2017 S.T. Lee Innovation Grants

TL;DR

Grant funding enables experimentation and learning with Special Collections at Harvard, allowing students to gain unique hands-on experience and explore new research opportunities.

Transcript

I played for the STV group because it's sometimes hard to carve out the time to really try something new and this seemed like a way to really invest in something that we knew we wanted to invest in and put some resources behind doing that experimentation teaching with Special Collections at Harvard is kind of an amazing opportunity and for the stud... Read More

Key Insights

• 👻 Grant funding allows for the completion of large-scale projects, providing greater exposure to collections and accelerating digitization efforts.
• 💦 Collaborative work and dedicated resources through grants enhance the development of tools and solutions in special collections.
• 💁 Tracking user journeys and experiences can inform tailored services and products, improving the overall library experience for students and researchers.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the grant funding help with the digitization project?

The grant funding allows for a faster timeline and greater exposure of the collection, as well as the opportunity to gather user-generated input and metadata through a platform like metadata games.

Q: What is the goal of the Harvard Law School community council project?

The project aims to develop a file transfer tool that facilitates the preservation of student organization files, with a focus on collaboration, outreach, and problem-solving within the special collections context.

Q: What insights can be gained from following LLM students' journey?

By tracking LLM students' experiences, perceptions, and interactions with the library over their year-long program, the library can gain a better understanding of their needs and preferences, ultimately improving services and products.

Q: How does the library plan to provide a single point of access for digital materials?

The library intends to harvest metadata from various source catalogs, transform it into a common format, and create a centralized platform where users can easily access all digital content. This will uncover valuable digital content within special collections that may go unnoticed.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The grant funding allows for the completion of a large-scale project involving the digitization and tagging of a collection of 60,000 slides, providing greater exposure to the collection and allowing for user-generated input and metadata.

• The Harvard Law School community council project focuses on developing a file transfer tool to preserve student organization files in special collections, highlighting the collaborative work and long-term goals.

• The service design grant proposes following LLM students' journey from their first day to graduation, gathering data to inform library services and products, aiming to provide a holistic view of the student experience.