library technology showcase
TRANSCRIPT
Digitising Unisa archival material
Library Technology Showcase 18 September 2013
Annette le Roux Collection Developer archival resources
Contents
• Define digitisation • Digitising archival material • Reasons for digitising archival material • Digitisation process • End result
Simplified definition of digitisation
Digitisation is the managed conversion of analogue material to a digital format for ongoing access by electronic devices during the intended life cycle of the digital object
Digitisation IS NOT:
• Normal desktop scanning • Scanning to black and white for clear binarization • Scanning directly to PDF
IT IS: • True colour output scanning • Scanning for archival purposes • Hardware calibrated scanning • Storage in uncompressed format • Planning long-term preservation & migration
Digitising archival material
The analogue material
Unisa Archives
• More than 4 000 linear metres of organised material – letters, diaries, manuscripts, minutes,
newsletters, posters, photographs, etc
• Finding aids available
Reasons for digitising archival material
1. Aligning with Unisa goals and strategies
Goal
Strategies
Increase innovative research and research capacity
Cultivate ODeL research. Sustain a supportive, enabling research environment.
Grow community engagement initiatives
Redefine the scope and extent of community engagement in the context of ODeL. Build an enabling environment for community engagement.
Reasons for digitising (continue)
2. Extend reach and access of material Accessible 24/7 Accessible globally
3. Promote visibility of African
scholarship & African research collections
Reasons for digitising (continue) 4. Knowledge sharing
5. Increase possibilities for innovative research
6. Safeguard fragile and brittle material by lessening constant handling
7. Make feint material more readable by enhancing/ manipulation of images
Digitisation process
Digitisation process
I. Selection of material
• Selection criteria – history and rationale behind selection of
sources
• Policies of the University
II. Preparing the material • Removing staples, pins, selotape, etc • Repairing tears, weak points & broken corners • Dust • Mold • Store in acid free containers if possible
Preparing the material (2) Creating mylar jackets (acid free container)
Brittle material
Valdezia Bulletin – fire exposure
Preparing the material (3) Creating worksheets
III. Scanning
III. Scanning (2)
IV. Adding metadata
Collections digitised • University of the Cape of Good Hope/Unisa 1850-1918: minutes
and annexures of University of the Cape of Good Hope • Marivate Papers (DACS Acc 124) • Native Economic Commission (DACS Acc 177) • ZK Matthews Papers (DACS Acc101) • Albert Nachtigal Collection (ADA Tagebuch) • Carl Hoffmann Papers (ADA Acc 28) • Political Posters (Kleynhans Collection) • Photographs of musical instruments in the Unisa Music
Instrument Collection
End result
Accessible in the Unisa Institutional Repository (UIR)
In the UIR (2)
Sharing with the world: cooperation with German repositories - an exchange of
digitised material
Berlin Mission Archives: Hoffmann material
Unisa Archives: Hoffmann material
