SC Department of Archives and History
Project Proposal
June 7, 2007
For Library Services Technical Assistance (LSTA) Sub-Grant Support from the South Carolina State Library
I. Sub-grant Project Title:
Expanding Online Access
to SC Historical Records
July 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008
II. Relationship to SC State Library Five Year Plan State Goal
State Goal I: Enhance the informational services environment of South Carolinians by improving access to library resources and materials through the development of sophisticated resource sharing, and superior guidance and training of professional librarians and support staff for South Carolina libraries, with special emphasis on staff in underserved urban and rural communities.
This project will significantly increase the amount of South Carolina Department of Archives and History (SCDAH or Archives) historical records accessible via the Internet, facilitating family history and other research by all South Carolinians (as well as individuals residing in other states) who would otherwise have to travel to Columbia. It will also result in the training of individuals hired as project staff in proper digitization practices that they may find useful in their professional careers, and it will also provide SCDAH staff with additional experience and expertise that can be of value through the provision of consultation services to South Carolina’s small and medium size public libraries wanting to undertake local history digitization projects focusing on other unique, but currently inaccessible, South Carolina historical records.
III. LSTA Federal Purpose
Purpose 2: Developing library services that provide all users access to information through local, state, regional, national, and international electronic networks
Service Need
Genealogy and other researchers need online access to the many historical records held by the SCDAH. Absent digital images over the Web, access is limited to those with the time and resources to travel to Columbia to consult hardcopy originals. Recent online surveys and patron comments have made this abundantly clear (see survey of online users at http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/onlineindexsurvey.htm, and summary of focus group session: http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/researchfocus.htm), so much so that significantly increasing online availability of historical records is treated as a strategic issue in our 2007-2011 plan (see copy at http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/armfinalrpt.htm)
This project is the first phase of an expected five-year effort to fully populate the Archives’ unique and highly popular Online Records Index (ORI): http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/Archives/default.asp with images of documents described in the ORI. The expected resulting success of this phase and its subsequent evaluation will provide the much needed data that will allow the SCDAH to begin to fully develop an action plan for phase II and to begin strategic planning for the remaining phases.
The SCDAH’s Online Records Index is, perhaps, a unique archival finding aid. No other state archives and few other archival repositories in the United States have anything comparable to it for locating relevant records in such a broad range of their historical records. The ORI began as an item-level indexing project in the mid-1970s and extended through late 1980s. During this time the SCDAH was fortunate in having sufficient staff for this labor- intensive indexing work. In all, over 300,000 documents were indexed, mostly pre-Civil War land, court, and General Assembly records, by the names contained in them, geographic location, topic, and time period. (N.B.: A record or document may be one or more pages, so while the total number of records indexed in the ORI is more than 300,000, the number of total pages is much larger, at least 800,000 but most likely over one million pages. For scanning purposes, the number of pages to be handled is much more useful for scanning project planning. See the list of indexed records series in Appendix C or at: http://www.archivesindex.sc.gov/Archives/search/AuthorityTerms/SerieslistMenu.asp). Though this represents only a fraction of the SCDAH’s total holdings of more than 60 million pages of historical records, the series indexed are among those with the highest potential for genealogical and historical research.
Until early 2003, the index was available only in a computer output microfilm format for use in the SCDAH public Reference Room. The COM Index, as it was then called, was a treasure trove for genealogists and other researchers, becoming the most heavily used of the Archives’ finding aids. Those searching the COM Index could secure identification information for specific documents that would then be retrieved by SCDAH staff for on-site review and/or copying.
In late 2000, we contracted with the University of South Carolina’s Computer Services Department to convert the data on the COM Index computer tapes to a format accessible via the SCDAH website. When the COM Index finally became available online in January, 2003, it was quickly recognized as a major expansion of our services to the public. Hits on the main page of the ORI average more than 100,000 per year and we continue to receive many favorable comments about it. From the beginning, however, we realized that as good a finding aid as the Online Records Index is for researchers, that we had to prepare to go the next step and link images of the actual records indexed.
Where researchers previously had to visit the Archives to consult the COM Index and from the references in it request staff to pull records for viewing/copying, the conversion to the Online Records Index still required researchers to either visit the Archives once they found references to potentially relevant records to have the records pulled for viewing/copying or to write/e-mail requests for copies to be made and mailed to them (which records might not, ultimately, be relevant for their research as they would not have had the opportunity to actually see the records before copying). To take the next step in expanding our services to the public, and in the midst of deep budget cuts in state government, we applied to the SC State Library for LSTA funding to begin digitizing records that would be linked to the Index.
Between 2001 and 2004 the State Library awarded $24,958 of LSTA funds for equipment for the Archives to start a digitization program. The funding allowed us, with contributed SCDAH staff time, to scan nearly 30,000 pages of records:
- 23,350 pages of Confederate Pension Applications, 1919-1938
- 575 pages/images of National Register of Historic Places files
- 2,662 Insurance File Photographs of SC Public Schools, ca. 1935-ca. 1952
- 3,000 pages of Grand Jury Presentments, 1783-1877
The availability of these resources attracted national attention, garnering the Archives a spot on Family Tree Magazine’s list of 101 Best Websites (http://www.familytreemagazine.com/101sites/2004/regional.html).
In an online survey conducted as part of our 2004 project evaluation, we received many positive comments from researchers about the images of the Confederate Pension Applications available through the ORI. One hundred and eighty-four of the one hundred and ninety-nine respondents listed themselves as “Family History” researchers, seven as academic researchers, and four listed their research as “School Project.” Among the many comments (a larger selection of which are available in the final report for the project) are the following:
- The images are incredible. I found information in 5 minutes that I’ve been searching for over 20 years. Very easy to use, find, and the images are crystal clear. This is an excellent tool.
- The image not only gave me proof that my Gr. grandfather was in the Civil war but included the date of his marriage which I did not know. Thanks for having the data on line.
- Wonderful service putting up the Pension applications. Wonderful service!
- This method of research is so very helpful to those of us who are unable to make trips to SC State Archives. Hope to see more images available online.
- Thank you! Awesome possibilities.
Since 2004, using the SCDAH’s limited staff and resources, nearly 31,000 additional pages of historical records have been scanned, including:
- 24,160 pages of Colonial Plat Books (copy series), 1731-1775
- 344 Civilian Conservation Corps photographs, ca. 1934-1942
- 5,425 pages/images of National Register of Historic Places files
- 1,000 pages of records requested by researchers.
Most of this scanning contributed to populating the ORI (except, notably, the National Register of Historic Places: http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/SCNRDISTRICTS.htm). The scanning represents about 12% of the more than three hundred thousand documents indexed by name, geographic location, and date in the Archives’ Online Records Index and about 5% of the estimated pages to be scanned.
In addition to scanning new records series for the ORI, the Archives in 2006-2007 has been working with a local web services firm to update the ORI so that additions to the Index can be made more easily to improve the public access features. This work is near completion and a backlog of scans will uploaded to the ORI.
At this point, we are ever mindful of the public expectations to have more of our records online, but also know that our resources are not sufficient to meet even a fraction of the demand. The Archives limps along borrowing the time of staff archivists and records managers who are willing to take a few hours a week from their regular duties to scan. The infusion of supplemental funds from this phase I of the LSTA grant can bring in additional manpower that will enable the Archives staff to establish a formal schedule for the activities that must be accomplished to meet the identified and well-established customer need.
Target Groups
Primary and Immediate Target Group
Statewide Public. Traditional modes of access to the Archives’ holdings total more than15,000 on-site visits, mail/e-mail queries, and telephone calls annually. But we are reaching for new users through the ORI who have never visited or corresponded with us due to time and other resource limitations. In 2006, for instance, there were 116,663 hits on the ORI main page. For that same period, there were 796 mail/e-mail requests for copies of records indexed but not yet available as images on the ORI. Clearly, there is a need for greater access to our holdings via the Online Records Index.
Long-Term and Secondary Target Group
It should also be noted here that public access to the ORI likely includes a significant amount of out of state users, though it is not yet possible to determine the extent. As indicators of possibly quite significant out of state ORI access, our on-site visits run at about 30% and e-mail queries are about 70% or more from out of state.
Project Purpose
The project is designed to significantly increase the amount of historical records available via the SCDAH’s Online Records Index by the fall of 2008, increasing the amount historical records available on the Index by one-third to over 90,000 pages. Included will be three major historical records series:
1) South Carolina Will Transcripts, 1782-ca. 1855 (does not include Charleston District), 11,059 records indexed. [Estimated: 30,000 pages]
2) Military Dept. Adjutant and Inspector General, Militia Enrollments, 1869. 27 volumes unindexed, to be added to the ORI. [Estimated: 1,600 pages]
3) 1824 Tax Returns [Estimated: 7,000 to 10,000 pages]
Wills are among the most frequently consulted records for genealogical research, the militia enrollment volumes contain important information for African-American family history research, and the 1824 tax returns (falling between the 1820 and 1830 federal censuses) provide a rich source of information about South Carolina land and slave ownership.
Other record series may be added as suitable if the time and resources permit.
Expected Benefits/Outcome:
- Easing the research burden on the public by significantly increasing the amount of historical records available online
- Developing procedures and practices for a full-time digitization effort over the next several years to populate the highly regarded and heavily accessed SC Online Records Index
- Demonstrating how much progress can be made with LSTA funding
- Preserving fragile original historical records from handling by research use
- Training of graduate students and others in proper scanning practices, perhaps sparking a career interest and/or transfer to another project
IV. Goal(s), Service Objective(s), and Activities/Methods
The project goal is to significantly add to the number of pages of historical records available via the SCDAH’s Online Records Index, increasing the amount available by one-third. In all, more than 40,000 additional pages of historical records will be made available online to the public, bringing the ORI total to over 90,000 pages. (N.B.: A record or document may be one or more pages, so while the total number of records indexed in the ORI is 304,000, the number of total pages is much larger, most likely about one million. For scanning purposes, the number of pages to be handled is much more useful for scanning project planning.) Included in this project will be the following:
- South Carolina Will Transcripts, 1782-ca. 1855 (does not include Charleston District), 11,059 records indexed, estimated: 30,000 pages, among the most frequently consulted records for genealogical research
- Military Department, Adjutant and Inspector General, Militia Enrollments, 1869, 27 volumes (unindexed, to be added to the ORI), estimated: 1,600 pages, an important source of information for African-American family history research.
- 1824 Tax Returns, estimated: up to10,000 pages, a rich source of information on land and slave ownership for the period between two federal censuses.
Other appropriate series will be scanned as time and resources permit.
A secondary, but also important, objective of the project will be the training of temporary project staff in proper scanning practices. The knowledge and skills acquired may be useful to them in their professional careers and may even prompt a desire to specialize in digital preservation/access.
Program Resources
The SCDAH operates a scanning lab with equipment purchased with LSTA funds in 2002 and 2004, including a flatbed scanner, server, three PCs, and a digital linear tape drive. An SCDAH staff member spends most of his time managing SCDAH digital program matters. To accommodate the expected program expansion under new LSTA funding, three new PCs with associated software will be purchased to replace those purchased under the earlier LSTA grant. Most of the requested funds, however, will be devoted to graduate student or other appropriate contractual assistance in scanning.
Project Timeline 
V. Partnerships
Though this project is an exclusively SCDAH activity, the Archives is actively engaged with the Partnership Among Academic Libraries (PASCAL) in the development of a statewide digital library. The SCDAH has had representation on the PASCAL digital collections committee from its inception. The Department’s digitization program manager, Bryan Collars, is currently a member of the committee (see: http://pascalsc.org/digital_collections.htm). The SCDAH’s digital images are already available via PASCAL’s digital collection guide (see: http://www.pascalsc.org/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=d-00000-00---0scmemory--00-0--0-10-0---0---0prompt-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-home---00-0-1-00-0011-1-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=scmemory&cl=CL5.4.pr). This participation will continue throughout this LSTA-funded project and beyond.
VI. Budget Documentation and Justification
To reach the stated project goals, funds will be used to contract with graduate students or other appropriate personnel to scan and index records, and to purchase equipment and software to facilitate making historical records available online.
Although the SCDAH is currently seeking LSTA funding support for this first phase effort only, SCDAH believes the potential statewide impact of this project is such that pursuit of additional LSTA funding in succeeding years, to reach the ultimate goal of fully populating the SCDAH Online Records Index, is justified. It is anticipated that the later phases will involve securing additional manpower, contracting for other necessary services, and, possibly, the acquisition of additional hardware and software; but as stated earlier, the success and evaluation of phase one will determine the budget requirements for phase two, and so on throughout the other anticipated phases. See Appendix for a draft plan and budget for scanning in phases II through V (through September, 2012).
SCDAH, by working in partnership with the SC State Library, local public libraries with potential and current viable digitization projects, and our state’s academic and other research institutions through PASCAL is prepared to play a major role in the South Carolina’s statewide digitization initiative. SCDAH is already fully involved with the Library Development Services department of the SC State Library and is a PASCAL partner. SCDAH’s current and future efforts, supplemented by LSTA funds, can advance the goals of the State Library’s current Five Year Plan, and, based on the feedback obtained during SCDAH’s participation in a recent digitization meeting of potential 2007 LSTA digitization project sub grantees, sponsored by the State Library, also goals being formulated for the its 2008-2012 LSTA Five Year Plan.
Personnel Services
SCDAH Staff Members (contributed time)
Though several SCDAH staff members will contribute their time to this project, there are two whose time will be attributed to the project for cost sharing purposes. They are listed below, with a description of their duties, the percentage of their time on the project over the fifteen months, and expected cost comprised of salary and benefits (at 28% of salary).
Roy H. Tryon, Project Director
Mr. Tryon is the SCDAH deputy director responsible for archives and records management programs and for department computer service. He will have overall responsibility for the project, approving all hires, monitoring progress and budget matters, preparing reports to the SC State Library, and handling the project marketing and evaluation. Time on Project: 10%. Cost: $12,032
J. Bryan Collars, Project Administrator
Mr. Collars is in charge of the SCDAH digitization program. He will have day-to-day project management responsibilities, including training and directing the hired staff and development of policies, procedures, and all other needed activities. Time on Project: 50% (minimum). Cost: $28,000
Staff to be Hired (on LSTA grant funds)
Two part-time project assistants at 20 hours per week each, July, 2007 through September, 2008, @ $12 per hour: $28,800
Equipment (from LSTA grant funds)
Three personal computers and necessary software for project personnel and other SCDAH that might contribute time to the project: $10,111. Replacements are needed for aging program equipment and will be used, as well, in later phases of the five-year project.
Library Material (from LSTA funds)
Software for the PCs purchased: $3,947. See vendor quote in Appendix B.
Proposed Budget 
VII. Marketing Plan
As populating the Online Records Index with scanned images is an ongoing project that began five years ago and will extend for several years into the future, it is not possible to develop a marketing plan comparable to that for the usual LSTA-funded that are completed within a year or two. We will, however, make known our progress by notices and reports on our website and in our newsletters, crediting the support of the SC State Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
VIII. Evaluation Plan
As noted above, this is an ongoing project and, as with the marketing, so with evaluation, this project is not susceptible to the same kind of evaluation as can be employed by other more limited term LSTA-funded projects.
The most relevant method of evaluation, however, will be how well we have done in meeting our projection of over 40,000 scanned images added to the ORI. Success criteria would be scanning and posting to the ORI at least 80% of the projected 40,000 images and an increase of 30% in hits on the ORI
At the end of this funding period we will survey ORI users about the usefulness of the Index and the images available. This survey will go beyond the availability of the historical records scanned as part of this project to include all the series available via the ORI, seeking information on the type of research being conducted, and determine the distribution of users (regionally within South Carolina and by state/county for others). This anecdotal information will be use with the output measures in evaluating the project.
IX. Continuation of Services Resulting from LSTA Project
The completion of this project will increase the amount of scanned images on the Online Records Index by more than one-third, to over 90,000 pages of historical records. While significant, it should be kept in mind that this represents only approximately 18% of the total number of records indexed on the ORI and only about 9% of the total number of pages indexed.
While it would seem that fully populating the ORI in the next five years (see project plan in Appendix) is unrealistic given that we are presently only at the 5% mark at this point in total estimated pages to be scanned, we believe that significant increases in scanned images on the ORI will be possible not only through efficiencies in operation (developed during this proposed project), possible future outsourcing of some of the work, and the fact that as much as one third to one half of all the ORI indexed records (likely as much as a half million pages) are on microfilm rather than exclusively in hard copy. Through recent testing, we have found that the scanning of these microfilm images is dramatically faster than scanning hardcopy originals and the process of adding to the ORI simplified. In addition to the scanning and ORI upgrade in process, we are also working on strengthening and developing our IT infrastructure to be able to accommodate the storage and web delivery of the large quantity of digital images to be available to the public via the ORI.
This endeavor lines up perfectly with the SC State Library’s plan and the LSTA purpose.
As noted earlier in the proposal, significantly increasing the amount of historical records holdings available online is part of the SCDAH’s five-year plan and key to our expanding services to the public. We will continue adding scanned records to the ORI as resources, from LSTA and other sources, permits.
PPREPARED by:
Roy H. Tryon
SCDAH Deputy Director
APPENDICES:
A: Plan and Budget for Phases I through V
B: Vendor Quotations