1. Update on SIL Scanning Process
for History, Art, and Culture
William E. Baxter
And
Suzanne C. Pilsk

3. Smithsonian Institution Libraries
History of Science and Technology
Latino History and Culture
Materials Research
Modern and Contemporary Art
Museology
Native American History and
African Art Culture
African American History and Culture Natural History
Anthropology Postal History
American Art Tropical Biology
American History Trade Literature
Asian and Middle Eastern Art World’s Fair Ephemera
Aviation history and Space Flight
Design and Decorative Arts
Environmental Management and
Ecology

4. Facts and Figures
Washington, D.C.
Anacostia Museum & Center for African
American History and Culture Library
Anthropology Library
Botany and Horticulture Library
The Dibner Library of the History of
Science and Technology
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M.
Sackler Gallery Library
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture
Garden Library
Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural
History

5. Facts and Figures
Washington, D.C. (continued)
Museum Studies & Reference Library
National Air and Space Museum Library
National Museum of American History
Library
National Museum of Natural History Library
National Postal Museum Library
National Zoological Park Library
Smithsonian American Art
Museum/National Portrait Gallery
Library
Warren M. Robbins Library, National
Museum of African Art
California Druggist, 1897

6. Facts and Figures
Elsewhere
Suitland, Md.
Museum Support Center Library
National Museum of the American Indian
Library
Edgewater, Md.
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Library
New York City
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
Library
Republic of Panama
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Library

7. SIL Mission
(Smithsonian Directive 500)
As the largest and most diverse museum library
in the world, SIL leads the Smithsonian in taking
advantage of the opportunities of the digital
society. SIL provides authoritative information
and creates innovative services and programs for
Smithsonian Institution researchers, scholars and
curators, as well as the general public, to further
their quest for knowledge. Through paper
preservation and digital technologies, SIL ensures
broad and enduring access to the Libraries’
collections for all users.

8. SIL’s Strategic Plan “Focus on Service”
GOAL 1: COLLABORATING ACROSS BOUNDARIES
SIL creates a compelling environment for connecting, collaborating and exploring
across disciplines and information boundaries
GOAL 2: DISCOVERING INFORMATION
SIL enhances and eases the discovery of information in our collections for SI
scholars, researchers, scientists, and the larger world of learners
GOAL 3: CONNECTING WITH USERS
SIL understands and meets user needs, serving users where they live and work
GOAL 4: BUILDING EXPERTISE
SIL builds expertise on information discovery, navigation and management
GOAL 5: ENABLING OUR MISSION
SIL ensures its success through increased financial strength, effective
administrative support, and organizational excellence

9. Facts and Figures
Smithsonian Institution Libraries
Total volumes
> 1.7 million
50,000 are rare books
10,000 manuscripts
Plus “Other” such as
Trade Catalogs
> 500, 000 items
> 30,000 companies
dating from the 1800s

10. Freer Sackler Library Barcoding Project
Circulating un-barcoded materials is a time-
consuming chore requiring manual records for
the transaction followed by later updating.
The lack of barcodes on the books and in the
catalog also means that staff cannot tell from
SIRIS if an item is checked out or on the shelf.
Since it is SIL’s practice to barcode each
monograph and add item level information in
SIRIS, this project is essentially the first step
toward SIL’s goal of providing full inventory
control and access to the important research
collection at the Freer Sackler Library.

11. Freer Sackler Library Barcoding Project
Though most of the Freer Sackler Library’s
collection is cataloged at the title level and
resides in SIRIS, books are not barcoded.
Therefore cannot be tracked using the
automated circulation system of SIRIS. This
results in lack of full inventory control.
Procedure:
•Retrieve books from shelves in call number
order
•Search the SIL catalog in SIRIS
•Create a SIRIS item record
•Barcode the book
•Return to the shelf in proper order

12. Freer Sackler Library Barcoding Project
6,559 individual items
323 multivolume titles
Some with over 10-20 volumes
1000 items Not found
900 titles had barcodes…but,
Barcodes lie!
Plus Other: Relabeling, Folio
section, Workflow adjustments

13. Turning THIS into 1’s and 0’s

14. The CLSI company of Boston, Massachusetts - later Geac
Computers (SIRIS’s early system!) developed the standard 14-digit
barcode labels that became known as the Plessey Standard
Four section barcode:
•1 digit designates the function of the code: Command; Person; Item
•4 digits that are the prefix assigned to the agency.
•GEAC customers were given the 9XXX numbers. Smithsonian Libraries is
9088
•8 digits that are unique and have a
•1 digit checksum “modulus 10 checksum” derived from the 13 preceding
numbers

15. Select Book ~Pull from Shelf
Review Physically and
Metadata
Establish viability and create
master list
Send to scanning center
Book is scanned & QA
Book returned to library
URL added to SIRIS
Item scan box checked &
new Item made

16. Mass Scanning Workflow
Bid Lists
Serials Management
Pick Lists
Packing Lists
Monographic Management
Local data flow
WonderFetchtm
Send to IA scanning center
Return of material
Quality Review
SIRIS Work
Billing

17. Internet Archive
• 501(c)(3) organization
• Dedicated to “Universal Access to
Human Knowledge”
• Founder of the Open Content
Alliance
• Provides:
– Mass scanning
– Archival storage of files
– Image processing
– Technology development

28. Mark as
scanned
Workflow
DB SIRIS
Item level Title level URLs in MARC record
metadata MARC
Initiate
workflow
Item
Select & Check out Check in Check in
Scanning available in
Dedupe and Ship and QC Add link
IA/BHL
JP2000s
+ metadata
Harvest to
Local
Internet Repository
Archive
Generalized workflow

29. History
FY11 Pages Items Art
October 396 2 And
November 22732 74
Culture
Scanning
December 8592 38
With
January 32646 138 Internet
February 17276 79 Archive
FY 11
March 47532 152
April 34178 110
Serial
May 30676 128 FY Count
June 56317 196 2010 321
July 55600 246
2011 515
August 53677 148
2012 217
September 85707 163

30. Stamp collector’s magazine.
Vol. XI, 1873.
The cover is interesting – it’s
magenta, has gilt lettering and
an embossed design.
It also has an actual stamp –
un centavo from the Argentine
Republic – set into the cover
design

31. Philatelic record. Vol. III #32, September
1881.
Attractive blue cover with gilt lettering
Contains an article about the pigments
used in postage stamp ink.

32. Title says “Purple and
brown pigments”
They seem to run the
gamut
from yellow ochre to
puce, chocolate brown
and violet lake.

43. Questions?
Thank you
Update on SIL Scanning Process for
History, Art, and Culture
William E. Baxter
And
Suzanne C. Pilsk