LIB 121: Week 3 (September 10, 2013)

This week’s lecture delved into the basic administrative questions regarding digital programs. How much is it going to cost and what kind of equipment will we need? Linda shared a cost estimate broken down as follows, 10% - preparation, 10% - digitization, 40% - metadata, and 30% - delivery. We asked her what was included in this metadata portion, and she replied, “research and data entry”. Someone who can generate quality metadata has the earning potential of a traditional cataloger, garnering as much as $50.00 per hour. The next phase in this community college certificate program is a 16 week course on metadata, and how many of the library techs in my class are going to get jobs allowing them to earn $75,000 per year? Although I have my MLS, I’m under-employed and battling people with much more experience in this job market, this certificate will make me more competitive. At the same time, I feel like the more tasks that I can usurp from a library technician, the bigger advantage I would be giving to a future employer, allowing the company to pay one decent salary and receive the expertise of 2-3 professionals. To make matters worse, doing the work of 2-3 professionals promises to be a trying endeavor, personally, on a daily basis. As hard as I try to find it, there is no singular pathway towards success in archives. My most recent experiences in non-profit organizations made the discussions of the cost and function of scanners and digital cameras almost comical. Forty thousand dollars for an overhead book scanner would never be considered at the Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum. Overall the information about the digitization technology was useful as I would be able to provide organizations with a better idea of the feasibility of their projects within their budgets.