1. Digitisation of Archival and Manuscript Materials in Libraries Presentation by Martin Bradley

2. What we think of when we talk about digitising:

3. Usual Suspects Greatest Hits approach Visually appealing material Should be more to it…

4. Why Digitise? Preservation Conservation Access

5. Preservation Concept of Vital Records Copy available in event of disaster Do we need to keep a backup?

6. Rosa Keller Branch New Orleans Public Library 20/9/2005

7. Conservation Fragile Damaged Rare Bulky

8. On the Road, Jack Kerouac, Teletype Paper, 1951

9. Access Access by multiple researchers National / International access Promotion of new sources Access to rare/damaged/bulky materials

10. Microfilm Vs Scan Microfilm tested preservation technology Some outsized/fragile materials better to film then scan Possible to output to film from scan Both just provide an image Digital image easier to provide metadata

11. The Electronic Beowulf CD

12. Getting Information OCR of limited use/accuracy Old English? Latin? Gaelic? Palaeography / legibility?

13. Capturing Information Level of Information required? Box, Book, Page, Entry or Individual? Information must be captured in the naming convention Decisions must be made before capture Linking images to database entries

14. Using an Archivist Palaeographic Skills Language Skills Accuracy Consistency Understanding search criteria

15. Outsource or In-House? IN Knowledge of and familiarity with material Control over the process Accessibility of materials OUT Expensive equipment Specialist knowledge & track record

16. Copyright Issues Publication Vs Consultation Items in Public Domain Choose Large number of items copyright of a single entity Use of low-resolution or watermarking

17. Avoiding Damage Get expert advice Handle originals as little as possible Use appropriate protective materials Scan one for all purposes (SOAP)

18. Resolution & Bit Depth DPI – Dots Per Inch – depends on size and amount of fine detail Bit Depth – amount of colour High Resolution/Bit Depth for Preservation Copy Lower Resolution/Bit Depth for Consultation Copy

19. Output Formats Images: TIFF – jpeg & gif can be derived from this later Audio: BWF (Broadcast Wave Format) Video: MPEG or MOV

20. Storage Media Initially on hard-drive “Gold” CDROM / DVD Long-Term: Digital Linear Tape Any medium will become obsolete in medium term

21. Migration / Emulation Emulation – e.g. Spectrum Emulator for PC – BBC Micro Domesday Project Migration to new formats/media Refresh Media Verify writing of data

22. Further Reading Archives Ireland: www.archives.iewww.archives.ie Digitisation Guidelines www.askaboutireland.ie/resources/ACL_BestPra cticeDigitisationGuidelines.pdf www.askaboutireland.ie/resources/ACL_BestPra cticeDigitisationGuidelines.pdf BSI www.bsi-global.comwww.bsi-global.com Dublin Core Metadata: http://dublincore.org/http://dublincore.org/

23. Martin Bradley Director Lo-Call: 1850 786 748 Mob: 087 286 2274 www.archivesconsult.com Info@archivesconsult.com