Nebula 2/Nebula Two.iso/Documents/PressReleases93/05May/Princeton.txt

Text File | 1995-06-12 | 6KB | 99 lines

Item    8687300                 93/05/12        12:39
From:  [e-mail]@INET#    Internet Gateway
Subject: Princeton University Libraries Selects NEXTSTEP

NEWS RELEASE May 3, 1993

Princeton contact: Eileen Henthorne

609-258-1517

VTLS contact: Murray Crowder 703-231-3605


VTLS INC. TEAMS WITH PRINCETON UNIVERSITY TO CREATE DATABASE OF 6.5 MILLION
IMAGES, USING NEXTSTEP-BASED INTERFACE

Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A.--VTLS Inc., The Princeton University Libraries,
and Princeton's Computing and Information Technology Department are working on
a joint project to scan the libraries' public union card catalog, containing
6.5 million 3x5 catalog cards, to create a database of digitized images. The
database represents 1.75 million titles acquired and cataloged before 1980,
predating Princeton's library automation and online catalog. Initially, the
image database will not be integrated with the libraries' online catalog, but
will work in conjunction with it. The 6.5 million images represent the largest
image database created in a library.

The project is planned in several phases. In the first phase, already
completed, library staff analyzed the card catalog and enhanced the guide
cards to create an index for the database of card images. In three months,
65,000 index points were created. In the second phase, beginning in June 1993,
VTLS Inc. will use single-sided scanners, located on site at the Firestone
Library, to generate digital, bit- mapped images of each card in the catalog.
Princeton staff will monitor the process for quality control, using
workstations to view statistically significant samples of the scanned images.

In the third phase, which will overlap the second, VTLS will develop an
interface for the display workstations--40 computers running NEXTSTEP for
Intel processors--to be used by library patrons and staff for browsing the
database of card images. VTLS will use NeXT Inc.'s NEXTSTEP object-oriented
development environment to build the graphical user interface. The NEXTSTEP
operating system was selected because of its multimedia and client-server
capabilities, and because NEXTSTEP enables the rapid development and
deployment of this "mission critical," custom application, as compelled by the
continuing deterioration of the catalog cards. Using the NEXTSTEP- based
interface, users will browse a hierarchical index tree to retrieve, view and
save card images; library staff will also edit scanned images, using graphics
software. Initially, 40 display workstations, powered by Intel 486 processors,
will be located in the Firestone Library and at all branch locations where
there are now card catalogs.

In a later phase, optical character recognition (OCR) will be used to convert
the digital image of each card to fully tagged and indexed records of text in
standard MARC format such as those found today in Princeton's online catalog.
With the present rate of rapid improvement, OCR technology may be reliable
enough to make feasible this conversion of the card images.

Several factors led Princeton University to rely on scanning rather than a
standard retrospective conversion to combine their card and online catalogs.
Scanning will be far more cost- and time-effective than a labor-intensive
retrospective conversion. Much of the local information in the card catalog,
which is specific to Princeton's collection, is complicated and esoteric and
would require extensive editing by library staff. A project in retrospective
conversion would therefore create an unacceptable backlog in current
cataloging. Moreover, since many of the cards are in poor condition and
rapidly deteriorating, the information they contain may be quickly preserved
by creating digital images through scanning. Due to the uniqueness of
Princeton's catalog, preserving the database by the traditional approach to
retrospective conversion, as opposed to scanning, would require inordinate
time and money. According to a recent estimate, retrospective conversion of
the card catalog would require 11 years to complete and cost $18 million. In
contrast, Princeton's image database project will be completed in nine months
and will cost less than $1 million.

VTLS was selected to become a partner in this project after Princeton
University Libraries and Princeton's Computing and Information Technology
Department conducted an intensive, joint evaluation of options and systems
developers.

Dr. Vinod Chachra, president of VTLS Inc., said, "VTLS is delighted to have
the opportunity to work with Princeton University on such a unique project.
The developments from this project related to handling and storing large image
databases will surely be made available to other libraries having similar
needs."

Princeton is very excited about this imaging project. The project will
preserve valuable information, permit network access from non- library
locations, provide enhanced searching capabilities to the libraries
collection, create more efficient tools for maintaining the catalog, and
provide a relatively cost-effective and error-free alternative to standard
retrospective conversion. According to Project Director Eileen Henthorne, "The
project may serve as a model for other universities and repositories that want
faster, more effective access to information and that are concerned about the
preservation of their information. Princeton is pleased to be working with
VTLS on such an ambitious project."

NEXTSTEP is a registered trademark of NeXT, Inc. in the U.S. and other
countries.

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