Experiences and Advice from the Institutional Perspective of a Consortium-Based Digital Collection Management System Migration

Digital Library Federation Forum 2025 EXPERIENCES & ADVICE FROM THE INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF A CONSORTIUM-BASED DIGITAL COLLECTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM MIGRATION EVAN N. MILLER DIGITAL PRESERVATION AND DIGITAL COLLECTIONS ARCHIVIST, INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS November 19, 2025 Biography Evan N. Miller, M.A., M.L.I.S. Areas of Interest •Indiana and local history •Historical exhibits •Metadata & metadata remediation •System migrations •Digital preservation •Supporting the archival profession Job Timeline 2019 Special Collections Associate Butler University 2022 Digital Archivist Wabash College 2024 Digital Initiatives Librarian Butler University 2025 Digital Preservation and Digital Collections Archivist IU Indianapolis Agenda 01 Background 02 Assessment 03 Migration Workflow 04 Applying the Migration Workflow Public Domain, Indiana University Artificial Intelligence is not discussed in this presentation. 1. Initial work initially began prior to ChatGPT’s release (2022) and major AI development 2. At the time, there were no institutionally-approved or paid services available 3. Ethical considerations 1. BACKGROUND Background Timeline 2006 2013 2017 2019-2021 2021 2022 2023-2024 Logos the property of their respective organizations. Background Timeline 2006 PALNI (Private Academic Library Network of Indiana) offers CONTENTdm to members 2013 2017 2019-2021 2021 2022 2023-2024 Logos the property of their respective organizations. Background Timeline 2006 2013 PALNI Institutional Repository Task Force finds 70% of members did not have an institutional repository (IR) system 2017 2019-2021 2021 2022 2023-2024 Logos the property of their respective organizations. Background Timeline 2006 2013 2017 PALNI begins collaboration with PALCI (Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation) to support development of open-source IR system 2019-2021 2021 2022 2023-2024 Logos the property of their respective organizations. ASSESSMENT 2. Assessment Items: Cultural Heritage Materials Sigma Gamma Rho Centennial Collection, Butler University, PALNI Digital Collections, https://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/SigmaGammaRho.; The Butler Collegian Archives, Butler University, PALNI Digital Collections, https://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15846coll11.; Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection, Butler University, PALNI Digital Collections, https://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/BldgsGrnds.; Malcolm X Institute of Black Studies Collection, Wabash College, PALNI Digital Collections, https://cdm15705.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/MXIBS. Assessment System Comparison: Collection Engagement CONTENTdm Collection Landing Page Hyku Collection Landing Page The Butler Collegian Archives, Butler University, PALNI Digital Collections, https://palni.contentdm.oclc.o rg/digital/collection/p15846co ll11.; The Butler Collegian Student Newspaper Collection, Butler University Digital Collections [beta], accessed April 1, 2025. Assessment System Comparison: Search CONTENTdm Search Results Page Hyku Search Results Page Search page, Wabash College Black Oral History Project Collection, Wabash College, PALNI Digital Collections, https://cdm15705.contentdm. oclc.org/digital/collection/p15 705coll79.; Search page, Wabash College Black Oral History Project Collection, Wabash College Institutional Repository, https://wabash.hykucommons .org/collections/c219b7d3bcc3-4b8c-89786bc1aacb0fdf. Assessment System Comparison: Metadata CONTENTdm Item Landing Page Hyku Item Landing Page Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection, Butler University, PALNI Digital Collections, https://palni.contentdm.oclc.o rg/digital/collection/p15846c oll11.; Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection, Butler University Digital Collections [beta], accessed April 1, 2025. Assessment Metadata: It’s Complex… and Complicated Metadata export, Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection, Butler University, PALNI Digital Collections, https://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/BldgsGrnds. For data migrations, it is preferable to go from less detail to more , rather than the opposite direction, which can result in combining fields and losing specificity in the catalogue. A balance needs to be achieved between specificity and being able to find what is required. Not every asset should have its own edge case of metadata . – KATHRYN CLAYPOOL ET AL., “ONE SYSTEM TO RULE THEM ALL: THE STORY OF MERGING TWO INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYST E M S,” JOURNAL OF DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT (2019) [EMPHASIS ADDED] Assessment Takeaways •Collection-by-collection migration strategy •Allow for streamlined delegation, remediation, and testing •Gather and document institutional knowledge along the way •Ensure all metadata is moved, merged, or saved •Some metadata would have to be stored outside of the system… •… BUT all legacy metadata would be preserved in other systems or as documentation •Metadata remediation would need to happen early in the process •Inconsistent metadata practices had developed over time… •… and would cause issues bulk importing and user searching MIGRATION WORKFLOW 3. The key to migrating [systems] is understanding what users need it to do and having a plan for migrating functionality that users depend on–the goal is more about migrating an effect than it is about migrating data. – KYLE BANERJEE, “INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES AND DIGITAL COLLECTIONS,” MIGRATING LIBRARY DATA: A PRACTICAL MANUAL (2017) [EMPHASIS ADDED] Migration Workflow The Steps Collect Prepare Review Serve Cleanup Cleanup working files (e.g. delete duplicates, save documentation and final metadata spreadsheets) Prepare files and metadata for digital preservation Be prepared for next migration Migration Workflow The Steps [Complete] Collect Locate digital files Export metadata from old systems Bring together all files and information into one location Assess collection and document Prepare Evaluate metadata fields and metadata schema (e.g. Dublin Core) Create metadata crosswalk mapping old system metadata field to new system metadata field Perform cleanup on exported metadata & complete metadata remediation Review Convert files to needed file formats (e.g. Word to PDF, .xlsx to .csv) Create batches of files to bulk import (e.g. zipped file with digital files and metadata spreadsheet) Document method and next steps Serve Upload/Bulk import to system in batches Test uploads (e.g. searching, selective itemand collectionlevel viewing Edit and refine Cleanup Cleanup working files (e.g. delete duplicates, save documentation and final metadata spreadsheets) Prepare files and metadata for digital preservation Be prepared for next migration Since no system lasts forever, migration is necessarily part of digital preservation work . Keeping this in mind, a migration project does not result in a conclusive endpoint but simply a step in a larger workflow that will include future migrations. – BRIANNA GORMLY, “MIGRATION,” PATRICIA C. FRANKS (EDITOR), THE HANDBOOK OF ARCHIVAL PRACTICE (2021) [EMPHASIS ADDED] APPLYING THE MIGRATION WORKFLOW 4. Applying the Migration Workflow Example Digital Collection Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection •Archival collection stored in Department of Special Collections, Rare Books, and University Archives at Butler University •2019 initiative reprocessed archival collection and prioritized digitization of images •From 2020 to circa 2024, metadata was created with uploads occurring as each building/subseries was completed •Metadata was highly detailed and customized •Wanted to provide increased access to institutional history and improve search Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection, Butler University, PALNI Digital Collections, https://palni. contentdm.oc lc.org/digital/ collection/Bl dgsGrnds Applying the Migration Workflow Collect Gather Files, Metadata, and Documentation •Search across current, legacy, and available storage spaces •Microsoft Teams, Google Drive, Local Server Shared Drives, Miscellaneous Hard Drives •Look for: •Preservation and access copies of digitized and born-digital items •Metadata exports (current version from system or legacy spreadsheets) •Collection/Project Documentation •Create folders for each digital collection Applying the Migration Workflow Prepare Metadata Remediation •Collection-by-collection assessment and remediation •Map legacy system fields to equivalent and/or sufficient fields in new system (crosswalk) •Bulk-complete common metadata edits (e.g. misspellings, inconsistent capitalization, etc.) •Structure spreadsheet for bulk import Metadata export, Butler University Buildings and Grounds Collection, Butler University, PALNI Digital Collections, https://palni.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/BldgsGrnds. Applying the Migration Workflow Prepare Metadata Crosswalk Legacy System Field Dublin Core Controlled Vocabulary New System Field Title title N/A Title Creator creator [Last Name, First Name] Creator Photographer creator [Last Name, First Name] Creator Subject subject LOCSH Subject Keyword subject Local List Subject Rights Statement rights RightsStatements.org Rights Longitude/Latitude N/A N/A Description Transcript N/A N/A Description Applying the Migration Workflow Prepare Common Metadata Remediation Workflows in Microsoft Excel 01 Merge Columns 02 Adding an Entry to Multiple Rows 03 Date Formatting & Bulk Creation 04 Creating a Master Keyword Term List Combine Metadata Fields Adding Duplicate Entry to the Same Metadata Field for Multiple Items Create Consistent Date Entries (Date Field or Text String) for Multiple Items Allows for Finding Duplicate Entries, Misspellings, and Inconsistencies in Controlled Vocabulary Applying the Migration Workflow Review Reformat and Prepare Files for Bulk Import •Convert files to needed file formats (e.g. .tif to .jpg, .xlsx to .csv) •Combining single-page PDFs into one multi-page PDF: Evermap AutoSplit Plugin for Adobe Acrobat •Converting multiple preservation copies (.tif) to access version (.jpg): Adobe Bridge Image Processor •Determining duplicate copies: TreeSize •Create batches to bulk import using a zipped folder containing: •Folder “files” with items to upload •.csv spreadsheet formatted with proper column headings (metadata fields) and one row for each item in “files” folder •Document along the way!