2018-2019 is the startup phase of the NLM Online project, where the digitization and library workflow will be established and implementation begun. This phase is currently underway.
Beginning in August 2019, the production phase is expected to begin. Here, we will increase staff and maximize output based on processes streamlined during the startup phase.
The startup phase included identifying and hiring technical and cataloging staff in Mongolia, purchasing and setting up digitization stations, training, and workflow development. At NLM, there are currently two camera-based digitization stations, operated by scanning technicians, and a central station to regularize output, including cropping images of scans to a pre-set standard size, adjusting image clarity if necessary, and uploading scans to a cloud staging area so that they can eventually be made available online.
Bibliographic work is underway, including item-level bibliographical identification of manuscripts and woodblock prints, identifying the number of volumes contained in each item, title-level cataloging, and capturing authors, subjects, colophons, pecha condition and size, and other information of value to scholars worldwide.
Texts are assigned id numbers and cataloging data is captured using Google sheets, accessible both by local staff and U.S.-based staff who review input and further prepare material for digitization.
Volume content will be digitized, cataloged, made accessible online, and archived. Four copies of digital archival packages will be deposited at BDRC, ACIP, NLM, and Harvard University (for long-term storage), respectively.