Reading notes for: "Digitization: Is it worth it?"
As a student currently engaged in an oral history digitization project, I found the subject matter to be particularly scintillating. I appreciated Lee's willingness to question the essential value of his work over the past few years. I am in agreement with Lee's statement that now that the initial wonder at the concept of digitization is over, it is now time to assess the innate value of digitizing archival materials. I found the economic comparisons he was making to be initially thought-provoking, but then found them to be too narrowly focused to serve as a means to assess the value of digitization. However, I do agree with his assertion that we must consider the funds allotted for digitization as not exclusively set aside for it. Lee says we must think through how much the digitization projects we are engaged in aid our users and how such funds, if re-allocated, would assist users.
However, at the same time, I do not think that we as archivists and librarians should not underscore the value of digitization projects as valuable ways to attract and engage new users.
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