From the LA side of the LAM community, Bancroft
Library has been doing "rapid imaging" projects
for some years now. We usually talk about them in
terms of applying MPLP to digitization (an
archives concept) or shifting gears, about which
I did a session at MCN on the topic in 2007 and
more recently at SCA and SAA. The basic construct
is: with less funding, higher expectations of
online content by our users, and learning from
models like mass digitization of books, we have
been compelled to explore various methods for
getting more content online at less cost.
By establishing digitization workflows for
scanning microfilm of newspapers and archival
collections, 4x5 negatives with limited
correction, and large quantities of 8x10 prints
at a given time, we have reduced our costs
significantly, from as much as $20/item down to
$2.50/item, and even as low as $0.10/item from microfilm.
In terms of through put, here are some broad numbers:
THEN: Traditional practice:
2,700 images in two years
NOW: MPLP practice:
80,000 images in two years (microfilm)
23,000 images in two years (negatives)
If our goal is to get more content online and not
to digitally preserve the item being digitized,
we can find ways (like scanning microfilm) to get
more content up faster and cheaper. We can always
reserve higher quality scanning where warranted
and as funding allows. Obviously, if you are
documenting a rare work of art or need files for
other purposes, such as fine publication,
exhibitions, etc. higher quality may be
warranted, but for access images of materials you
plan to continue to preserve physically, good
enough may well do the trick. And ultimately, the
good enough we are getting is often no less than
our "high" imaging standards, just cheaper than
it was before as we and vendors find ways to
reduce costs without reducing quality.
Some of the "rapid imaging" projects we've done:
Hearst Collection (microfilm) - http://bit.ly/cTxU1j
SF News Call Bulletin (negatives) - http://bit.ly/du8CDg
National Digital Newspaper Program (microfilm) - http://bit.ly/cBGvLJ
Examiner (negatives) no online yet
Graves Collection (8x10 prints) - http://bit.ly/9KhG7C
John Muir Correspondence (microfilm) - http://bit.ly/coAFf1
So, just some food for thought...
Mary W. Elings
Head of Digital Collections
The Bancroft Library
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
melings*library.berkeley.edu
Ph 510-643-2273
Fx 510-643-2548
http://twitter.com/bancroftlibrary
http://www.facebook.com/bancroftlibrary
"...let us save what remains: not by vaults and
locks which fence them from the public eye and
use in consigning them to the waste of time, but
by such a multiplication of copies, as shall
place them beyond the reach of
accident." (Thomas Jefferson, February 18, 1791)
At 03:48 PM 8/4/2010, Sam Quigley wrote:
>In the better late than never department...
>
>For a some detail on the work flow we employed at the Art Institute,
>please see our entry on the MCN Project Registry by following this
>link: http://www.musetechcentral.org/project.aspx?projectid=60. There
>you will also be able to access some historical production data buried
>in the "Update for WebWise 2010" pdf file.
>
>And just in case you haven't used this valuable resource, I recommend
>poking around MuseTechCentral to see what great work our colleagues
>have been doing ... it can be really useful in framing your own
>project plan.
>
>All best,
>Sam
>
>On Jul 22, 2010, at 10:42 AM, Waibel,Guenter wrote:
>
> > Hi everybody,
> >
> >
> >
> > I've recently had the good fortune of seeing the rapid digitization
> > process the National Gallery has set up for its works-on-paper. (I
> > know Alan and Peter are on this list, so rather than bungling the
> > details, I'll leave it to them to describe what they're doing -
> > needless to say, it's impressive.) At MCN, I've overheard that
> > various other folks are working on rapid imaging workflows, or
> > already have them in place - the Art Institute, Harvard U Art
> > Museum, Yale U Art Gallery, MoMA come to mind. I'd be curious to
> > hear who has an established workflow, what you are imaging, and what
> > your throughput is as compared to your high-end workflow.
> >
> >
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> >
> >
> > G?nter
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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>
>=================================
>Sam Quigley
>VP for Collections Management, Imaging &
>Information Technology / Museum CIO
>Art Institute of Chicago
>111 S. Michigan Ave.
>Chicago, IL 60603
>312-443-4772
>www.artic.edu
>
>?Nothing could be more magical.? ? The Boston Globe
>Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century
>July 25?October 3
>Members see more. Join today!
>www.artinstituteofchicago.org
>
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