Digitisation of Archival and Manuscript Materials

in Libraries Presentation by Martin Bradley

What we think of when we talk about digitising:

Usual Suspects

• Greatest Hits approach

• Visually appealing material

Should be more to it…

Why Digitise?

•Preservation

•Conservation

•Access

Preservation

•Concept of Vital Records

•Copy available in event of disaster

•Do we need to keep a backup?

Rosa Keller Branch

New Orleans Public Library

20/9/2005

Conservation

•Fragile

•Damaged

•Rare

•Bulky

On the Road, Jack Kerouac, Teletype Paper, 1951

Access

•Access by multiple researchers

•National / International access

•Promotion of new sources

•Access to rare/damaged/bulky materials

Microfilm Vs Scan

•Microfilm tested preservation technology•Some outsized/fragile materials better to film then scan•Possible to output to film from scan•Both just provide an image•Digital image easier to provide metadata

The Electronic Beowulf CD

Getting Information

•OCR of limited use/accuracy

•Old English? Latin? Gaelic?

•Palaeography / legibility?

Capturing Information• Level of Information required?• Box, Book, Page, Entry or Individual?• Information must be captured in the

naming convention• Decisions must be made before capture• Linking images to database entries

Using an Archivist• Palaeographic Skills• Language Skills• Accuracy• Consistency• Understanding search criteria

Outsource or In-House? IN

• Knowledge of and familiarity with material• Control over the process• Accessibility of materials

OUT• Expensive equipment• Specialist knowledge & track record

Copyright Issues

• Publication Vs Consultation• Items in Public Domain• Choose Large number of items copyright of a

single entity• Use of low-resolution or watermarking

Avoiding Damage

• Get expert advice• Handle originals as little as possible• Use appropriate protective materials• Scan one for all purposes (SOAP)

Resolution & Bit Depth• DPI – Dots Per Inch – depends on

size and amount of fine detail• Bit Depth – amount of colour• High Resolution/Bit Depth for

Preservation Copy• Lower Resolution/Bit Depth for

Consultation Copy

Output Formats

• Images: TIFF – jpeg & gif can be derived from this later

• Audio: BWF (Broadcast Wave Format) • Video: MPEG or MOV

Storage Media

• Initially on hard-drive

• “Gold” CDROM / DVD

• Long-Term: Digital Linear Tape

• Any medium will become obsolete in medium term

Migration / Emulation•Emulation – e.g. Spectrum Emulator for PC – BBC Micro Domesday Project•Migration to new formats/media•Refresh Media•Verify writing of data

Further Reading

• Archives Ireland: www.archives.ie • Digitisation Guidelines

www.askaboutireland.ie/resources/ACL_BestPracticeDigitisationGuidelines.pdf

• BSI www.bsi-global.com • Dublin Core Metadata: http://dublincore.org/

Martin Bradley

Director

Lo-Call: 1850 786 748

Mob: 087 286 2274

www.archivesconsult.com

Info@archivesconsult.com