Technical Processes for PALMM Collections

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Technical Processes for PALMM Collections

• Lessons Learned from the Everglades Digital
  Library, Milemarkers, Miami Metropolitan
  Archive Projects

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Presented by

• Megan Waters
• Florida International University Libraries
• University Park
• Miami, FL 33199
• watersm_at_fiu.edu

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Introduction Context

• The examples brought forth in this presentation
  stem from digitization efforts using government
  and other documents at Florida International
  University--a large, public, urban university
  library in Miami, FL. FIU actively collaborates
  on digital library projects with the 10 public
  university libraries in Florida as well as other
  federal, state, and local government agencies to
  bring essential information to citizens via the
  Internet.

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Current Projects

• Everglades Digital Library
• http//everglades.fiu.edu/library/
• Miami Metropolitan Archive
• http//miami.fiu.edu
• Milemarkers Linking Keys History
• http//image8.fcla.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx

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Technical Support

• Like our OPAC, all FIU digital library
  collections are supported by the Florida Center
  for Library Automation (FCLA). Digital library
  image files may be archived, stored, and
  delivered by FCLA servers in Gainesville, FL or
  housed locally at FIU.
• All digital copies are hyperlinked to MARC
  records maintained by FCLA using PURL technology.
• The decision to store files locally or archive
  them centrally is up to each State of Florida
  university library based on local staff and
  funding levels.

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Summary

• FIU digital projects are collaborative in nature
• Most technical support is centralized in the
  State University System of Florida
• Digital copies are hyperlinked to MARC records
  (856) for optimal searching using the
  university system union catalog

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Creating Image Files to Fit Your Content

• Image file formats depend on their intended use
• Quick delivery via the Internet?
• Long-term storage for years to come?
• Images that preserve the look and feel of the
  original copy?
• Images that look great when printed?
• Digital images that do new, digital things?
• A little bit of everything?

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My Suggestion Create Archival Copies You Can
Store for Later Derive Into Other Things

• Archival copies are image files that are
  well-documented, non-proprietary, uncompressed,
  and at a high enough resolution that you can use
  them again and again to derive and display a
  digital document.

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Creating Archival TIFFs

• FIU creates archival image files in Tagged Image
  File Format (TIFF) according to State standards
  for long-term storage in FCLAs Digital Archive
  (http//www.fcla.edu/digitalArchive/index.htm).

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Considerations

• Archival TIFF images can become large and
  expensive depending on
• RESOLUTION -- is the ability to distinguish fine
  spatial detail as expressed in dots-per-inch
  (dpi) or pixels-per-inch (ppi)
• PIXEL DIMENSIONS horizontal vertical
  measurements of a digital image as expressed in
  pixels.
• BIT DEPTH number of bits used to define each
  pixel
• Bitonal images respresent 2 tones (black/white),
  hence they are 2-bit
• Greyscale images range from 2 to 8 bits or more
• Color images are represented by 8 to 24 bits per
  pixel or more
• DYNAMIC RANGE range of tonal difference between
  the lightest light and darkest dark of an image.

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File Size (DPI)

• File Size is calculated by multiplying the
  surface area of a document (height x width) to be
  scanned by the bit depth and the dpi2.
• File Size (height x width x bit depth x dpi2) /
  8

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File Size (PPI)

• If the pixel dimensions are given for a source
  document, multiply them by each other and the bit
  depth to determine the number of bits in an image
  file.
• File Size (pixel dimensions x bit depth) / 8
• Such a source document might emanate from a
  digital camera or other born-digital device.

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Scanning TIFF Files

• No single method of scanning is recommended.  Any
  method appropriate to the source document and the
  intended uses of the electronic image may be
  acceptable.  Compliance with the principals and
  recommendations of Moving Theory into Practice
  Digital Imaging for Libraries and Archives (Anne
  R. Kenney and Oya Y. Rieger Mountain View, CA
  Research Libraries Group, 2000) and Cornell
  University's Digital Imaging Tutorial are highly
  recommended.

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PALMM Project TIFF File Specifications

• File Format ITU TIFF(Tagged Image File Format)
  Reference http//home.earthlink.net/ritter/tiff
  / 
• Encoding 6.0 (ITU T.6)Specification TIFF 6.0
  Specification (PDF file version)
• Compression Uncompressed
• Bit-depth Appropriate to the source document and
  for intended uses (e.g., facsimile reproduction)
• DPI Appropriate to the source document and for
  intended uses (e.g., high resolution printing,
  optical character recognition, etc.)
• Scale / Image Dimensions Scan scaled to 100 of
  source document dimensions
• Color SpacesRGB
• Scanning software calibrated to standard RGB
  palate

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Creating Derivatives

• Derivate image files for PALMM projects are
  created from TIFF image files for delivery on the
  World Wide Web.
• Derivative files such as GIFs and JPEGs compress
  images making them download more quickly and
  easily.
• Some image quality is lost during file
  compression
• Current technology restricts us to mostly 800 by
  600 pixel computer screen areas for most users
  and 8 bit (256 tones) color depth.

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PALMM Project Derivative Specifications JPEG

• File Format JPEG (Joint Photographic Expert
  Group)Specification ISO 10918-1/2Reference
  http//www.jpeg.org/public/jpeghomepage.htm 
• Encoding Standard
• Compression Minimum (highest image quality),Not
  greater than 15 (image quality not less than 85
  of source file)
• Bit-depth Same as source file
• DPI Same as source fileMitigation of scaling
  may require down-sampling or Gaussian blur. 
  These processes require skill and experience.
• Image Dimensions Width 630 pixels Height
  variableMaintain original image aspect
  ratioNote PALMM currently provides an area 630
  pixels wide for document image display.  Wider
  images will scroll horizontally.  Horizontal
  scroll, generally, should be avoided for
  documents with portrait orientation
• InterpolationResample

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Resources on Derivatives

• RLG DigiNews contains various features on file
  formats and compression techniques. Use the
  browse option to find articles, highlighted Web
  sites, and other information, http//www.rlg.org/p
  reserv/diginews/browse.html.
• Technical Advisory Service for Images, New
  Digital Image File Formats, http//www.tasi.ac.uk/
  advice/creating/newfile.html
• Designing Web Graphics 4 by Lynda Weinman,
  http//www.lynda.com/books/dwg4/

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Scanners Scanning

• Your choice of a flatbed scanner will depend on
  your current technological staff and funding
  levels
• Make sure any scanner you purchase
• Captures 256 or 8-bits of color as well as b w
• Is long and wide enough for most of your
  materials

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Scanning Software

• You will need
• High-powered PC (RAM especially)
• Software to calibrate scanner, screen, and
  printer so wysiwyg!
• Kodak
• MonacoEZcolor
• Software to manipulate images
• Adobe Photoshop or ImageReady

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Scanning Extras

• Image files can take up a lot of room on just
  one, lone PC. For this reason, you may need
• Server space for temporary storage (several
  Gigabytes)
• CD-ROMs or other media for off-site storage

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Centralized Workflow
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Centralized Workflow Continued . . .
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Process Specifics Everglades Digital Library
Collections

• Mostly local rather than centralized storage
  model
• html and Adobe Acrobat PDF files
• small file sizes use less space
• quick web delivery for dial-up connections
• Easy to update maintain in the short-term
• No archival copies (TIFFs) for long-term use

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EDL Example
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Process Specifics Miami Metropolitan Archive

• Collaborative project to archive local government
  documents of historic value
• Page images reflect look and feel of originals
• Centralized technological support (FCLA)/local
  scanning using flatbed scanners and Kodak CD
  technology

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MMA Homepage
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MMA Catalog Search
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MMA MARC Records
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MMA Digital Copy Delivery (JPEG)
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MMA Digital Copy Delivery (PDF)
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Milemarkers Linking Keys History

• Another collaborative archival project with
  Monroe County Public Library System/Key West
  Public Library and FCLA
• Photographic collections only
• Photos are scanned in Key West, cataloged at FIU
• FCLA offers scaleable/zoomable file delivery
  format for this particular, 1- page media

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Milemarkers Digital Copy Browsing (JPEG Thumbnail)
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Milemarkers Digital Copy Delivery (SID)