At UBC Library, many hands and hundreds of hours are helping to bring a unique Japanese book collection alive.
For years, UBC Asian Library’s Tomoko Kitayama Yen sought to digitize a small, but unique premodern Japanese collection that developed over decades at the UBC Asian Library, but remained somewhat underused. With the help of a grant from the Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO), she was finally able to set the project in motion on a larger scale. This is the journey of an ambitious dream and all the steps it took to bring the collection online.
“We always wanted to make it more accessible and available for people not only at UBC, but out in the community as well,” says Tomoko, who is the Japanese Studies Librarian at Asian Library. “The grant application process may look simple, but it actually involves so many units, so many people’s time and effort to make it happen.”
Tomoko calculated it will likely take more than 600 hours of combined work by different units to coordinate this effort: from Library executive support to working with Rare Books and Special Collections, the development office and communications, conservation space and digitization lab, as well as Technology, Discovery & User Experience (TDUX) who oversees metadata. With roughly 250 items in the collection, Tomoko manages an ongoing list of which materials to digitize, based on demand and what will be the most beneficial for research.
Tomoko then consults with the conservation team to see if the proposed items are feasible for digitization. Anne Lama, Conservator, Collections Services, analyzes the state of each item to see what type of work, if any, is needed to prepare for digitizing, which can range from re-sewing and re-binding to replacing pages and repairing holes. In most cases, Anne can repair these items, but certain environmental issues such as mold and stains may cause her to hold off on repairs, as it could cause more damage to the piece.
“Several of the materials did need to go through some conservation work first before going through digitization,” explains Elizabeth Edgerton, Digital Initiatives Assistant. “Then we were able to request them from Rare Books and Special Collections to bring in for digitization. From there, we decide which of our various machines is going to be best suited for capturing the images. Once they’re imaged, we take those files into Photoshop, then handle the metadata — like title, creator, date, description — and once everything is ready and prepared, we get them up online.”
“I wish people had a better sense of what all went into digitization. It’s not just taking a picture of it; we have to take a picture of every page and then make sure that all of the files are neatly arranged for all the editing,” says Elizabeth.
“Conservation for me is crucial,” adds Anne. “It’s really something that you learn and it’s not only being patient. There is also all the knowledge that you have to acquire: science, art, history and knowing the material’s chemistry. You cannot improvise conservation work.”
“I just want to emphasize that it is a real collaborative effort. It is not just one librarian getting a wonderful grant, but it is the library’s team effort,” says Tomoko.
Learn more about the UBC Japanese Special Collection here.