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Path: Home | Publications | Technical Guidelines | Table of contents | Preparation for digitisation

 

Interoperability and service provision centres Working group

Technical Guidelines
for Digital Cultural Content Creation Programmes
Version 1.0: Revised 08 April 2004


This document has been developed on behalf of the Minerva Project by UKOLN, University of Bath, in association with MLA The Council for Museums, Libraries & Archives

cover of  handbook

 

2. Preparation for digitisation

Projects must develop a good knowledge of the collections to be digitised and the uses to be made of the digital resources created. When selecting digitisation hardware and software, projects must take into account char­acteristics of the originals such as format, size, condition and the impor­tance of capturing accurately attributes such as colour.

Guidance:
TASI: Advice: Creating Digital Images
http://www.tasi.ac.uk/advice/creating/creating.html
Available 2005-02-15

The Digitisation Process
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/nof/support/help/papers/digitisation_process/
Available  2005-02-15

2.1 Hardware

This document does not provide specific advice on the choice of digitisa­tion equipment. Projects must demonstrate an awareness of the range of equipment available, the factors that determine its suitability for use with different types of physical object, and the ways in which it connects with other hardware such as a PC.
Projects must ensure that equipment selected generates digital objects of a quality that meets the requirements of their expected uses, within acceptable constraints of cost.
Project should seek appropriate advice before purchasing digitisa­tion equipment or contracting digitisation services, and should carry out an accurate costing based on the specific requirements of the project.

2.2 Software

This document does not provide specific advice on the choice of software for use in digitisation. Projects must demonstrate an awareness of the use of software in image capture and image processing, and the hard­ware and software requirements of individual software products.
Project must ensure that software provides the functionality required given the intended uses of the digital objects created, within accept­able constraints of cost, and that software is usable by the relevant project staff.

2.3 Environment

Establishing an appropriate environment for the digitisation process is important in ensuring that that process is effective in creating usable dig­ital resources and ensuring that any damaging effect on the physical source materials is minimised.
Digitisation may be carried out in-house on specially purchased or exist­ing equipment, or it may be delegated to an external agency. Project must understand the factors involved in this choice, not only in terms of the costs but also of the requirements for the handling of physical mate­rials and the generation of digital objects.

 

 

Copyright Minerva Project 2005-07, last revision 2005-07-11 edited by Minerva Editorial Board.
URL: www.minervaeurope.org/publications/technicalguidelines/preparationdigitisation.htm