Digital Reformatting and
File Management
Public Library Partnerships Project
Sheila A. McAlister
Director, Digital Library of Georgia
and
Sandra McIntyre
Director, Mountain West Digital Library
September 2015
This Presentation
•What is Reformatting?
•Reformatting Process
•Hub, In House, or Outsource?
WHAT IS
REFORMATTING?
What is Reformatting?
Usually called “digitization”:
Taking a tangible object (analog) and
turning it into a computer file (digital)
Reformatting also includes:
Taking a digital file in one format (digital) and
converting it into another format (digital),
usually for better access
Philosophy of Reformatting
• Reformat once
– Less handling = less wear
– Do it right the first time
– Digitize for the future:
high quality
• Reformatting costs
money!
– Equipment
– Time
– Storage space
Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration
Not Rocket Science, but...
•Many considerations
•Lots of variables
•Differences in materials
•No “Digitization for
Dummies” book!
•Pursue all support options
before doing it yourself
Digitization and Preservation
• Digitization ≠ preservation
• Digital preservation
is a long-term, active
process
• Digital preservation
is a complicated
process, still in early
stages
Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration
Digitization and Preservation
• Digitization does not
replace proper physical
preservation of analog
content
• Disposing of physical
content once digitized:
bad idea
Courtesy of National Archives and
Records Administration
REFORMATTING
PROCESS
Reformatting: Basic Process
1.Create master (uncompressed) file.
a.For analog content: Scan/sample
b.For born-digital content: Convert
2.Name the file in a consistent way.
3.Perform quality control; edit as needed.
4.Save master on stable, long-term storage.
5.Create derivative or access file.
6.Share access files as needed.
Courtesy of W. S. Hoole Special Collections
Library, University of Alabama
The Master (Archival) File
Equipment
•Scanners (flatbed)
•Adapters for using negatives or slides
•Specialized scanners
–Overhead scanners
–High-speed book scanners
–Microfilm scanners
–Slide scanners
•Computers with
adjustable monitors
Courtesy of Mountain West Digital Library
Standards and Best Practices
•Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines
Initiative (FADGI), Technical Guidelines for
Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials,
http://1.usa.gov/1JyHYI4
Bit depth
Color
calibration
Compression
File Formats
Sampling
Rate
Spatial
Resolution
Standards and Best Practices
•BCR’s CDP Digital Imaging Best Practices
Working Group, BCR's CDP Digital Imaging
Best Practices Version 2.0,
http://mwdl.org/docs/digital-imaging-bp_2.0.pdf
Bit depth
Color
calibration
Compression
File Formats
Sampling
Rate
Spatial
Resolution
Resolution
Scan at best resolution you can afford to store.
Manuscripts and other
text
300 ppi minimum
Photographs
400-800 ppi
Graphic materials
600-800 ppi
Maps
600 ppi (< 36") or 300400 ppi (> 36")
Color Considerations
• Calibrate monitor and scanner
• Final scan should look like exact duplicate of
original object on screen
Archival Images
• Save all types in
TIFF format
• Use 3-letter
extension: *.tif
Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration
Audio
96,000 kHz minimum
resolution
24-bit minimum bit
depth
Save in WAV/AIFF
format
Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois,
Guidelines for the Creation of Digital Collections:
Digitization Best Practices for Audio, http://bit.ly/1VmAJd6
Video
•FADGI Audio-Visual Working Group,
Digitization Motion Picture Film
•FADGI Audio-Visual Working Group, Creating
and Archiving Born Digital Video
See:
http://www.digitizationguidelines.gov/
audio-visual/
Courtesy of Indianapolis Museum of Art
File Naming
File Naming
• Three-letter extensions
• Use only lower-case
alphanumeric + underscore +
hyphen (no spaces!)
• The shorter, the better
• Think about order of display
• Keep same number of
characters in each filename
• Be consistent!
• Work with your Hub’s system
Courtesy of University of Minnesota
Libraries, Special Collections and Rare
Books
Method 1:
Use an Existing Identifier
Use the identifier or number already associated
with the file.
Examples:
55-jbc-2.tif
Accn_998-02.pdf
archivaltape65.wav
Method 2:
Create a New Scheme
2-4 lowercase letters + 2-4 digits
(at least as many digits as the highest number expected)
+ underscores or hyphens as desired for readability
Example: “Georgia Railroad Photographs” files:
grp-001.tif
grp-002.tif
grp-003.tif
Method 2:
Create a New Scheme
For multi-page documents like letters,
add a letter at the end file name, e.g.:
br035a.tif
br035b.tif
br035c.tif
Courtesy of David Rumsey
Quality Control and Storage
Reviewing Files
•Check over your own work
•Have someone else check over your work
Media Editing
•Photoshop and batch editing software:
– De-skewing
– De-speckling
– Color adjustments
– Sharpening image
•Audio editing
– Distortions and drop-outs
•Video editing
– Artifacts and moires
File Storage
•Place in secure storage
•Create multiple backups, at least one in a
different location
•Do not access archival files unless necessary
•Plan for long-term digital preservation of files
Creating the Access File
Derivative Files
• Files that are created from the master file
(i.e., they are derived from original)
• Purpose: quick viewing
• Used for web access, thumbnails, easy
printing, low-quality or informal publications
• Also known as “access copies”
Derivative Files
Several common types of derivative files:
– GIF: used for thumbnails
– JPG: used for medium- and high-resolution
images for web delivery
– PDF: allows for resizing on screen and easy
printing of documents
Upload Access File
•Digital assets management system
– Local installation
– Installation in the cloud
•HTML web pages
•Online exhibits
USE A HUB,
KEEP IN-HOUSE, OR
OUTSOURCE?
When to Use a DPLA Service Hub
In most cases, your Hub has what you need:
• Staff with experience in managing digital
libraries and archives
• Digitization equipment and software for most
common reformatting needs
• Access to special services
• File storage and backup
• Workflows according to best practices
• Reasonable prices or help with finding funding
When to Stay In-House
Consider reformatting in-house when you need:
•To develop staff skills
•To maintain close control over materials
•To maintain close control over operations
•To adjust project specifications and goals
during process
When to Outsource to a Vendor
Consider outsourcing when you need:
•High-volume production operation
•Quick turnaround
•Lower prices (on high volume)
Questions for Vendor
•Hardware and software used?
•Quality control procedures?
•Turnaround time?
•Delivery and pick-up?
•Environmental controls?
•Qualifications of project manager?
•References for similar work?
•Prices?
Working with a Vendor
•Be flexible
•Have one person be the vendor contact
•Respond quickly
•Have a plan for quality control
•Communicate issues early
•Analyze errors for future improvement
QUESTIONS?