Re-collecting cultural heritage : selection for digitisation from special collections in New Zealand libraries

Abstract

Digital technology offers great possibilities for enhancing access to material from special collections. However, a decision to make material more widely accessible introduces new issues and factors to consider that may differ from those surrounding the collection of material for use in a physical setting and may require new policies and procedures to be developed. While there are many guidance frameworks available in the literature to assist digitisers with making 're-selection' choices, systematic studies into the actual experiences and practices of cultural organisations engaged in digitisation activities have been lacking -especially in New Zealand. A postal questionnaire survey of New Zealand academic / research and public libraries with special collections uncovers some of the considerations shaping decisions about what which materials will be converted to digital form. The study adopts a social shaping of technology (SST) approach to explore variation in considerations seen to be important to making selection choices by digitisers within different organisational settings. It concludes that in order to be useful, guidance frameworks for identifying whether items are appropriate for digitisation will need to be relevant to the specific context in which selection decisions are being made.