Archival Management

Digitization Basics for Archivists

Digitization Basics for Archivists

Archival repositories can generate surrogates for various purposes, such as PDFs for print reproduction, JPEGs for online display, and TIFFs for storage. 

The hundredth copy of a digital image is indistinguishable from its progenitors. Electronic copies suffer no degradation through the duplication process, unlike other forms of copying, such as facsimiles. A copy of a digital image is indistinguishable from its source, while the original can lose its meaning in this electronic world. 

The Benefits of Digitization

The Benefits of Digitization

Although digitization initiatives are complex, when managed successfully, their benefits outweigh the skills, costs, and time required. 

Digital files are superior to past surrogate forms like microfilm because they are delivered via networks, offering enhanced access to multiple simultaneous users worldwide. Archivists can index digitized images for accurate identification and instantaneous retrieval. Physical proximity to digital collections is unnecessary, unlike analog collections.