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This email is an invitation to participate in the DLF Assessment Interest Group’s (DLF AIG) working group on Cost Assessment in 2018. There is more information about the group below, but first, a few words about participating in DLF AIG.

The only requirement for participation in a DLF AIG working group is a willingness to dig in and devote a small part of your time contributing to the tools, methods, and body of knowledge on digital library assessment. Attendance at the DLF forum is not a requirement for participation in any of the working groups. Additionally, if your institution is not a DLF member, you can still participate.

Cost Assessment Working Group in 2017  

The Cost Assessment group’s primary task is to collect, aggregate, and share data on the time it takes to perform various tasks involved in the digitization process to help with project planning and benchmarking. When the group formed in 2014, we found few practical resources geared towards helping the community determine the cost of digitization. To help address this gap, we built a Digitization Cost Calculator that allows individuals to enter information about a project and get back an estimate of the staffing costs and time needed to complete it based on real data from the community.

2017 focused on making improvements to the Calculator. We organized the second annual Day of Data II in July to collect additional community data. We also added a number of calculator enhancements, including the addition of new fields and new features.

For more information about the group, see the Cost Assessment Working Group wiki. The source code for the calculator is available via the Calculator's GitHub repository.

Goals for 2018

The group’s initial goal for 2018 is to survey the community and conduct user interviews, both with calculator users and data contributors. We plan to use the information captured from the community to help plan and prioritize additional work for the upcoming year.

We’d also like to ensure that the group’s wiki and documentation is up-to-date with our recent and current activities.

How can you participate?  

• Join us! We welcome participation from anyone with an interest in this area. To join, please contact co-facilitator Chrissy Rissmeyer ([log in to unmask]).

• The group typically meets once a month, and the time commitment is generally less than an hour per week.

• Our kickoff meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 6 from 1-2pm (Pacific) / 4-5pm (Eastern) via Zoom (https://ucsb.zoom.us/j/361483389). Further details and connection information will be posted on the group wiki and you may also email Chrissy with any questions, or for a calendar invitation.

For questions about the larger DLF Assessment Interest Group, contact the DLF AIG co-leaders, Sara Rubinow [log in to unmask] and Santi Thompson [log in to unmask].

Thank you for participating in the DLF AIG!