Transforming a government library: the Wirtz Labor Library in the U.S. Department of Labor went digital in January 2008, but it was far from easy

Information Outlook, Dec, 2008 by Jean Bowers

The decision was difficult, but it had to be made quickly. I chose a black and white, off-the-shelf scanner without as many bells and whistles as I had hoped for. I also purchased a computer workstation and server to house the images, an Adobe Photoshop C52, and an Abbyy FineReader8.0.

In the final hours, DOL asked me if there was anything else I needed, and I said yes, I could use a software package to manage the images and provide a Web interface that could be customized for our own digital library! I thought this was it--all I'd need to do was select the material to be scanned and scan away!

The "Statement of Work" was revised, and the department was onboard with a recomplete of the library's services contract. We were looking for a company that could help us manage a traditional library and move us forward in creating a digital library. We believed the Wirtz Labor Library was finally heading into the 21st century with the latest in digital technology. This would surely help us to better serve our current users while attracting new ones.

Funding Problems

I went to our IT office to ask for assistance and permissions. What I had expected would take three months ended up taking many months. Our IT office got involved and asked many questions about what we planned and what the department might actually allow. They agreed we could set up our new server in a test environment, but access privi leges were a problem. Also, we had not been able to pay to have the software completely installed by the vendor--not enough funds. Oh, we thought, we can do it ourselves; after all, we had our own systems librarian! Even with the many talents of our new, eager staff, it was a tough job getting all parties to agree on processes, procedures, security and the obstacles they presented.

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Meanwhile, the request for proposals didn't go out until the current contractor had been signed on for another half-year option. A DOL technical team was formed to review proposals. All of the seven new proposals presented themselves as teams of two vendors, one with library background and the other with IT and digital background. A new contract was awarded. Around this time, unfortunately, we lost two or three staff members who had been job hunting out of fear they might lose their jobs in a contract change. (They found new jobs.) The new contractor came in and immediately let two more staff members go because they had been working as subcontractors.

We also lost the systems librarian during the transition, so our Digital Library Program was stuck. Fortunately, one of the new contractors heard about the stagnation of the program. On a temporary basis, he hired a technology genius, who got us back in business. Meanwhile, we worked on a labor taxonomy, developed a customized digital platform, and developed a program description.

Digital Library Launched

The Digital Library was launched in January 2008. It's an ongoing program that will progress slowly. The team is composed of a digital imaging technician, a systems technician, a cataloger, a reference librarian and the project manager. Its area of operation will include uncopyrighted public-sector materials, except where we are able to gather permissions. The digital collection will be historic in nature and offer greater access to our worldwide customers.