Digitization projects can range from a single item to the implementation of an agencywide digitization plan. Regardless of the scope, digitization projects involve considerations similar to those outlined by the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) in the group’s Anatomy of a Digital Project webinar series. When selecting resources to digitize, CARLI recommends considering several factors:
- Purpose and audience. Expanding access to a wider audience and ensuring long-term preservation are common goals of digitization. Consider:
- Will the digital resources fulfill a specific purpose aligned with the agency or library mission? If the agency has a digitization plan, is this selection in alignment with it?
- Intrinsic value. Will these digital resources be unique (not available elsewhere)? Can they be presented with sufficient context (for example, for a collection of archival images)?
- Discovery and access. Consider how the digitized items will be discovered, accessed and used. Will the digital objects have added value (such as keyword searchability for textual materials)?
- Copyright. Does the library have permission to digitize the items or are they in the public domain?
Refer to the Copyright and Open Access Quick Guide for more information.
- Cost. Consider personnel time, equipment costs, and long-term storage, preservation and maintenance of the digital files. Do the materials have any special characteristics that would add to the processing cost?
- Physical condition. Will digitization damage or destroy the items? Will digitizing prevent further handling of the originals?
