Before You Get Started

Digitization projects involve much more than scanning a few interesting images. Careful advanced planning will lead to higher-quality, more relevant, and more sustainable collections. Articulating answers to the following questions before embarking on any digitization project will pay off in the long run:

• What is our purpose? Are we digitizing to:
  • decrease wear and tear on originals?
  • increase access to a collection in general?
  • generate publicity?

• Who is our audience?
  • How do they use the materials now?
  • How would they like to use the materials?
  • What are their expectations regarding access to these collections?

• What are we digitizing?
  • Is there a demand for these materials?
  • Who owns the materials?
  • What size and format are the materials?
  • Are any special precautions or procedures required to ensure safety of the originals?

• What is our timeline?
  • Be sure to budget time for tasks such as planning, selection, administration, organization, training, personnel management, and quality control, in addition to the time it takes to actually scan and process the materials.
  • Digital projects often take longer than you might expect. Be realistic with your expectations.

• What is our workflow?

• What metadata scheme will we use to describe the materials?

• Who will do this work and on what equipment?

 Create your own business wiki!Support CommunityPublic, Platinum wiki Privacy Policy RSS