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Project Documentation was prepared by Peter Ryan.
Project Documentation: Project Planning and Timeline
Page Contents:
1. Introduction
July21/2003
Revised Progress Estimates: The Kinji Imanishi Digital Archive
Based in part on preliminary cost estimates: Digitization of The Kinji Imanishi Digital Archive
Five Project Phases
There are five project phases to the Kinji Imanishi Digital Archive, which are as follows:
- The Preliminary Fact Finding Mission to Japan - Summer 2002
- Photographing the Archive Materials - Summer 2003
- Creating the Interface and Database - Summer 2004
- Opening the Archive and Receiving Feedback - Fall 2004 -
- Finalizing Aspects of the Archive Based on Scholar's Needs – 2004-2005
The following estimates are a record of photographing procedures in the Summer of 2002, during the second project phase. Estimates are based on initial benchmarking tests that showed an average of 1 page / 5 minutes for photograph. The rate at which each page is photographed improved significantly to the point that only two to three minutes per page was achieved. The basic estimate of 5min/page continued to be used as it is helped represent time spent on filling out the sign-out sheet, filling out the necessary fields on the metadata template, and any editing which is required on the database files. The estimate of 5min/page did not include the production of a catalog record for each item, as the collection items were returned home to the Imanishi family and were not going to be housed by the University of Alberta other than in a digital format.
This production time left three group members to work on the photography. Therefore, the estimates were based on three people whose primary activities consisted of the photographing and editing of images. Consideration was also given to having two members photographing, one member accessioning, and a fourth team member programming and creating the database. It seems that accessioning will be an ongoing task, and so it will be unreasonable to expect that one person can complete both the accessioning and databasing without help.
These estimates do not include the preliminary work, but give a common understanding for estimating progress once work was underway. In other words, these estimates apply once normal expected procedures commence based roughly upon a workflow chart. Of course, there was ongoing issues that needed to be dealt with, such as determining how the documents would appear in the interface and displayed, and other assorted surprises. Therefore, a certain amount of time for miscellaneous intellectual labor is included in the estimates.
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2. Estimated Photographing Time Per Item
IE. Notebooks 1-6 228 pages/notebook = 1368 pages
Scrapbook 27 doubled sided pages 4.5 hours 114 hours
Firsthand Narratives: ... 200 pages 17 hours
Stories
Photographs 44 items 4 hours
3. Estimated Total Photographing Time: 909.5 hours of photography
1 work week = 35 hours/person
.5 hr / day breaks = -2.5 hours/week
1hr/day setup, close = -5 hours/week
Total time photographing: 27.5 hours/week
Total weeks of photographing at 5min/page for one person = 33 weeks
With three people photographing = 11 weeks
There are some items that required an overhead pho, and so these values are only approximate, but as long as those items take no longer per page these estimates may hold.
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4. Cataloging and Accessioning
25 hours / box, three people scanning = three boxes a week.
200 records for three boxes = 200 records to be cataloged per week
(Some of the bound works will take many hours to scan but almost no time to catalog.)
It seems that the scanning stage will be faster than either accessioning or cataloging. To avoid a bottleneck at the cataloging end or accessioning end the bound works should not be left till the end, but done at intervals throughout the project.
If necessary, one of the other team members could help with the accessioning and cataloging. This however would require the average scanning time per page to drop slightly, say from 5 minutes to 4 minutes (approx. 728 hours of scanning, or 26 weeks, 13 weeks for 2 scanners, or 9 weeks for 3).
With one person accessioning and cataloging full time, another helping say half time, it may still be possible to finish in 10 weeks, and the cataloging and accessioning should be able to keep up. (100 records per week for 1 person, 1.5 person = 150 records per week).
Another alternative would be to have two team members scanning, one team member cataloging, and the fourth accessioning. As noted above if the average time per page can be kept at around 4 minutes or a little less it may be possible to finish this summer. If 5 minutes per page is maintained than in order for the scanning to be completed there will have to be 2.5 to 3 team members scanning and only 1 to 1.5 team members accessioning and cataloging. This would likely result in the cataloging not being completed by the end of the project. (The accessioning as the first stage of the project takes precedence to cataloging and would be completed first.)
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5. Current Issues and Conclusions
* It needs to be remembered that all numbers are estimates, approximations, and in some cases best guesses.
* As well as quality of the finished image, the time spent on each image has to be considered. Diminishing returns, in the long run a minor increase in image quality, if it takes an extra few minutes, may mean another document will not be scanned.
* Based on our initial scanning tests the previous estimates for how long it will take to scan an item maybe low. This report, however, continues in places to use these estimates as noted. It maybe, however that with practice scanning time per page can be reduced enough to compensate for this.
* These estimates could/should be monitored on a weekly basis at first, or at least bi-weekly.
* This may suggest the need to alter the estimates to better reflect reality.
* This may also indicate the need to make changes in how the project is being carried out in order to complete it in a timely manner.
* If monitored and corrected where necessary these estimates may provide a valuable aid to goal setting and project progress.
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6. Security - Handling of Materials
Digitization of the Kinji Imanishi Digital Archive involved removal of the collection material from Kyoto, Japan. Permission was given by Captain IMANISHI Bunatar and the Imanishi family (See: Copyright Info).
On arrival to Edmonton, the contents were checked against a list that had been prepared in Japan. This list was again checked when the materials were taken back to Japan. The materials were locked in lab 14-25 of the Department of Anthropology upon their arrival to the University of Alberta.
Procedures were in place for the removal of any materials, as follows:
All Imanishi Collection materials remained in the lab and were logged out on a Log In/Out form by Pamela Asquith and KIYOAKI, Saito. Accession number, CD#, and box number of each file was recorded. Files were photographed in the same room, and remained in the lab until the materials were sent back to Japan.
All students working on the archive were aware of security issues surrounding the removal of materials from the lab. Maintaining one person per file while photographing ensured that all files were accounted for and that the integrity of the materials was maintained.
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The Team