DIGITIZING COLLECTIONS
Library of Congress v. Smithsonian Institution
Summary
The Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution are renowned cultural institutions in the United States and arguably the world’s largest library and museum. The Library of Congress holds 171 million items, and the Smithsonian houses over 156 million artifacts. Both cultural repositories have undertaken significant digitization projects to make their collections more accessible to a global audience.
The Library of Congress has embarked on an extensive digitization initiative to preserve and provide access to its vast collection of books, manuscripts, photographs, and other materials. The Library of Congress offers online access to millions of digitized items, including historical documents, maps, and music recordings, through its website and digital platforms. Users can explore the Library’s digital collections, conduct research, and access educational resources from anywhere in the world.
Similarly, the Smithsonian Institution has prioritized digitization efforts to enhance public access to its diverse collections across various museums, research centers, and libraries. The Smithsonian’s digitization projects encompass multiple disciplines, including art, history, science, and culture. Through the Smithsonian’s online portals, visitors can explore digital exhibitions, view high-resolution images of artifacts, and access educational resources that showcase the institution’s rich cultural heritage.
The Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution’s digitization projects aim to democratize access to cultural heritage and promote lifelong learning. By leveraging digital technologies and online platforms, these institutions can reach a broader audience, engage with diverse communities, and foster a deeper appreciation for the importance of preserving and celebrating cultural history.
Overall, the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution’s digitization projects demonstrate their commitment to harnessing technology to make their collections more inclusive, interactive, and impactful in the digital age.
COMPARISON: Library of Congress versus Smithsonian
A detailed comparison of the digitization projects between the Library of Congress (LoC) and the Smithsonian Institution reveals common objectives and individual strategies that reflect the unique nature of each institution’s collections and goals.
| LIBRARY OF CONGRESS (LOC) | SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION |
|---|---|
| Scope and Content | |
| The LoC has one of the world’s most comprehensive literature collections, historical documents, and cultural artifacts. Its digitization efforts are expansive, covering materials such as books, photographs, maps, manuscripts, and music. | The Smithsonian’s collections are incredibly diverse, reflecting its numerous museums and research facilities. The content ranges from natural history specimens to cultural artifacts to artworks. |
| Collections | |
| Its collections house millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps, and manuscripts. Specific numbers from previous years have cited over 171 million total items, including more than 32 million cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages; more than 70 million manuscripts; the most extensive rare book collection in North America; over 3.6 million recordings, encompassing music and spoken word. | The Smithsonian Institution’s collections are vast and varied, given its encompassment of multiple museums and research complexes. The total number of objects in the Smithsonian’s collections is around 156 million artifacts, works of art, and specimens. The breakdown includes 145 million specimens and objects at the National Museum of Natural History, millions of objects in the National Air and Space Museum collections, and vast arrays of objects at the American History and American Art Museums, among numerous other entities within the Smithsonian system. |
| Digitization Approach | |
| The LoC’s digitization approach is multifaceted, including high-resolution scanning, metadata creation, and careful preservation. The LoC has several ongoing digitization projects focusing on different types of media and subjects. For example, the American Memory project provides free and open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music documenting the American experience. | The Smithsonian has engaged in mass digitization using conveyor belts and robotic cameras to process large volumes of artifacts quickly. It has also been involved in 3D digitization efforts for more complex objects. The Smithsonian’s Digitization Program Office (DPO) coordinates efforts across 19 museums, nine research centers, and the National Zoo. |
| Access and Use | |
| The LoC provides access to digitally archived materials through its website, which includes curated collections and searchable and indexed exhibits. It also offers researchers bulk access to data through various APIs and data dumps. | The Smithsonian provides online access to its digitized collections through the Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives and individual museums’ websites. It also encourages public participation through transcription and digitization projects where users can transcribe handwritten documents or update the metadata for digital assets. The Smithsonian has made a significant portion of its data available under open access policies, which allows anyone to use and download the content without permission or fees. |
| Impact and Outreach | |
| An essential aspect of the LoC’s digitization work is its aim to support educational endeavors. It provides resources for teachers, students, and researchers, promoting digital literacy and historical understanding. Digitized collections are accompanied by comprehensive user guides and intended to serve a broad array of users, from academic researchers to the general public. | The Smithsonian aims to “reach one billion people yearly with a digital-first strategy.” Its robust educational outreach program includes online lesson plans, virtual field trips, and interactive games, focusing on K-12 education. |
| Challenges and Strategies | |
| Given the scale of its collection, one of the main challenges for the LoC is prioritizing which materials to digitize. They often focus on materials of the highest public interest or those most at risk of deterioration. | One key challenge for the Smithsonian is digitizing 3D objects from its vast natural and cultural history collections. This is a more complex process than digitizing 2D documents. The Smithsonian uses cutting-edge 3D capture technology and has pioneered this technology in a museum context. It has also been active in crowdsourcing efforts to engage the public in digitization projects. |
The LoC strongly focuses on historical textual documents and has developed expertise in digitizing these resources and audio and visual materials. Due to its multidisciplinary collections, the Smithsonian has a broader scope of digitization techniques, including 3D digitization for natural history and cultural objects. Both institutions have made considerable efforts to ensure that their digital content is as accessible as possible, considering both user engagement and technical accessibility standards. Outreach and engagement strategies reflect their public service mandates, emphasizing educational resources and community involvement. The LoC focuses more on the American experience, while the Smithsonian’s digitization includes American and non-American content reflective of the Institution’s diverse collections.
In summary, while both institutions aim to democratize access to knowledge through digitization, their projects are shaped by their distinct holdings and institutional missions. Their efforts complement a larger picture of cultural heritage preservation and accessibility in the digital era.
ACCESSIBILITY
Both the Library of Congress (LoC) and the Smithsonian Institution acknowledge the importance of making their digital collections accessible to all users, including those who are blind or have low vision and those who are hard of hearing.
| Library of Congress (LoC) Accessibility Initiatives | Smithsonian Institution Accessibility Initiatives |
|---|---|
| For Users Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision | |
| The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) is a program of the LoC that provides braille and talking books and magazines for those who have difficulty reading standard print. The LoC website is designed to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ensuring that digital collections can be navigated and read by screen readers used by blind users. The LoC also provides accessible reading rooms and specialized equipment for visitors with vision impairment who access physical locations. | The Smithsonian Institution provides a variety of tools and services to make its websites and digital content accessible, such as descriptive audio tours and screen-reader-friendly websites. They employ alternative text for images, and some venues within the Smithsonian offer tactile exhibits or braille materials for onsite programs, events, and exhibitions, which also translate into their digital domain. |
| For Users Who Are Hard of Hearing | |
| The LoC provides real-time captioning and interpretation of American Sign Language (ASL) for live events. Many of the recorded lectures, webcasts, and other educational materials include captions or transcripts to make their content more accessible to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. | The Smithsonian videos are, wherever possible, captioned to accommodate users who are hard of hearing. For many of the Institution’s virtual exhibits and online educational resources, transcripts are provided for audio components. The Smithsonian also strives to include Sign Language interpretation in its programming and may offer assistive listening devices for in-person and possibly digital formats. |
Links of Interest
