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The Cornell-Microsoft partnership is a win-win situation for Cornell. By working with Microsoft, we participate in content selection decisions to ensure that scholarlymaterials that support Cornell's academic programs are available in digital form. Microsoft will give the Library high-quality digital images of all the materials, allowing the Library to provide worldwide access through its own digital library and to share the content with non-commercial academic initiatives and non-profit organizations. Lastly, the agreement with Microsoft is non-exclusive and the Library is free to join other partnerships with the same or different content in digitizing its collection.
h4. Who is doing the digitizing? Where is it being done?
Cornell and Microsoft will be teaming with Kirtas Technologies in Victor,N.Y. to digitize the materials for Live Book Search. Kirtas is a recognized pioneer of revolutionary scanning solutions that enable high-quality, non-destructive bound document digitization at up to 2,400 pages per hour. The majority of the material will be transported to Victor for digitization, and a small portion of rare and fragile material will be scanned onsite at Cornell using a Kirtas scanning machine.
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No. The scanning vendor for this project uses a digitization process that does not damage the book. A bound book is placed in a book cradle, which allows the book to be digitized without damaging the spine. Pages are digitized by overhead digital cameras, leaving the books intact. A mechanical arm then turns the pages as they are digitized (this process is probably more gentle than turning pages by human hand). We expect all our books to be returned to the shelves in the same condition they were in before scanning.
Who is funding this project?
Microsoft is funding the digitization of the material---this includes all costs associated with scanning as well as support for staff to pull books. Cornell University Library is contributing staff and infrastructure to support the long-term preservation of the digitized files.
How long will the project take?
Initially, we have entered into a one-year, non-binding agreement with Microsoft with the option to renew. The books slated for the first year of digitization will take approximately 18 months to digitize and make available online.
Are there any other libraries involved?
Microsoft has entered into agreements with the UniversityofToronto, British Library, New York Public Library, UniversityofCalifornia, and the AmericanMuseum of Veterinary Medicine.
How does this help faculty and students?
When surveyed about their needs, the Library's users rate access to full-text online as one of their highest priorities, so this partnership will enable us to respond to student and faculty expectations. Although Cornell has a long history of digitizing books for scholarly access, this project will make substantially more books available for these purposes much sooner than would otherwise be possible.
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