Digitization Project

In 2007 EPA engaged a consultant to conduct a review of its library document digitization process, which resulted in the four products below. The consultant then engaged a digitization expert to review and comment on these products, and the overview and report were reviewed independently by third-party experts at the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) and in academia.

Documentation Related to the Digitization Project
Overview of Current Digitization Practices, July 2007 - A whitepaper analysis based on market research in comparable institutions in the federal, non-federal public, and private sectors. The paper analyzed techniques, costs and quality of work for digitization of hardcopy library materials.

U.S. EPA Library Digitizations Process Report, September 2007 (PDF) - An analysis of EPA's existing digitization process. The analysis considered cost, production and quality metrics.

Target User Accessibility Review, February 2008 - A review with a group of representative users of the Nation Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) that included a description of identified search and navigational issues with suggestions to improve the efficiency and user response to this important EPA information dissemination resource.

Digitization Assessment, March 2008 - A comparison of EPA's digitization process with current practices in comparable institutions. EPA's consultant provided recommendations for improvement based on the practices identified in the "Overview of Current Digitization Practices" whitepaper. The "Digitization Assessment" report underwent independent external peer review by digitization experts. Comments were incorporated in the March 2008 report.

Digitization Processes for EPA Libraries, March 2011 - An EPA Library Network Procedure, developed and shared for review with stakeholders.