Preparing Archival Collections for Digitization

This is a resource developed to go alongside a webinar, presented in 2024 for NAGARA.

Pre-Processing Review

• Organization: How usable are your collections in the format and arrangement that they exist in currently? File naming for your digital archive will reflect the organization of the collection as it’s arranged when it goes for capture. “What you see is what you get.” While arranging digital files after digitization is a possibility, it will generate more work and be more difficult than arranging prior to digitization.
• Readiness: How ready are your materials to be digitized? Can they go straight from their housing to the camera? You will need to remove fasteners like staples and paperclips and any obstructive content, such as post-its, bookmarks, and research notes. Bound items may need consideration about if their bindings need loosened for best data capture. Be sure to remove duplicates from your collection, or flag them, so that they are not captured twice.
• Scope: How big is your collection, and in what media formats? Where possible, collect exact numbers of your best estimate of the volume of materials you have as well as their condition and format. If you can’t derive exact numbers, then review a sample of your collection, perhaps 10%, and build your estimate from that sample. The more precisely you can define scope, the more accurate your budget and timeline projections will be.

NOTE: When evaluating your collections, use the Montgomery Scott principle! In Star Trek, Scotty always made the seemingly impossible happen just in the nick of time by adding 25%-50% to his initial timeline estimates. In our world, let’s assume that the time, size, and cost of a digitization project is going to be about 20% more than we’re expecting. Take it from us: expect the unexpected in collection management!

Additional Considerations

• Metadata: What type of metadata are you going to be creating for your collection? Will it be created before, during, or after the process of digitization? What information will you need to make the resource intuitive to the end user? Above all else, whatever you decide, develop a quality assurance protocol and diligently review your metadata as you go.
• Standards: What digitization guidelines will your collection need to follow according to its end use and storage needs? FADGI has long been the gold standard, although government institutions will need to be mindful of the requirements that NARA has established alongside M-19-21/M-23-07. Above all else, whatever you decide, develop a quality assurance protocol and diligently review that your digitization is meeting those standards as you go.
• Structure: How are you going to divide up the production process? Establish an outline for production that accounts for every box or folder in your collection. This will become your steering document to measure production process and keep track of where your materials are at any given time. It will also help you to gauge if your project is going over its projected timeline and budget with plenty of advanced notice.

If You Outsource

• Be ready to communicate about all of the preparation your collection has undergone and what your desired timeline is for the project. A vendor will be able to work with you to identify any additional processing steps that may need to happen and whether or not the timeline is achievable.
• Collect information from multiple vendors and always ask for referrals. Your digital vendor should have a diligent quality assurance plan in place with a proven track record among similar, successful projects.
• Ask your vendor about how your collections will be stored while being digitized. Additionally, give some consideration to how you will want to ship materials. Will they need personal delivery? Will UPS or FedEx be sufficient? Or will you need to have a digitization technician come on-site to capture the collection?

Additional Resources