Northern New York Library Network is a regional multitype library network consisting of sixty-six members in seven counties of New York State. Member institutions include academic, hospital, correctional facility, Supreme Court and other special libraries as well as public libraries, public library systems and school library systems. The mission of the Northern New York Library Network is to facilitate

• Access to regional resources for researchers, students, teachers and the general
• Resource sharing both formally and informally among information repositories
• Cooperative activities among NNYLN members
• Management of historical records
• Continuing education and professional development
• Public relations and advocacy activities

In the Network’s most recent Plan of Development, digitization falls under two specific areas:

I. Network Goal For Electronic And Bibliographic Access And Control: Researchers, students, teachers and the general public will have enhanced access to electronic, bibliographic and other informational resources both within and outside the Northern New York as the result of Network activities.

1. Citizens will have prompt access to regional resources.
- Continue to convert unique collections of significance such as historical records and audio-visual materials.
- Assist members to develop conversion plans as needed.
2. Citizens will have prompt access to non-regional resources:
- Initiate selected digitization projects and determine need for a regional digitization plan.
- Begin newspaper digitization and use of Content DM on a trial basis.

V. Network Goal For Continuing Education And Professional Development: Library personnel will improve their professional skills and effectiveness through an ongoing program of continuing education provided by the Network.

In the Network’s Documentary Heritage Program Plan, digitization falls into under Goal 1, which is to:

Foster the widest use of and most equitable access to New York’s historical records by all communities.

Objective 3: Encourage wide distribution and use of historical records through the new technologies, such as digitization of collections.
- Investigate the creation of a regional digitization plan, and provide at least one digitization workshop.

In keeping with these plans, the NNYLN has been involved in training its members in skills that can be applied to digitization projects. The Network has also purchased equipment in order to work on a demonstration projects using a microfilm scanner.

With all of this as background, the logical next step for NNYLN was to assess the current situation in the region before creating a regional digitization plan. NNYLN contracted with Hurst Associates, Ltd. to survey and talk to members, gather information from NNYLN staff and gather information on digitization vendors. The document, Digitization In The Northern New York Library Network: A Preliminary Assessment Report, was the result of that effort. This report analyzed members’ perspectives concerning possible Network roles in the area of digitization and surveyed members concerning their progress in the area of digitization.

II. Summary of Results
III. Digitization Plan & Activities