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Joint RLG and NPO Preservation Conference
Guidelines for Digital Imaging

Survey from the Working Group on Preparation

Introduction

The Working Group on Preparation is trying to assess current practice relating to preservation aspects, prior to, and during, digital image capture. It is hoped, eventually, to produce best practice guidelines which will reflect preservation needs/concerns during digital image processing.

As part of this project, we would be grateful for answers to the following survey, together with any additional information you think may be helpful in compiling these best practice guidelines. N.B. All responses/information will be treated in confidence.

The guidelines will be made available following the joint RLG/NPO conference in September.

In the survey, the following definitions apply :

Preservation - all actions which serve to protect and extend the life of a document

Conservation - all interventive techniques which serve to stabilise or improve the physical condition of a document.

Item - The smallest intellectually indivisible archival unit, e.g. a letter, publication, memorandum, report, photograph.

Please complete the following before moving onto the survey proper.

Describe your institution (please check all that apply):
(a) archive
library
special collections
other
(b) national
regional
state
local
private body
(c) Australia
Europe
North America
other

The Survey

There are distinct preservation concerns with any imaging project for:
  • the item
  • its information content
  • its integrity

These concerns apply from selection through to image capture.

At the preparation stage, we need to examine the following :

A. Assessment of 'condition' of record material

Considering the suitability of material for the process of digitisation

1. Do you carry out a condition survey of the record material?
Yes No
2. If yes, do you also carry out a condition survey after the imaging project?
Yes No
3. Do you consider there is a perceived risk with digitising processes?
Yes No
4. If yes, are any processes more favoured than others?
5. Do you consider that any physical intervention is necessary to negate any of the physical risks (e.g. conservation treatments, encapsulation)?
Yes No
6. If yes, how far do you take this (e.g. disbind volumes, conserve every folio of a volume)?
7. If there are insufficient funds to disbind, etcetera, how do you proceed (e.g. do you abandon the project, use microforms)?
8. Have you gone to the extent of disbinding material for an imaging project ?
Yes No
9. If yes, what were the precise reasons for doing so and was this justified in retrospect?
10. If yes, did you dispose of the originals?
Yes No
11. If yes, whose decision was it to destroy the originals?

 

B. Physical Format

Looking at the item as both an artifact and an information carrier

1. Do you consider whether the physical format can tolerate chosen processes without risk to its physical form?
Yes No
2. If yes, how do you proceed?
3. Do you consider whether the physical format can tolerate chosen processes without risk to its information content?
Yes No
4. If yes, how do you proceed?
5. Do you consider whether the physical format will allow clear sight of all text on every page by the chosen process?
Yes No
6. If yes, do you have a book cradle that would permit/improve the capture of information on tightly bound volumes without risking damage to the physical structure?
Yes No
7. If not, what solution do you apply?
8. Do you consider there is a need for any special types of lighting?
Yes No
9. If yes, what types of lighting do you use or specify (e.g., halogen, fluorescent, cool/hot, etc.)?
10. Do you apply exposure limits?
Yes No
11. If yes, what controls do you seek and apply?

In regard to the precise form:

12. What are your available types of image capture (e.g., flat bed, digital camera, etc.)?
13. Do you consider some types of image capture to carry a risk to some formats?
Yes No
14. If yes, what restrictions do you apply?
15. Do you consider any types of material to need an intermediary process prior to digital capture to safeguard the item (e.g., light-sensitive material, tightly bound volumes, photographs, etc.)?
Yes No
16. If yes, please provide details.
17. Do you consider the need to apply conservation treatment prior to digital capture?
Yes No
18. If yes, what limitations on intervention would you apply, if any?
19. If yes, would the cost of intervention be prohibitive?
Yes No
20. If yes, how would this make you reconsider the project?
21. Do you set any limitations or considerations for choices of process because of the physical format (e.g., photograph, accept a lower resolution, capture in parts and then 'zip' or 'stitch' together)?

 

C. Physical Preparation

When dealing with volumes, do you ;

1. -ensure that the volume has been properly catalogued and referenced?
Yes No
2. - ensure that the scale and additional information that may be desirable for research information has been noted (e.g., water marks)?
Yes No
3. If yes, please provide details.
4. - ensure that all pages have been collated?
Yes No
5. - ensure that any omissions/corrections have been identified?
Yes No
6. - consider the need to seek a copy which is in better condition?
Yes No
7. - ensure that torn folios, stains, etcetera, have been identified?
Yes No
8. - ensure that necessary conservation treatments have been carried out?
Yes No
9. - ensure that information 'rubrics' (targets/ target boards) for missing pages, etcetera, are available?
Yes No
10. - ensure that any folios/pages needing to be scanned twice are identified?
Yes No
11. - ensure that any book supports, restraints required are available?
Yes No
12. - ensure that special lighting requirements are specified?
Yes No

When dealing with single folios, individual items do you ;

13. -ensure that the item has been properly catalogued and referenced?
Yes No
14. - ensure that the scale and additional information that may be desirable for research information has been noted (e.g., water marks)?
Yes No
15. If yes, please provide details.
16. - ensure that any areas of missing text have been identified?
Yes No
17. - ensure that any essential conservation treatments have been carried out?
Yes No
18. - ensure that information 'rubrics' (targets/ target boards) for torn, stained folios/pages, etcetera, have been prepared?
Yes No
19. - ensure that any pieces needing to be scanned twice are identified?
Yes No
20. - ensure that any seal supports, restraints, etcetera, required are available?
Yes No
21. - ensure that special lighting requirements are specified?
Yes No

 

D. Hybrid Approach

When choosing a hybrid approach ...

1. Do you consider whether a microform copy already exists?
Yes No
2. If yes, do you consider whether or not it meets chosen ISO (ANSI/AIIM in U.S.) microform standards?
Yes No
3. Do you consider scanning from ISO/ANSI/AIIM quality microform rather than from the originals?
Yes No
4. If no microform exists, could you film the item and then scan the film/fiche rather than the original?
Yes No
5. If scanning from microform rather than directly from original, what advantage or disadvantage do you consider this to have?
6. If you have scanned microform, do you consider this option to have advantages over scanning directly from the original material?
Yes No
7. If yes, please provide details.

In regard to material which is to be microfilmed ...

8. Would you microfilm in-house?
Yes No
9. If no, which criteria would you apply when choosing a filming bureau?
10. Do you consider microfilming for preservation and scanning for access?
Yes No

In regard to material which is to be scanned ...

11. Do you consider scanning in-house?
Yes No
12. If yes, what type of formats are you able to scan (e.g., book, 35mm, individual folios/items)?
13. If no, which criteria would you apply when choosing a service bureau?
14. Do you consider producing COM?
Yes No
15. If not, why not?
16. Have you both microfilmed and scanned any material?
Yes No
17. If yes, what were the perceived benefits, if any?
18. If yes, which process came first and why?

 

E. Information Content and its Potential Use

In regard to long-term permanence ...

1. What are the products of the initial conversion work?
2. Is there a role for derivative files?
Yes No
3. If yes, please describe.
4. Have the needs of refreshment and migration been considered in the system?

In regard to providing access to users...

5. What will be the user product of this work?
6. How will navigation/access be provided within and between digital items?
7. How will future changes in technology be accommodated?

 

Finally, answers to the following questions would be particularly valuable to the project team:

In your experience;

1(a). What is the level of demand to see original material following digitization projects?
Increased Decreased Same
1(b). Can you attribute the level of demand to any particular aspect of the digitisation project?
2. What changes (if any) in access are imposed following a digitisation project?
3. Does imaging represent preservation versus access in a new form?

 

Optional

The conference speakers will be incorporating the survey responses into their presentations. In some cases, they may have questions about your responses. If you would be willing to be contacted by the speakers in regard to your responses, please fill out the following:

Name
Title
Institution
Phone
E-mail

Thank you for taking part in this survey!

 

If you have any questions relating to the survey, we would be happy to receive your queries/comments. Please contact any of the following:

Alison Horsburgh
Scottish Record Office
ahorsbur@sro.gov.uk

John McIntyre
National Library of Scotland
j.mcintyre@nls.uk

Ann Swartzell
Harvard University
a_swartzell@harvard.edu

 :

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Web page maintained by Robin Dale of RLG and Philip Hunter of UKOLN.
Last updated on 31 August 1998
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Email comments to h.a.gott@ukoln.ac.uk