The Cornell / Xerox / Commission on Preservation and Access Joint Study in Digital Preservation

Acknowledgments

Cornell University acknowledges the support of the Commission on Preservation and Access and its Technology Assessment Advisory Committee. This support has been critical to the success and recognition of the Cornell/Xerox/CPA Joint Study in Digital Preservation.

The Joint Study involved the work of over sixty individuals from both Cornell University and Xerox Corporation. Within Cornell, collaboration was apparent at the highest level. Both M. Stuart Lynn, Vice President for Information Technologies (CIT), and Alain Seznec, University Librarian, gave the project their fullest support, which was crucial to its success. Stuart Lynn's position on both the Commission's Technology Assessment Advisory Committee and Xerox Corporation's University Advisory Panel was critical to bringing this project to Cornell.

Additional administrative support and advice came from Ross Atkinson, Assistant University Librarian for Collection Development and Preservation, and John F. Dean, Director of the Department of Preservation and Conservation.

The Cornell portion of the study was co-managed by Anne R. Kenney, Associate Director of the Library's Department of Preservation and Conservation, and Lynne K. Personius, Assistant Director of CIT for Scholarly Information Sources. William R. Turner, Senior Project Leader of the Library Information Technologies office, developed and tested the Print Request Server. Michael Friedman and Elizabeth Freedman served as scanning technicians; Elizabeth was replaced by Sue Poucher in July 1991. Their input into the functioning of the scanning workstation directly affected system design and testing. Through the course of this project, they worked with three different versions of hardware and over a dozen software upgrades.

Pete Baker, Computer Operations Supervisor, and Peggy Roberts, Laser Programmer, both of CIT, were responsible for the operation of the Docutech printer. Steve Rockey, Mathematics Librarian, and Michael

Woodall, Assistant to the Mathematics Librarian, devoted innumerable hours to the selection of the first 535 volumes scanned. Their selections were reviewed by a faculty advisory committee, consisting of Keith Dennis, Chair of the Mathematics Department, Anil Nerode, Professor of Mathematics, and L. Pierce Williams, John Stambaugh Professor of the History of Science. The advisory committee also assisted in evaluating the quality of the paper facsimile and the utility of the prototype viewstation.

More than a dozen bibliographers and selectors chose the remaining volumes that were scanned during this project, an effort that was managed by Martha Hsu, Collection Development Office Coordinator. The development of cataloging procedures represented the work of four individuals: Ed Weissman, Catalog Librarian; Renee Chapman, Catalog Management and Authorities Librarian, who was succeeded by Judith Brugger; and Betsy Gamble, Head, Original Cataloging Unit.

Finally, a committee of Cornell librarians and computer professionals provided input into the design of the prototype viewstation and offered advice on the network-related aspects of the project.

Xerox Corporation's support group was equally significant, numbering 28 individuals in total. Xerox commitment included Corporate (Chuck Buchheit, VP Marketing, Dennis Andrews, VP Xsoft); Marketing (Hugh Jarrett, Glenn Alexander); Engineering Software Implementation (Eugene Evanitsky, Joe Hoey, Edwin Monkelbaan, William Crocca, Ben Barlow, Elizabeth Paradise, Ann Davidson, Greg Cholmondeley, William Anderson, Barry Gombert, Alan McReynolds, Richard Dimperio, Joseph Filion, Keith Emanual, Kelly Siggens, Martin Millner, Mike Powers); Scanner Engineering (Dick Tuhro, Dan Young, Colin Dodd, Mark Vannicola, John Walsh); and Soleil Engineering (Gerry Muto, Abde Kapadia).

The project was initially brought to Xerox attention by Glenn Alexander. After many internal conversations and management meetings, Dennis Andrews and Chuck Buchheit agreed to jointly sponsor the activity. The engineering team was recruited from within the former Advanced Systems Concepts group and began work in January of 1990. The marketing organization made the necessary arrangements for the equipment to be acquired, delivered, installed, and supported at Cornell. The scanner design team supplied us with engineering prototypes and supported those devices at the Cornell

The engineering software team worked with the Cornell group to understand the library application and to create software which provided the required services. The challenge was to understand what was required in those engineering terms necessary for software specification and implementation. Members of the team took a deep, personal interest in the success of the project at Cornell.

The Xerox Soleil Engineering group provided extensive support to the system development. They developed the image print path and the PostScript extensions now being used at Cornell.

This report represents the work of many of the individuals listed above. The project managers would especially like to thank: Stuart Lynn, Ross Atkinson, John Dean, Jim Harper, and William Turner for their help and encouragement.