Digitization:

Digitization projects involve multiple elements. It's not as easy as just taking digital scans of images, you also have to make those images available to your constituency and you must do so in an organized manner. Digitization requires, but is not limited to: trained staff, financial resources, content (objects/collections to be digitized), rights to the materials, information architecture, a content management system or database, server space, back-up drives, metadata and ongoing curatorial upkeep.

During a digitization project, digital archivists determine what is to be digitized and how the resulting information will be organized and presented. Specific parameters include the metadata schema to be used, controlled vocabularies, technical details (scanners, software, databases), digital workflows, and the "Best Practices" for this process.

The digital archivist will often write the "Best Practices" manual that sets standards for the digitization procedures and processing. In general "Best Practices" are "[p]rocedures and guidelines that are widely accepted because experience and research has demonstrated that they are optimal and efficient means to produce a desired result' (SAA Glossary) ."Best Practices" manuals often include specific directions that address any potential problems that might occur during the project. The manuals also provide guidance in "gray-areas" which helps maintain consistency in the data and the procedures used during all processes.

Digital archivists establish the standards at which a project must comply. They make these decisions through experience and education. Working as a digital archivist gives you a chance to set the precedent and see a complex project through to completion. It gives you the ability to know that you helped make accessable information that was locked-away or had limited availabilty, thus enriching the world around you.

Resources:

• Best Practice Guide for Digital Collections, University of Maryland
• Digitization 101 Blog
• Digital Imaging Tutorial, Cornell University
• Imaging Production Guidelines, New York State Archives
• Guidelines for Digitizing Archival Materials, NARA
• Creating a Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections

Digital Curation Talk at UNC:

The permanent link (if the video cuts out): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHy9CW_vMp4

Henry Charles Lea Library
Vintage photograph of Lea's library
in his home at 2000 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, late 19th c. The Lea Library Collection collects primary materials for the study of the late medieval and early modern period.