Reformatting, Digitization and Digital Preservation
- I am making a photocopy of some documents. What paper, equipment and toner/ink should be used to make sure they last?
- My library’s board wants to reformat our local history materials. Some want us to use microfilm, others want us to digitize them. What approach do you recommend?
- I am scanning some important documents. Is there a guide available on how to do this, like “Digitizing for Dummies?”
- My library has a small collection of microfilm. It is beginning to smell. What can we do to save it? Whom would you recommend for reformatting it?
- My institution is beginning a digital conversion project. What standards/guidelines/best practices should we follow? What standards does LC follow?
- My institution is planning to outsource a digital conversion project. What companies in the U.S. have a reputation for doing “preservation level” work?
- My institution has been digitizing collections for several years. We are concerned about the long-term preservation of the digital objects. What guidelines, best practices or other resources can you recommend? How is the Library of Congress preserving its digital assets?
I am making a photocopy of some documents. What paper, equipment and toner/ink should be used to make sure they last?
Use permanent paper to make sure your photocopies last. Keep in mind, however, that papers marked “acid free” are not necessarily permanent. When you purchase paper, or when you go to a photocopy service, look for paper that indicates it adheres to the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) standard for permanent paper, ANSI/NISO Z39.48 - 1992(R2002). For more information on permanent paper, including vendors, refer to Selections from North American Permanent Papers (Abbey Newsletter).
The toner used to make photocopies is also a consideration. Use only toners containing carbon black; the manufacturer should be able to tell you the contents of the toner. If you use a photocopy service, inquire about the toner. You can also perform a test, called the “peel” or “tape pull” test, to verify how well the toner bonds to the paper. For more information, refer to Testing Electrostatic Copy Quality: The Peel Test (National Archives and Records Administration [NARA]).
Further general information can also be found in the Library of Congress publication Preservation Photocopying, the Conserv-O-Gram Archives: Preserving Through Photocopying [PDF: 891 KB / 4 p.] (National Park Service), or the article Archival Copies of Thermofax, Verifax, and Other Unstable Records (National Archives and Records Administration [NARA]).
My library’s board wants to reformat our local history materials. Some want us to use microfilm, others want us to digitize them. What approach do you recommend?
The Library of Congress reformats its materials using both microfilming and digitization, although we are doing far less microfilming than in previous years. Other large libraries and federal agencies tend to do less microfilming as well; the National Library of Medicine has ceased their microfilming program, and the National Endowment for the Humanities no longer funds grants for microfilming. While microfilm has several positive aspects — it can be relatively low cost, and, if done using preservation quality film and according to established national standards, can last for several hundred years — you must consider future users: besides those that do not like using microfilm, how long will you be able to maintain a working microfilm reader?
Digitization also has its advantages and disadvantages. In addition to a considerable ease of access, digital files can be easily searched by your users; however, the tasks of hosting, managing, and preserving these digital assets for the long term presents a wide range of problems, not the least of which is the rapid change in media, software, and hardware. Unlike other formats, you cannot copy files to a CD and forget about them; preserving digital files requires ongoing management. You will need to balance all of these pros and cons, keeping in mind your library’s resources and its commitment to the long term handling of digital assets, and decide what is best.
For more information, visit the website of the National Digital Newspaper Program a project at the Library of Congress that transitioned from microfilming to digitization. The paper Recognizing Digitization as a Preservation Reformatting Method [PDF: 167 KB / 17 p.] (Association of Research Libraries) provides an excellent overview of the issues, as does Why Digitize? (Council on Library and Information Resources).
I am scanning some important documents. Is there a guide available on how to do this, like “Digitizing for Dummies?”
For those simply interested in digitizing their personal collections, start with Digital Technology Made Simpler, (Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC). Institutions starting a digitization project, however, will want to take a more long-term approach. First, refer to Cornell University Library’s Moving Theory into Practice: Digital Imaging Tutorial. which offers a good introduction to best practices. You can also look at the technical guidelines from established digitization programs in leading institutions: for example, The Library of Congress Technical Standards for Digital Conversion of Text and Graphic Materials (2006) [PDF: 273 KB / 28 p.]and the National Archives and Records Administration Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Archival Materials for Electronic Access: Creation of Production Master Files — Raster Images. [PDF: 1.59 MB / 87 p.]
My library has a small collection of microfilm. It is beginning to smell. What can we do to save it? Whom would you recommend for reformatting it?
Cellulose acetate film, like the kind used as a microfilm base until the mid 1980s, continuously decomposes, especially if kept under poor storage conditions. Eventually, acetate-based film will suffer from so-called “vinegar syndrome,” derived from the strong acetic acid (vinegar-like) smell the film emits as it deteriorates. This deterioration is not reversible once it has begun, and reformatting is often the only solution to preserving the content.
If the deterioration has not progressed too far, acetate film can either be reformatted onto more stable polyester-based film or reformatted digitally. The National Digital Newspaper Program website provides guidelines and resources regarding the digitization of collections on microfilm.
My institution is beginning a digital conversion project. What standards/guidelines/best practices should we follow? What standards does LC follow?
Creating digital assets is the easy part; managing and preserving those files over the long term is the catch. Consult The Library of Congress Standards for Digital Conversion of Text and Graphic Materials (2006)[PDF: 273 KB / 28 p.] , as well as other documentation available on the Library of Congress American Memory Project website.
For more information about digital preservation initiatives at the Library of Congress, refer to the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program website.
My institution is planning to outsource a digital conversion project. What companies in the U.S. have a reputation for doing “preservation level” work?
The Library of Congress cannot recommend specific digitization vendors, as we are generally prohibited from voicing preferences for particular manufacturers or vendors. However, you can find lists at the Quick and Dirty Guide to Microfilm Digitization Companies (via SLA News Division). You can also search the NEDCC Suppliers List.
For more information about working with vendors to outsource digitization projects, refer to the leaflet Outsourcing and Vendor Relations as well as the publication Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access [PDF: 1.32 MB / 182 p.] both from Northeast Document Conservation Center [NEDCC].
My institution has been digitizing collections for several years. We are concerned about the long-term preservation of the digital objects. What guidelines, best practices or other resources can you recommend? How is the Library of Congress preserving its digital assets?
For more information about the efforts of Library of Congress to preserve its digital assets, visit the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) website. There, you can find up-to-date publications from NDIIPP partners on their digital preservation programs and practices, as well as a directory of NDIIPP Partner Tools and Services.
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