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OIT creates digital archive of water issues
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| Tulelake farmer, Jess Prosser, is surrounded by photographers as he dips a bucket during the bucket brigade in 2001. |
Published October 31, 2003
By LEE JUILLERAT
People trying to gather information about complex Klamath Basin water-related issues will have a new place to search - a digital library being created by the Oregon Institute of Technology Library.
The OIT Library Thursday received a $96,633 grant from the Oregon State Library to develop a Web-based "Water in the Klamath Basin Digital Library." When put online, it will feature documents, reports, photographs, historical accounts and other materials dealing with water in the Basin.
"We're excited because of what the possibilities are. The Klamath Basin's water issues are a local concern, but we know they are more than that. Issues here are affecting water policy all over the American West," said Marita Kunkel, OIT library director.
"The need was driven by people coming in, calling, e-mailing us, requesting information, and by our own attempts to find information," Kunkel explained. "There's a whole lot of information out there, but it's not organized into a library."
A digital library will be created because, "That's what people want. They want information to be readily available and they want it to be reliable," she said. "The reason it needs to be Web-based is because that's how people want to and are accessing information."
Kunkel said information about Klamath Basin issues, which gained national attention during 2001 when irrigation water was cutoff to water users, is scattered among government agencies, research institutions, interest groups, libraries, museums and others.
"Information is all over the place. Using a digital form allows us to be accessed from wherever people may be," Kunkel said. "A digital library will be different from a Web site because the information will have the kind of organization you expect from a library. Web sites come and go. This will be a library where we select what goes into it with the intent of saving it."
Under plans outlined in the grant application, the OIT library, in collaboration with the Shaw Historical Library, will hire a project manager, technical assistant and equipment. The grant year begins Jan. 1.
A request for another $96,000 grant, provided by the federal Library Services and Technology Act and administered by the Oregon State Library, will be made for the 2005 calendar year.
"Our goal is to make the collection as comprehensive as we can. We think it's at least a two-year project to collect and digitalize the library," said Kunkel. "It will never be completed. We imagine it will continue to grow."
Kunkel and Martha Ann Dow, OIT president, said initial funding for the concept came from a $5,000 grant from the Oregon Engineering Technology Industry Council. OIT created a demonstration model of a digital library and gained experience in equipment and personnel needs.
"We were looking at doing something more sophisticated," Dow said, who believes the information will also be used by educators in and outside the Basin. "We've been planning for some time to work up an archive for the Klamath Basin water issues."
Support has come from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Oregon State University Extension Service, Klamath River Compact Commission, Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair Museum of Local History and the Shaw, Oregon State University, Southern Oregon University and Klamath County libraries.
Among supporters is Alice Kilham, chairwoman of the Klamath River Compact Commission.
"There is a great need for a place to organize a collection of information relevant to the issues of water management, policy and use," said Kilham, who hopes the digital library can "provide such a collection and make it available to the many people, agencies, organizations, policy makers, researchers and students who need this broad-based collection to help understand and solve these volatile and critical resource issues."
Steve Kandra, a Klamath Basin farmer who is chairman of the Shaw Board of Governors and a board member of the Klamath Water Users and irrigation district boards, echoed Kilham.
"There's a real need in the community and West-wide to have a place where we can get accurate information, copies of current information or historical documents," Kandra said.
"Water in the western United States is a volatile issue, requiring information that is not selected out of bias, but attempts to incorporate information that represents all points of view from all diverse groups and interests," said Ron Hathaway, OSU Klamath County extension service chairman.
Karyle Butcher, university librarian for the OSU libraries, said, "Much of the most important information that decision makers rely on the make strategic decisions is not easily accessible. They may be in fugitive reports, in electronic format, or unavailable for some other reason." Using the digital library "to capture and digitize this information to create a library that can be used by all Oregonians is very important."
By LEE JUILLERAT
People trying to gather information about complex Klamath Basin water-related issues will have a new place to search - a digital library being created by the Oregon Institute of Technology Library.
The OIT Library Thursday received a $96,633 grant from the Oregon State Library to develop a Web-based "Water in the Klamath Basin Digital Library." When put online, it will feature documents, reports, photographs, historical accounts and other materials dealing with water in the Basin.
"We're excited because of what the possibilities are. The Klamath Basin's water issues are a local concern, but we know they are more than that. Issues here are affecting water policy all over the American West," said Marita Kunkel, OIT library director.
"The need was driven by people coming in, calling, e-mailing us, requesting information, and by our own attempts to find information," Kunkel explained. "There's a whole lot of information out there, but it's not organized into a library."
A digital library will be created because, "That's what people want. They want information to be readily available and they want it to be reliable," she said. "The reason it needs to be Web-based is because that's how people want to and are accessing information."
Kunkel said information about Klamath Basin issues, which gained national attention during 2001 when irrigation water was cutoff to water users, is scattered among government agencies, research institutions, interest groups, libraries, museums and others.
"Information is all over the place. Using a digital form allows us to be accessed from wherever people may be," Kunkel said. "A digital library will be different from a Web site because the information will have the kind of organization you expect from a library. Web sites come and go. This will be a library where we select what goes into it with the intent of saving it."
Under plans outlined in the grant application, the OIT library, in collaboration with the Shaw Historical Library, will hire a project manager, technical assistant and equipment. The grant year begins Jan. 1.
A request for another $96,000 grant, provided by the federal Library Services and Technology Act and administered by the Oregon State Library, will be made for the 2005 calendar year.
"Our goal is to make the collection as comprehensive as we can. We think it's at least a two-year project to collect and digitalize the library," said Kunkel. "It will never be completed. We imagine it will continue to grow."
Kunkel and Martha Ann Dow, OIT president, said initial funding for the concept came from a $5,000 grant from the Oregon Engineering Technology Industry Council. OIT created a demonstration model of a digital library and gained experience in equipment and personnel needs.
"We were looking at doing something more sophisticated," Dow said, who believes the information will also be used by educators in and outside the Basin. "We've been planning for some time to work up an archive for the Klamath Basin water issues."
Support has come from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Oregon State University Extension Service, Klamath River Compact Commission, Tulelake-Butte Valley Fair Museum of Local History and the Shaw, Oregon State University, Southern Oregon University and Klamath County libraries.
Among supporters is Alice Kilham, chairwoman of the Klamath River Compact Commission.
"There is a great need for a place to organize a collection of information relevant to the issues of water management, policy and use," said Kilham, who hopes the digital library can "provide such a collection and make it available to the many people, agencies, organizations, policy makers, researchers and students who need this broad-based collection to help understand and solve these volatile and critical resource issues."
Steve Kandra, a Klamath Basin farmer who is chairman of the Shaw Board of Governors and a board member of the Klamath Water Users and irrigation district boards, echoed Kilham.
"There's a real need in the community and West-wide to have a place where we can get accurate information, copies of current information or historical documents," Kandra said.
"Water in the western United States is a volatile issue, requiring information that is not selected out of bias, but attempts to incorporate information that represents all points of view from all diverse groups and interests," said Ron Hathaway, OSU Klamath County extension service chairman.
Karyle Butcher, university librarian for the OSU libraries, said, "Much of the most important information that decision makers rely on the make strategic decisions is not easily accessible. They may be in fugitive reports, in electronic format, or unavailable for some other reason." Using the digital library "to capture and digitize this information to create a library that can be used by all Oregonians is very important."
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