• Digital Collections and Metadata Services
• Feb 2008
• Issue: 219

To Digitize or Not to Digitize, That is the Question

OCLC’s Registry of Digital Masters

The Digital Registry is a central location for recording the creation and preservation of digital masters. The Digital Library Federation (DLF) and OCLC developed the Registry which functions as a subset of WorldCat. The Registry of Digital Masters can be searched through WorldCat on FirstSearch or in Connexion.

To be included in the Registry, an item must appear in digital format or be in an active queue to be digitized. A registered object ensures that the digital object, or soon-to-be digitized object, follows established standards and best practices for digitization and that the institution that digitized it has made a commitment to the digital preservation of this object.

Adding records to the Registry of Digital Masters facilitates collaborative digitization efforts by informing other libraries and repositories of your intention or actions in regard to digitization. The more institutions add records to the Registry of Digital Masters, the more is known about previously digitized materials. This information might aid in your selection of materials to digitize for preservation.

Guidelines for Best Practices

The Digital Library Federation has created a document called “Benchmarks for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials.” This document provides specific standards for the resolution and capture of the digital copy, in addition to specification in the MARC cataloging of the digital master. An abbreviated document of minimum requirements is available as well.

How to Find Registry Records

Registry records can be found by searching WorldCat through FirstSearch or Connexion. Registry metadata in the WorldCat record will tell you that:

• A preservation master exists.
• A use copy is available and accessible.
• Which institution digitized or intends to digitize it.
• The level at which the material has been digitized.
• The technical standards applied to the digitization process.

To search for Registry records, use ac=dlr as a keyword search in WorldCat.

Connexion browser users may also find these items using the ac=dlr in the Command line or dlr as a keyword search.

How to Add Items to the Registry

Any OCLC cataloging library can add items to the OCLC digital registry by including “dlr” in the 042 field of a cataloging record. There are specifications to follow regarding the other mandatory fields of Registry of Digital Masters records and specification of the digital image. Do not add records unless you follow the digitization specifications. Documentation is available at: http://www.oclc.org/digitalpreservation/why/digitalregistry/.

Digital Collection and Metadata Services Contact Information

For more information about CONTENTdm, please contact Donna Dixon, Nylink’s OCLC Services Librarian (dixond@ nylink.org) or Joyce Rambo, Nylink’s Reference & Digital Collections Librarian (ramboj@nylink.org).