Accessible preservation on a budget: One library’ cost-effective approach to producing and preserving quality digital content

Abstract

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse is a mid-sized public academic institution that offers digital collections comprising a wide variety of visual materials as well as audio content, all freely available through the internet. Reaching this point, however, has been a multi-year process requiring significant collaboration, innovation and patience. With an emphasis on the relationship between accessibility and digital preservation, this paper explains the processes involved in creating these digital collections. Furthermore, it demonstrates how smaller institutions with limited resources can still participate in a full and balanced digitisation programme without sacrificing access or preservation.