Remote Capture: Digitising Documentary Heritage in Challenging Locations

Description

This is a must-read how-to guide if you are planning to embark on a scholarly digitisation project. Tailored to the specifications of the British Library’s EAP (Endangered Archives Programme) projects, it is full of sound, practical advice about planning and carrying out a successful digitisation project in potentially challenging conditions. From establishing the scope of the project, via practical considerations about equipment, work routines, staffing, and negotiating local politics, to backing up your data and successfully completing your work, Remote Capture walks you through every stage. Bursting with helpful hints, advice and experiences from people who have completed projects everywhere around the globe from Latin America to Africa to Asia, this book offers a taste of the challenges you might encounter and the best ways to find solutions. With a particular focus on the process of digitisation, whether using a camera or a scanner, Remote Capture is invaluable reading for anybody considering such a project. It will be particularly useful to those who apply for an EAP grant, but the advice in these pages is necessary for anyone wondering how to go about digitising an archive. Contents List of figures List of tables Contributors Foreword Acknowledgements A note on the text boxes Brands and manufacturers Digital resources Introduction 1. Planning the project Project design Calculating the budget 2. Equipment and skills for digitising in the field Cameras and scanners The Digital SLR camera: a general introduction DSLRs: principles and settings Tripods, copy stands and remote controls Lighting and flash Copying glass plate negatives and transparencies Essential equipment and skills Practical advice for photography in the field Hard drives and data management Scanners 3. Image standards Introduction Considerations Examples of good and bad images 4. Collection care and document handling General considerations for safe handling of library material Dirty and dusty material Pictures and glass plate negatives Loose-leaf items Bound items Housing 5. A workflow for digitisation Preparation Creation of the digital images Renaming and organising the digital images Developing and exporting the digital images Backing up Virus checking Cataloguing/creation of metadata 6. On the ground Before departure Politics Local liaison and partnerships Managing expectations Communication Staff and their management Money Outreach and publicity Conclusion Further resources Useful downloads Other reading Glossary Index