Managing the special collections department in the digital world: a case study of cooperation and innovation

Abstract

Long before e-books became a familiar term and before libraries were thought of as their own publishers, the LSU Libraries in 1990 created the Electronic Imaging Lab within the Special Collections Department for the express purpose of creating and publishing electronic books from original print materials and to serve as an incubator for digital projects. With funding from a state grant program and nò`W eb presence,'' the first products were issued on CD-ROMs. The first project was a collaborative effort with an LSU Coastal Studies and Fisheries professor, Richard Condrey. Our second project, in 1995, continued this cooperative approach and led to a grant funding an image network for special collections and the LSU Art Department.