Approaches to Digitizing Scrapbooks
Wonderfully diverse and occasionally complicated, scrapbooks are considered messy treasures of archival collections. Scrapbooking is a centuries-old practice with surviving works dating back as early as the 15th century. These pieces feature many different types of materials, methods, and perspectives. However, the very thing that makes these resources incredible to study is what also causes […]
The Optimal Optical Character Recognition: OCR and Digitization
The majority of Digital Asset Managers (DAMs) are able to support searching within the text of a document if the uploaded metadata includes Optical Character Recognition (OCR). For those who are new to digitization, OCR is the conversion of text in images to something machine-readable. This machine-readable data is then accessible to users, adding an […]
Structured Data Extraction Using Artificial Intelligence | Doxie.AI
Vijay Singh, President of Doxie.AI delves into the use of artificial intelligence to identify, categorize, and extract textual data from digital image sources in government documents, library special collections, and archival materials. Artificial intelligence allows Doxie to work far beyond the limited capabilities of an OCR engine, identifying text that is out of alignment, obscured, or even handwritten, and extracting key elements to build database content that increases discovery and makes digital image collections searchable with the data points that are most meaningful to users.
A Passing FADGI – Keeping Up With the Star-Studded Guidelines
“FADGI is a collaborative effort started in 2007 by federal agencies to articulate common sustainable practices and guidelines for digitized and born digital historical, archival and cultural content.” – Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative FADGI, standing for Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative, is more than just a standard for taking photos. It’s a way of […]
Product Spotlight: Digitizing with South Carolina State Library
“We are pleased to provide citizens with instant access to details about the South Carolina legislature and its members. Technology from Backstage Library Works allows us to make the South Carolina Legislative Manual collection available while preserving history for future generations.” -Leesa Aiken, Agency Director, South Carolina State Library “We worked together to establish a […]
An Introduction to METS/ALTO For Your Digitized Collections
METS and ALTO – popularly, METS/ALTO – are terms that are thrown around when you start talking about digitizing and hosting your collections. Not all digital asset management programs, or DAMs, require METS or ALTO files, but a handful do (Veridian being a notable example), and if you’re considering article level segmentation, or ALS, then […]
Preservation and Access, the Married Conversation
Think to that rare local newspaper collection you have sitting in your library. Due to inexpensive manufacturing techniques, these papers were not built to last and, with every use, they become more worn. Yet, patrons for years to come will still want access to this invaluable material. It’s time to come up with a solution, […]
Choosing What Digital Image Format Works Best for You
When you’re looking to start your first digitization project, file type options can seem overwhelming, especially if you’re not familiar with their advantages and disadvantages. Backstage can help you understand the different types of deliverables common for digital imaging projects and make sure you are getting the most out of your files. Choosing the best […]
Digitization, Metadata, and CONTENTdm: Partnering to Build Your Digital Collections
When preparing to outsource a digitization project, what exactly should you expect? What advantages does your vendor bring to the table? Which steps will you outsource, and which steps might your staff handle in-house to reduce costs?
In this webinar, Caitlin Costalas, digitization project manager at Backstage Library Works, and Kelly Barrall, vice president of digitization services, offer a vendor perspective on preparing for digitization projects. They’ll also answer your questions.
Topics include:
- Identifying your audience so you can plan to meet your users’ needs.
- Organizing your collection to minimize material preparation costs from your vendor.
- Leveraging a vendor’s capacity to scale up digital image production.
- Choosing sources of metadata and defining what information will be collected.
- Working with a vendor to build your CONTENTdm collection.
Digitizing the Leffingwell Scrapbooks: A Study in Complex and Fragile Materials
Where do you start when you want to digitize a collection of complex and fragile materials?
The Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute at The Ohio State University Libraries holds, in its Leffingwell Collection, scrapbooks that document American theatre performances from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These scrapbooks include loose items, folded sections, and acidic paper mounted on base pages of nearly transparent tissue.
The project of digitizing these scrapbooks presented numerous challenges, from choosing which volumes should be converted to deciding how to handle long newspaper clippings, loose bindings, and detached covers, as well as brittle, creased, and dog-eared tissue pages.
In this webinar, Nena Couch and Emily Shaw, of The Ohio State University Libraries, and Courtney LoPresti, of Backstage Library Works, describe the process of selecting and preparing these materials for digitization and discuss decisions that were made before and during the digital imaging process.
