The
Norwick Center for Digital Solutions (nCDS) is a unit of SMU Libraries responsible for digitizing, cataloging, presenting via the web, and digitally preserving items from SMU Libraries special collections. It is located on the 3
rd floor of the SIC Building in Fondren Library Blue.
nCDS operates a state-of-the art digitization center that allows rare and fragile materials held in the special collections to be digitized in exceptionally high quality. The special collections contain a wealth of rare primary materials on virtually every topic in a variety of formats, including manuscripts, imprints, maps, photographs, works of art, audio-visual material, and more.
Primary nCDS Responsibilities
- Digitization
The primary mission of nCDS is to digitize the unique holdings of the SMU Libraries special collections. We follow best practices which meet or exceed the Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative’s technical guidelines for digitizing cultural heritage materials. Faculty and student requests for special collections digitization receive priority in our queue. Contact nCDS at ncds@smu.edu to inquire.
- Metadata Creation
nCDS creates descriptive and technical metadata for SMU Libraries Digital Collections, as documented in the Digital Collections Workflow and Metadata Guidelines. nCDS’s cataloging guidelines -- which use the Dublin Core framework and customized fields mapped to Dublin Core for export purposes -- capture a full range of descriptive, technical, and administrative metadata. nCDS provides metadata consultations and tutorials upon request.
- Digital Collections
nCDS creates and manages SMU Libraries Digital Collections using the CONTENTdm collections management software, which allows users to view image, document, and audio-visual files for a wide range of materials. Over 75,000 items in 100 digital collections are available for viewing around the world. Information on monthly updates to the collections is available in the SMU Libraries blog. nCDS also provides support for the SMU Scholar institutional repository, which uses the Digital Commons software.
- Digital Preservation
nCDS’s Digital Preservation Program allows files from SMU’s digitization projects and born-digital collections to be preserved in perpetuity following best practices. Files are stored on SMU Libraries’ Rosetta software platform following SMU Libraries’ Digital Preservation Policy. Rosetta comprises a secure digital archive server that is backed up in two locations by SMU’s Office of Information Technology. Files are also being placed on Amazon Glacier as a tertiary backup.
Additional nCDS Solutions:
- Digital Humanities practicums
nCDS offers non-credit-bearing Digital Humanities practicums that provide hands-on experience in digitization, cataloging, and digital collections. Each practicum is tailored to meet the needs of the project. All work is done in the nCDS lab. These practicums are available to SMU students only.
- Class sessions and learning labs
nCDS can provide class sessions and learning labs. These sessions are popular in courses that contain a Digital Humanities component that is related to digitization/digital collections. nCDS can also help coordinate these sessions with our colleagues in special collections, who can provide selected primary materials for students to view.
- Media Projects
nCDS can help design workflows and train students for media projects like oral histories and/or multimedia presentations.
For information on internships available at the Norwick Center, please see the SMU Libraries Internships page.