top of page

Digital Projects Registry Data

The Digital Projects Registry Report contains information about digital preservation and digitization projects conducted by academic law libraries across the United States. Each entry includes metadata about a single project and follows a consistent format. The data was exported in November 2018.

The document features detailed project records from approximately 90 institutions including law libraries at Creighton, Case Western Reserve, LSU, University of Colorado, Ohio State, Hofstra, Thurgood Marshall State Law Library, and many others. Each project entry identifies the institution, contact person, type of collection, project description, status, and associated URLs.​

​

Collections span:

​

  • Special Collections (e.g., Thomas Delaney’s Tokyo Tribunal papers)

  • Law School Publications and Histories (e.g., law reviews, yearbooks, faculty scholarship)

  • Government Documents (e.g., session laws, civil codes, court opinions)

  • Court Briefs and Case Files (e.g., Utah Supreme Court briefs, SCOTUS files from the Powell Papers)

  • Faculty Publications and Newsletters​​

 

Many projects are marked “Completed”, though a significant number are “In Progress/Ongoing” or “Planned for the Future.” Projects vary in scale: from a few dozen documents or newsletters to hundreds of thousands of scanned pages (e.g., University of Utah's 480,000-page court briefs project).

​

Digitization Details

​

  • Formats: Primarily text-based (letters, manuscripts), but also include photos, images, born-digital files, websites, audio, and video.

  • Scanning Equipment: Common scanners used include Bookeye, Canon EOS, Xerox WorkCentre, and Epson GT-20000.

  • Software: Frequently used tools include Adobe Acrobat Pro, ABBYY FineReader, GIMP, and ATIZ Bookdrive software.

​​

Metadata and Standards

 

Metadata standards vary, including Dublin Core, MODS, MARC XML, and customized schemas. A few projects cite adherence to recognized digitization guidelines like FADGI or Library of Congress recommendations.

​

Storage and Access

​

Master copies are generally stored in law library archives or institutional digital repositories. Common platforms include DSpace, BePress Digital Commons, Islandora, CONTENTdm, and custom systems.​

​

Some projects are collaborative across multiple libraries or with commercial partners (e.g., William S. Hein & Co.). Outsourcing is usually due to staffing limitations or the need for high-end scanning and hosting services.​

​

Institutions frequently shared practical advice, such as scanning best practices, dealing with metadata issues, and challenges like staffing constraints, copyright concerns, or equipment limitations. Several contributors express the importance of understanding digitization standards early in the project to avoid quality issues.

​

This document is a benchmarking and informational tool for law libraries and preservation professionals to understand peer digitization efforts, technologies used, and the variety of legal collections being preserved and made digitally accessible. 

bottom of page