LIveblogging Webwise Day 2, second session completed

Deanna Marcum, of the Library of Congress. Discussing the American Memory Project. The target was to digitize 5 million items in 5 years- and when the goal was set the technology didn't really exist in the museum/library context. Private funding led to an emphasis on K-12 resources and audiences, rather than the full spectrum of users as defined by the founding documents- which is everyone in America.

They're up to 14 million items now, but have moved away from a K-12 emphasis. The debate inside the Library is between staff who are committed to guardianship within the "library of last resort", and who have little familiarity with education, and those staff who are pushing to push material out to the general public. The library wants to turn subject specialists and curators into generalists who can see the value of making their resources available to the public face of the Library.

If the library only deals with the audience of today, it short-changes its future: the transition MUST take place and ALL staff must be engaged, not just the technology believers.

And on that note, I'm headed back to Dover DE!