Metadata Services and Digital Projects

Department History

There have been many changes in the department in the past few years, reflecting an ever-expanding service mission. While we have taken on many new responsibilities, we have generally done so without an increase in FTE. As people have retired, positions have often been lost. Remaining staff have absorbed new responsibilities and learned new skills to meet those responsibilities.

On February 1, 2001, the former Preservation Department joined the Catalog Dept. as the Materials Processing and Conservation Unit.

On December 4, 2003 the department's name was changed from Catalog Department to Metadata and Digital Library Services. The name change was in recognition of the fact that the department had been playing the lead role in traditional and emerging metadata applications (.i.e. cataloging) and in the implementation of digital collections for the Libraries. Another primary area of responsibility for the department is preservation and conservation of the physical and virtual collections. No new staff were added to the department to support the new activities. Rather, existing staff had been receiving training and hands-on experience with emerging metadata schemas (such as Dublin Core and EAD) and with the use of digital content management systems, such as CONTENTdm and DSpace for a year prior to the name change.

On July 7, 2004, Image Services Center (ISC) joined Metadata and Digital Library Services. The continued growth and evolution of digital library collections had resulted in the need to integrate more closely the planning and creation of digitization projects. ISC and other MDLS staff continue to work closely with colleagues in Special Collections and University Archives (SC&UA) to ensure continuity of the workflows for the reformatting and duplication of SC&UA materials.

In March 2007, the department's name was changed to Metadata Services and Digital Projects. The change was made in order to more closely match the functions performed in the department. It was also an acknowledgment that all departments within the library provide digital library services.

While the department has been for some time organized along a team structure, for several years the nature of the teams and their approach to their work has been changing. Staff have been continuously involved in developing and carrying out many special projects and have received cross training in many different areas. The current team structure can be viewed as a series of overlapping circles, rather than rigid boxes. Each team has a Team Leader who serves as the primary resource person for all team members and who also participates in departmental management and policy decisions. Team members have a primary focus and develop strong expertise in a particular area but they also routinely work on special projects led by people outside their team.

Throughout all the changes, there have been two constants that have characterized the department in recent years: a dedication to providing excellent public service coupled with a willingness to change and take risks to enhance the service we provide.

For more details about the department and its activities, please return to the department homepage.

Maintained by: MSDP,msdpweb@uoregon.edu
Last Modified: 01/11/2008