es ic ed access op ions
I spen a lo o ime con empla ing he ques ion: “Gi en ha e e yone is so busy BUT
Admin wan me o p o ide access solu ions soon, wha ounda ional wo k low issues
do I need o sol e o achie e a minimum iable p oduc ha will ha e oom o g ow?
Wha will I need om e e yone else?”I headed a h ee-yea p ojec using he digi al
li ecycle o ind gaps in ou digi al sys ems, s a ing, and wo k lows. I spen a long ime
seeking o unde s and my su ounding uni s’ d eams, ea s, oadblocks, and
knowledge gaps ega ding wo k in he digi al li ecycle. I accep ed a ace alue o
no ion ha , while I am in cha ge o digi al access, I HAVE o inculca e a baseline le el
o compe ence and buyin om cu a o s, a chi al p ocesso s, IT, and o he
s akeholde s. He e’s some o he a eas I’ e been d awing people’s a en ion o:
BYU: Clea ing he Pa h
In Place:
●DAMS and DP sys ems
ex an
●Plen y o con en
●Incoming Digi al A chi is
and Digi al P ocessing
A chi is
Nailing Down:
●No in eg a ion be ween he
wo sys ems/A chi esSpace
●Con en s ashed in cloud
s o age, bu no app aisal,
s uc u e, iden ifie s, o
connec ion o Finding Aids
●No BD a chi al wo kflows, no
consensus
Me ci ully I wan o acknowledge ha I ha e p i ilege ega ding he s a ing size o
digi al: because o my gap analysis we jus i ied he c ea ion o
No consensus on my iad issues BUT hey mos ly speak he same language now,
which is g ea . So [click]
BYU: Wo kflows o Nail
Down
●P e-Access Acquisi ion: how o app aise using wha me ics
(yay B unhilde epo c ea ing ini ial in ellec ual con ol!)
●A chi al A angemen : wha le els would acili a e
access/easy b owsing, how o ep esen ha in sys ems (Yay
ARKs o DO’s in A chi esSpace)
●Use Jou ney: whe e will pa ons submi eques s; when/
how o do a PII e iew; how o geog aphically limi DAMS
Fo he nex wo yea s, his is wha I’ll be umina ing on. These will be amilia o
anyone wo king in he bo n-digi al access …
- A chi al a angemen : easy access includes hings like di iding
co espondence in o a se ies om and a se ies o, so I can digi ize all he
“ om” s u I’ll ha e a license o . We jus ecen ly (knock on wood) igu ed ou
how o lexibly apply ARKs in ways ha will co espond o digi al objec s in AS
So ha ’s a li le abou my wo k clea ing he pa h, le ’s alk abou he s ill ex an
ba ie s o implemen a ion:
Ba ie s o
Implemen a ion
We wan o iden i y some o he majo ba ie s o implemen ing VRR solu ions. We’ll
ask i s abou you s, and hen we’ll sha e some o ou main sha ed ba ie s and wha
we’ e doing o add ess hem.
Resou ce
Acquisi ion
I. Resou ce acquisi ion - 5 minu es
A. Emo y
1. Need buy-in and s a capaci y o c ea ing he se ice and o
ongoing aining and suppo . We’ e jus one lib a y a Emo y,
and we sha e s a and budge s o so wa e de elopmen and
digi iza ion.
2. We’ e encoun e ed some pushback om colleagues who
ques ion whe he a VRR se ice is necessa y. And some o ha
hesi a ion is unde s andable, gi en he limi ed each o ou
cu en plan. We’ e alked a lo abou whe he o con inue
digi izing ma e ial o a VRR wi h limi ed access o ins ead o
ocus on ei he digi izing hings ha can be ully public o e en
p ocessing mo e collec ions o baseline RR access. A e we
be e s ewa ds o ou collec ions and ou budge s i we y o
maximize he numbe o people who can access s u o he
numbe o hings ha can be accessed?
3. Simila ly, we’ e s ill ying o gauge whe he i ’s wo h
di ec ing a lo o esou ces owa d a pa ial solu ion ins ead o
pushing o some hing mo e ambi ious. We ha e mo e in o
han e e be o e abou use needs and expec a ions, bu i we
can’ und and s a wha hey ideally wan , is he e enough
1. in e es o jus i y a middle-g ound op ion?
B. BYU
1. I eel good s ewa dship o ou esou ces includes e o s o
build a u u e p oo sys em and wo kflows ha co e he
basics, so we a en’ s a ing om 15 yea s behind as p io i ies
change. So, I conside some o my bigges ba les ahead will
s ill be asking o o he people’s ime and a en ion. I men ioned
he assignmen s I’d like cu a o s and p ocesso s o ha e, bu
my bigges esou ce need is mo e collec i e p io i iza ion o
aining and adap ing new wo kflows.
We assume ha hese a e ques ions and conside a ions on you minds as well and
we a e cu ious o con inue o sha e ideas and conce ns, so le ’s go o he Q&A
sec ion o Slido
Do no edi
How o change he design
Audience Q&A
P esen ing wi h anima ions, GIFs o speake no es? Enable ou Ch ome ex ension
📣 This is Slido in e ac ion slide, please don' dele e i .
✅ Click on 'P esen wi h Slido' and he ques ions om you audience will appea
when you ge o his slide.
W ap Up
Sa a
I. W ap up (5 minu es)
A. Sha e esou ces? Handou o slide wi h use ul publica ions, p e iew o
Emo y oolki / epo , e c.
B. Reques ideas o nex s eps: VRR esea ch agenda,
communi y-suppo ed ool de elopmen , s a emen o bes p ac ices,
sha ed policy amewo k, e c.
Con inue he Con e sa ion
Join he lis se !
Regis e o he
kicko mee ing!
12/16 2 pm EST
sa a.na alie. uchs@emo y.edu
ka he ine.e.fishe @emo y.edu
lindsey_memo [email protected]
Join us o dinne onigh !
Mee in Wes in lobby
5:55 PM
Sa a
