News

More Digital Preservation Webinars!

Last spring's Basic Digital Preservation webinars (based on the DPOE modules) were so successful, I did a survey last fall to identify the topics most of interest for followup webinars. Based on your feedback, ASERL (Association of Southeastern Research Libraries) presented 4 NEW webinars this April. Thanks so much to each of our presenters!!
Each webinar is approved for one Archival Recertification Credit through the Academy of Certified Archivists:

INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL PRESERVATION WEBINAR SERIES — SPRING 2013
Intro to Digital Preservation #1:
Preservation Planning and Overview of PREMIS for Beginners
Speaker = Lisa Gregory, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.
This webinar is designed to help participants begin formulating a digital preservation plan for their digital collections. Even if you already have files accumulating, planning and implementing basic digital preservation strategies doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Topics to be covered include what to consider during planning, first steps for implementation, as well as a basic introduction to PREMIS, the Data Dictionary for Preservation Metadata. The goal will be to help you start thinking about preservation as part of your everyday digital workflow.
Archived here!

Intro to Digital Preservation #2:
Forbearing the Digital Dark Age: Capturing Metadata for Digital Objects
Speaker = Chris Dietrich, National Park Service.
Metadata is the key to both discovery and long-term accessibility of digital content. This webinar will address metadata for digital photos, documents, audio-video, tabular data, and GIS data. Topics include categories of metadata, metadata standards for different asset types, metadata capture strategies, and metadata software tools. Links to additional resources for digital preservationists will also be provided.
Archived here!

Intro to Digital Preservation #3:
Management of Incoming Born-Digital Special Collections
Speaker = Gretchen Gueguen, University of Virginia.
This webinar will cover the basics of getting started with managing born-digital archives. Through basic techniques and practical suggestions, you will learn how to assess your collection, develop a management plan, put basic policies in place, and set up an accessioning workflow. Simple tools to help you do the job will be reviewed along with guides and other resources to help answer your questions.
Archived here!

Intro to Digital Preservation #4:
Using FITS to Identify File Formats and Extract Metadata
Speaker = Andrea Goethals, Harvard University.
After an introduction to file formats and technical metadata, a demo of the File Information Tool Set (FITS) will be given. You will learn what it does, how it differs from other format tools, how to use it, how to customize it and how Harvard is using FITS in different ways. No experience with FITS is necessary but if you would like to try it out in advance you can download it from http://code.google.com/p/fits/
Archived here!

For more info about what we're up to over in Digital Services at the University of Alabama, please check out our blog and our wiki!

Publications

• DeRidder, Jody L. "First Aid Training for Those on the Front Lines: Digital Preservation Needs Survey Results 2012", in Information Technology and Libraries, (forthcoming).
• DeRidder, Jody L.; Presnell, Amanda Axley; and Walker, Kevin W. "Leveraging Encoded Archival Descriptions for Access to Digital Content: A Cost and Usability Analysis," in American Archivist (Spring/Summer 2012), Vol. 75, Iss. 1., pp. 143-170.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "I² and ISNI: Improving the Information Supply Chain with Standard Institutional Identifiers," in Information Standards Quarterly (ISQ) (Summer 2011), Vol. 23, Iss. 3, pp. 26-29.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Benign Neglect: Developing Life Rafts for Digital Content" in Information Technology and Libraries Vol. 30, Issue 2, June 2011, pp. 71-74.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Leveraging EADs for Low-Cost Access to Digitized Content at the University of Alabama Libraries", in Journal of Library Innovation, Vol. 2, No. 1 (2011), pp. 45-60.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Overhead Scanners: Reports from the Field", in Library Hi Tech Vol 29, Issue 1, pp. 9-33, 11 March 2011.
• Zeng, Marcia Lei; Oh, Sam; Phipps, John; Summers, Ed; Hodge, Gail; Needleman, Mark; and DeRidder, Jody L. Linked Data -- Enabling Standards and Other Approaches, ASIS&T '10 : Proceedings of the 73rd ASIS&T Annual meeting on Navigating Streams in an Information Ecosystem, Vol. 47 (Silver Springs, MD: American Society for Information Science, 2010).
• Loewald, Tonio and DeRidder, Jody L."Metadata In, Library Out. A Simple, Robust Digital Library System," in Code4Lib Journal, Issue 10, June, 2010.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "From Confusion and Chaos to Clarity and Hope" a chapter in Digitization in the Real World: Lessons Learned from Small to Medium-Sized Digitization Projects, Kwong Bor Ng and Jason Kucsma, ed., (Metropolitan New York Library Council, 2010).
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Googlizing a Digital Library" An exploration of effectively and efficiently providing full-text web search capabilities to a dynamically-generated set of digitized materials, in order to leverage the power of web search to enhance access. Code4Lib Journal Issue 2, 2008-03-24. Available from http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/43
• "Choosing Delivery Software for a Digital Library".Library Hi Tech News, 24:9/10, 2007, pp. 19-21.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "The Immediate Prospects for the Application of Ontologies in Digital Libraries." Knowledge Organization, Vol. 34, No. 4, December 2007 (preprints available)

Presentations

• DeRidder, Jody L.; Rhodes, Sarah; and Rudersdorf, Amy. "Digital Preservation Basics", a workshop at Computers in Libraries 2012 in Washington, DC, 20 March 2012.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "An Introduction to Digital Preservation: Make Plans to Manage Content and Provide Access Over Time", webinar for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, 21 February, 2012.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "An Introduction to Digital Preservation: Considerations for Storage and Protection of Content", webinar for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, 14 February, 2012.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "An Introduction to Digital Preservation: Steps to Identify and Select Content", webinar for the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries, 7 February, 2012.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Digital Access in Context: Mass Digitization of Manuscript Collections" [Powerpoint], at the University of Alabama Libraries Technology Forum, Tuscaloosa, AL, 5 January 2012.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Providing Access to Digitized Content Via the Finding Aid: A Usability Study" [Powerpoint], at the SAA Research Forum of Archives 360°: 75th Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archivists, in Chicago, IL, 23 August, 2011.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Just Enough Light to See: Minimal Metadata for Access" [Powerpoint], at the Metadata and Digital Objects Round Table Meeting during the Archives 360°: 75th Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archivists, in Chicago, IL, 22-27 August, 2011.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Cheap, Quick, and Pretty: Mass Digitization of Large Manuscript Collections" [Powerpoint], part of a panel presentation on "More Access to More Content: The EAD Finding Aid and Other Effective Tools for Large-Scale Digitization" at Archives 360°: 75th Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archivists, held in Chicago, IL, 22-27 August, 2011. Other panel presenters include Laura Clark Brown, Jody Allison-Bunnell, James Roth, and Karen Weiss (chair).
• DeRidder, Jody L. and Needleman, Mark. "Institutional Identifiers: NISO I² Working Group" [Powerpoint], part of a panel presentation on Linked Data -- Enabling Standards and Other Approaches [Powerpoint] at the ASIS&T Annual Conference, held in Pittsburgh, PA, 22-27 October, 2010. Presentation coauthored with Mark Needleman; other panel presenters include Marcia Zeng, Sam Oh, Jon Phipps, Ed Summers, and Gail Hodge.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Digital Library Development from the Bottom Up, or: Organization, Clarity, and Sanity: Digitization for the Future On a Shoestring," [Powerpoint] presented at the Computers in Libraries 2010 Conference in Arlington, VA, April 14, 2010.
• Thomas C. Wilson; DeRidder, Jody L., and Loeward, Tonio. "Digital Libraries and Long-term Access for the Rest of Us: The University of Alabama Acumen Experience" [Powerpoint] presented at the Coalition for Networked Information Spring 2010 Membership Meeting in Baltimore, MD, April 13, 2010.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Bringing Order to Chaos: Preparation and Organization for Long-Term Access" [Powerpoint] presented at the Southeast CONTENTdm Users Group 2nd Annual Meeting, Charleston, SC, October 13, 2009.
• DeRidder, Jody L."Preparing For The Future As We Build Collections," [Powerpoint], presented at the Society of Imaging Science & Technology Archiving 2009 Conference in Arlington VA, May 2009.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Choosing Software for a Digital Library" [Powerpoint] with exercises for students comparing Fedora and DSpace. Presented to University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences Digital Libraries classes in 2007 & 2008. Revised for presentation to another UT Digital Libraries class and a University of Alabama School of Information Sciences Digital Libraries class in 2011.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "The Immediate Prospects for the Application of Ontologies in Digital Libraries [Powerpoint], (oriented toward explaining ontologies), presented to a University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences class in 2007.
• DeRidder, Jody L. Dublin Core Metadata Terms and Uses [Powerpoint] presented to a University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences class in 2007.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Embracing More of the Information Life Cycle: Opportunities for Academic Librarians" [Powerpoint], presented to a University of Tennessee School of Information Sciences class in 2007.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Metadata in Digital Libraries" [website], an overview (2006) which won the School of Information Sciences Best Technical Project award in 2007.
• DeRidder, Jody L. Implementing an Open Archives Repository [Powerpoint] for the Metascholar American South meeting (2002).

Reports

• DeRidder, Jody L. Report on SAA 360° 2011 Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archivists, held in Chicago, IL, 22-27 August, 2011.
• DeRidder, Jody L. Report on the Research Forum of SAA 360° (2011 Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archivists), held in Chicago, IL, 23 August, 2011.
• DeRidder, Jody L.Report on the 2010 Semantic Technology Conference, (website), held in San Francisco, CA, 21-25 June, 2010.
• DeRidder, Jody L."Report on the Spring 2010 Membership Meeting of the Coalition for Networked Information," held in Baltimore, MD, 12-13 April 2010.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Report on the Imaging Science & Technology Archiving 2009 Conference: Preservation Strategies and Imaging Techniques for Cultural Heritage Institutions and Memory Organizations." 2009.
• DeRidder, Jody L. Report on iPRES 2008: The Fifth International Conference on Preservation of Digital Objects "Joined Up And Working: Tools And Methods For Digital Preservation" held in London, 29-30 September 2008.
• "Embracing More of the Information Life Cycle: Opportunities for Academic Librarians", 2007.
• DeRidder, Jody L. Dublin Core Metadata Terms and Uses, 2007.
• DeRidder, Jody L. "Choosing Software for an Institutional Repository." Developed for internal use by the University of Tennessee Digital Library Center.

Consultations

• Data analysis and data transformation
• Software analysis and modifications
• Software development
• Digital preservation recommendations and data migration
• Grant writing
• Analysis of infrastructure or workflows for improvement
• Assistance in setting up the lowest-cost, most scalable methods of implementing a local digital library or management of electronic documents
• Digital library or electronic document management cost analysis
• Assessment of digital library and electronic document management and delivery software
• Metadata mapping, analysis and extraction

Please contact me for more information.

Background

Current Position:

Head, Digital Services
University of Alabama Libraries

Currently researching and developing pragmatic solutions for capture, management, delivery, access, usability, and long-term support for digital content.

Interested in developing and working with:

• linked data,
• ontology interoperability,
• and statistical natural language programming to analyze large quantities of information in support of researcher needs, implementing visualizations (clustering, topic mapping, etc.) to make that content more useful.

Specialties:
Software analysis, development and modification. Data analysis, extraction, and transformation. Legacy system migration. Design and development of infrastructure and information architecture. Grant writing & technical writing. Excellent personnel management.

Also:
• Digital preservation recommendations
• Analysis of infrastructure and recommendations, including workflow improvements
• Cost analyses
• Metadata mapping, analysis and extraction

Education:

MS in Information Science, 2008, University of Tennessee.
MS in Computer Science, 2002, University of Tennessee.
Graduate work in Community Agency Counseling, 1981-2, University of Tennessee.
BA in Human Services, 1980, University of Tennessee.

An interview by the Library of Congress:

"Jody DeRidder and the Spirit of DPOE"

Part of the experience I bring to the table:

• 17 years of management experience.
• 10 years of developing infrastructure, policies and proceedures, work flows, and information architecture.
• 9 years of developing solutions for support of long-term access for digital content.
• 5 years of development work on DLXS software, including modifications for cross-type searching and linking, and support for streaming media and embedded audio and video
• 3 years of modifications and support for CONTENTdm, including analysis for extraction of content and metadata to provide additional search/browse and storage capabilities
• 2 years of support and development for Acumen.
• 1 year of beta-testing for Ex Libris Digitool, testing multiple scenarios and issues, providing feedback and recommendations for improvements, and analysis of software support.
• Training as a Digital Preservation Outreach Education (DPOE) trainer in digital preservation and long-term access support

For more info about me: my resume.

Contact Info

Email: jody@jodyderidder.com

Snailmail: Box 870266, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487

Phone: (205) 348-0511