GOOD PRACTICE FORM FOR NOMINATIONS

We propose to start the activity of the workgroup on 'good practice' proposing an initial set of some main areas where to put the nominations. In particular we think to start with the basic issue of digitisation itself.
Each project can be 'nominated' for more than one area, following your evaluation of the most important features contained in the example.

AREAS for nominations of 'good practice' for on-going projects on digitisation:
1.	Preservation of physical objects via digitisation and electronic surrogates.
2.	High quality of the digitisation process.
3.	Metadata and Thesaurus.
4.	Usability of project results.
5.	Management of the process and workflow
6.	Accessibility including copyright issues and web sites

For each project please specify:

•	Area of 'good practice' where you like to nominate your project (you can put more than only one area): 
•	Usability of Project Results
•	Accessibility including copyright issues and websites

•	Name:
ACTIVATE

•	Responsible body and/or any specific :  An Chomhairle Leabharlanna/The Library Council
Co-ordinating body/mechanism: An Chomhairle Leabharlanna/ The Library Council

•	Contact persons:
Annette Kelly, Project Manager
akelly@librarycouncil.ie
Caroline Clery, Project Officer
cclery@librarycouncil.ie

•	Web site:
http://www.activate.ie 

•	Description of the project, objectives and priorities:
•	The ACTIVATE project is a year long EU funded project which will run until July 2002.  The project is based in Ireland and has five partners: An Chomhairle Leabharlanna/The Library Council; Cork City Library; Clare County Library; Silverstorm Ltd.;  The Digital Media Centre Dublin Institute of Technology.
•	The project has two aims. The first is to create a very easy to use and low cost template and instruction pack for the creation of thematic networks, the second is to  test and perfect the templates through the creation of the Irish Local Studies Thematic Network.  The project-in-action can be viewed at the web-address above.
•	The project has an extra feature of interest which is a VRML tour of an island to compliment one of the content sites on the local studies network.  The creation of VRML tours is outside the remit of the templates yet the tour both shows what can be done to access cultural heritage on the web and also acts as a useful “shop window” to the project.
•	The long term objectives of the project is that the local studies network created as the pilot test project be used as a springboard for a national thematic network and that the templates continue to be freely available, so that anyone can download them from the web to create their own thematic network.  Vigorous dissemination is taking place in order to ensure awareness of the project’s products.

•	The main technical features for what you consider the project a 'good practice' example:
•	Easy to use templates that are being widely tested by users with low IT skills.
•	A well constructed pilot project that is a good model for other thematic networks or content sites to imitate.
•	The templates are freely available to download from the web so a cheap, good quality technical solution.
•	Searchable portal using simple text searching.
•	The project manuals contain step by step instructions on scanning and some advice on web-page layout and selection of content.

•	Long term sustainability strategy:
•	The project’s final perfected templates will remain online so that anyone can download them to create their own thematic network.
•	The Irish Local Studies Portal site will be furtherdeveloped.
•	The ACTIVATE project will be a springboard for a  national project which will use the project’s results to bring the work further.

•	Accessibility by users via local network or Internet (describe modalities and IPR issue from a technical point of view):
Templates:
There are no IPR issues for the templates.  The products are freely available to view and download from the web and can be thus accessed in the normal way via modems and dial up connections for home users, ISDN lines or LANs.  
VRML:
However the project’s VRML angle’s accessibility does vary according to the modernity of the user’s PC and the mode of linkage to the web.  The presentation is designed to run on a 500hz+computer with a 3D accelerated graphics card.  The VRML allows for different user’s need by providing three types of viewing options for the tour.  The High version (4,3 MB total) is designed for ISDN or faster connections, and newer computers with 16MB+ video cards.  The Low version (1.6 MB total) is designed for slow connections and older computers with 4MB+ video cards.  The PCM version (2.7 MB total) is the same as the low version except it has uncompressed audio for users who are unable to play back the audio sample in the LO version.  There is an advisory page on the ACTIVATE site that recommends the use of either blaxxun, cosmo or parallelgraphics VRML browsing plugins in order to use the VRML.  The installation of these is explained at http://www.activate.ie/sites/scatteryVR .
Content Sites:
These are online to be viewed on the ACTIVATE website.  The website and tour are copyright.  There is password protected access to the upload facility on the website.

•	Problems encountered :
•	We wanted plenty of feedback from users to the site but noticed that although a lot of visits were taking place to the site, few comments were left.  We questioned users as part of our validation procedure and discovered that the two options of chat facility we had supplied were both too cumbersome and difficult to use.
•	The initial users of the template manuals found them too technical in their language.
•	There were difficulties with copyright for some of the material that the project partners wished to put on their content sites.
•	Some material and photographs were found to be unsuitable for scanning or did not make good illustrations.
(See comments section below for rectification of problems)

Comments: 

The problems encountered were documented and solutions sought.  Feedback from partners and users has been encouraged throughout the project and has proven very useful.  As a result of discovering user difficulty we have addressed the problems by, for example, the sourcing and setting up of an easy to use chat facility on the ACTIVATE site and the organisation of an ongoing validation system for the life of the project whereby users of the templates manual point out what is not instantly understandable to a low IT skills user so that amendments can be made.

This encouragement of critical contributions has made the project a particularly participative one and has both added to its success as an educator in IT skills, and to the refinement of the final project products. 

Figures and documents enclosed:

I agree this information could be published/

     yes                         Yes
                               No

Organisation & person completing the questionnaire

•	Formal name of organisation:
An Chomhairle Leabharlanna/The Library Council

•	Type of organisation:
National advisory body to Irish libraries.

•	Field of action:	Archive / Library / Museum / Foundation / others ….
Library

•	Address:
53 & 54 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2, Ireland.

•	Name of director:
Ms. Norma McDermott

•	Name and role of person completing the questionnaire:
Caroline Clery,  Project Officer. 

•	Tel: 	003531-6761167

•	Fax:	003531-6766721

•	Web site:  http://www.librarycouncil.ie  and http://www.activate.ie 

•	E-mail: cclery@librarycouncil.ie 

Date:  7th May 2002