Digitization Options
Depending on the items an organization selects, digitization would be conducted at one of two facilities:
- BPL Digital Imaging Lab
- Internet Archive
Any materials digitized as part of this program, through either work stream, will be made available (via uploaded or harvest) through the DC portal and repository system.
For information about what types of content may be contributed, see the Collection Development Policy.
For further clarification about the digitization facilities at the BPL, please contact: digital@bpl.org.
This facility is optimized to digitize materials of most any size or dimension. Currently, this is where the BPL digitizes items from the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center as well as other non-bound materials (e.g. photographic prints, large-format glass and film negatives, postcards, posters, manuscripts, magic lantern slides, atlas pages).
All imaging is done in accordance with the Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative’s “Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials” and the studio environment is ISO 3664:2009 compliant.
This lab utilizes high-end digital cameras manufactured by Sinar for most imaging procedures and will produce TIFF master files, as well as any JPEG derivatives of a size and compression ratio of the applicant’s choosing. The BPL is prepared to store a copy of the master files on its own storage array until the DC portal and repository system is equipped to manage such digital objects on its own.
The BPL Digital Imaging Lab is optimally utilized for items such as large-format negative/transparency materials, maps, postcards, photographs, or other individual-page items (e.g., marriage intentions, letters, or other flat documents).
PRIOR to digitization: Items need only include a unique identifier. Description can be completed after digitization.
