395T - Advanced Digitization:
Building Sustainable
Collections
Class 2:
*defining "faithful" digital surrogates and
"essential characteristics”
*implications of the physicality of source
materials to digitization processes
General Trends in Digitization
 From lower spatial resolution to higher resolution
 From 1-bit scanning (for text), to grayscale and,
finally, to color capture
 From low-bit (8 bits per channel) to high-bit (16bits plus) for grayscale and color
 From scanning for a specific purpose to
digitizing in a “use neutral” manner
 Future: Move from just high-bit, high-resolution
imaging to defining other quality parameters
(tone and color reproduction, color mode,
capture device performance, assessment of
source, image state, etc.)
“Good” Defined
Evolution:
early – providing proof of concept in the testbed days
(jump in and just do it as well as pilot projects)
mid – with emergence of standards and practices, bar
raised to include levels of usability, accessibility and
fitness of use for user groups
now – integration and trust have emerged as critical
criteria. Trusted information in the sea of stuff on the Web
is critical. Interoperability, reusability, persistence,
verification and documentation
Essential Characteristics:
Conceptual Rationales
Preservation Microfilming
- “informational content” = text legibility
(replication of smallest significant
character)
Analog-to-Digital
- “faithful” representations
- “full informational capture” - benchmarking
- surrogacy
- essential characteristics will inform
future users about the originals
Essential Characteristics:
Physical and Qualitative Properties
 Unique to the collection/record/media type
Color fidelity
Ability to see fine detail
Dimensionality
“Look and feel”
Chemical and physical attributes/condition
Defects, generation, curatorial/financial value
Can depend on targeted user population
Essential Characteristics:
Defining Specs Based on These Properties
e.g. Historic Negatives
http://www.archives.gov.preservation/format/bwcopying-specs.pdf
Why Did We “Skimp”?
Low resolution just for “access” - building
critical mass (e.g. Google)
“Fixed” approaches rather than defining a
process to achieve specific results for
individual collection items
Minimum specs mean you can do more
Digital storage was and is expensive
Limitations of science and technology
Implications of the Physicality of
Analog Collections in Digitization
 Involve Preservation Expertise!
 Akin to Exhibition Considerations - a “care
continuum” (Stolow, 1987)
 Handling, Space and Environment
Training in handling
In-house movement of materials
Light (ambient and scanning source) - UV filtering and
heat load. Scanners with no UV energy.
HVAC control
Cleanliness
Adequate space for handling materials
Implications of the Physicality of
Analog Collections in Digitization
 Equipment
Overhead capture (for fragile books, paper and photos)
 Pre-digitization Review and Stabilization
 Bibliographic Control
 Post-digitization QC
 Off-site
Transportation
Off-site storage and handling
Security
Review Cunningham-Kruppa/Metzger paper, “Conservation
Considerations Before, During, and After Digitization Projects:
The Physical Reality.” 2002.