Digitization and microfilming as choices in preservation

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Digitization and microfilming as choices in
preservation

• Yola de Lusenet
• European Commission on Preservation and Access

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Different aims, different strategies

• digitization is primarily access-driven
• what is digitized may be preserved, but
• what needs to be preserved may not be digitized
• other preservation options remain necessary

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Digitization for use

• emphasis on promoting use
• possibility of reaching new users
• can we really measure use?
• which user communities need to be served?
• value of high-use and low-use materials

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Digitization for preservation

• digitization produces surrogates that relieve
  stress on originals
• preservation as an incidental effect rather than
  criterion for selection
• most arguments for digitization are
  access-related
• requirements for images for use and preservation
  differ

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Preservation as primary concern

• preservation of information is necessary even
  without expectation of extensive use
• low-use materials, specialist materials
• materials that must be kept by law irrespective
  of use
• microfilm a preservation solution
• digitization a preservation problem

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Hybrid approach - projects

• Project Open Book conversion of microfilm to
  digital imagesYale University, 1991-1996
• Digital to Microfilm Conversion Projectproducing
  Computer Output Microfilm (COM) from high-res
  bitonal imagesCornell University, 1994-1996
• in both projects
• microfilm as preservation master
• high-resolution bitonal images (600 dpi)

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Hybrid approach - literature

• S.Chapman, P. Conway, A.R. Kenney 1999 Digital
  imaging and preservation microfilm the future of
  the hybrid approach for the preservation of
  brittle bookswww.clir.org/pubs/archives/hybridint
  ro.html
• RLG Guidelines for microfilming to support
  digitization January 2003http//www.rlg.org/prese
  rv/microsuppl.pdf

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Reference

• Stephen Chapman
• Counting the costs of digital preservationis
  repository storage affordable?
• Journal of Digital Information May 2003
• jodi.ecs.soton.ac.uk

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Hybrid or complementary

• requirements for use and longevity determine the
  choice of technology
• use and preservation do not always require same
  technological solution
• requirements may change with time
• technologies are complementary
• technologies can be combined in phased approach
  film now, scan later, or vice versa

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With thanks to

• Stephen Chapman
• Dennis Schouten
• Henriëtte Reerink
• Robert Gillesse