Staffing with students. Digitizing campus newspapers with student volunteers at the University of Minnesota, Morris
| Pages | 32-44 |
| Date | 12 February 2018 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-07-2017-0024 |
| Published date | 12 February 2018 |
| Author | Naomi Skulan |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science,Librarianship/library management,Library technology,Records management & preservation,Information repositories |
Staffing with students
Digitizing campus newspapers with
student volunteers at the University of
Minnesota, Morris
Naomi Skulan
Rodney A. Briggs Library, University of Minnesota, Morris, Minnesota, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of thispaper is to examine the advantages and disadvantages to primarilyutilizing
undergraduate studentvolunteers for a long-term digitization project and to discuss methods to mitigate the
disadvantagesof student volunteer work.
Design/methodology/approach –This paper presents a casestudy of the use of student volunteers for
the HistoricalCampus Newspaper Digitization Project at the Universityof Minnesota,Morris.
Findings –This paper describes the processof recruiting, training and managing student volunteersfor a
digitization project. Both advantagesand disadvantages to student volunteer work are discussed, including
possiblesteps to mitigate the disadvantages of student volunteers.
Research limitations/implications –This paper is limited to one institution’s experience utilizing
student volunteerson one digitization project.
Practical implications –Librarians and archivists interested in new staffing methods for digitization
projects can utilize this paper to betterunderstand the benefits and costs to student volunteer labor before
puttingvolunteer projects into practice.
Originality/value –This paper presents a unique case study of a digitization project staffed primarily
with undergraduatestudent volunteers in an Americanacademic library and archive.
Keywords Newspapers, Archives, Digital collections, Academic libraries, Volunteers, Digitization
Paper type Case study
Introduction
Volunteers have been used in librariesand archives for decades to work on special projects,
help with the general running of facilities and perform tasks that regular staff do not have
the time to accomplish. At the Universityof Minnesota, Morris Rodney A. Briggs Library, a
group of undergraduate student volunteers began to digitize nearly 60 years of campus
newspapers in the archives as the main workforce for the Historic Campus Newspaper
Digitization Project. As described in the literature, there are associated benefits and costs
when utilizing volunteers,with additional advantages and disadvantages experiencedwhen
volunteers are the main workforcefor a long-term digitization project.
The benefits of utilizing student volunteers on the Historic Campus Newspaper
Digitization Projectwere:
additional workforce for no monetary cost;
increased visibility of archives and archives collections;
skills gained by student volunteers for their academic careers and professional
futures; and
increased collaboration between the library/archives and student organizations.
DLP
34,1
32
Received26 July 2017
Revised8 August 2017
Accepted9 August 2017
DigitalLibrary Perspectives
Vol.34 No. 1, 2018
pp. 32-44
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2059-5816
DOI 10.1108/DLP-07-2017-0024
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