Imaging Services
Our Approach to Digitization
Imaging Services develops technical specifications for digitization projects using a process that considers many factors. These include the physical characteristics and safe handling requirements of the source material, project scale, budget, timeline, and user community requirements for the images and associated metadata we produce.
We select, configure, and calibrate our systems with care. We set initial focus, exposure, gray balance, and camera tonal response using standard reference targets. There are several standards and best practices documents relevant to our work and directed at the digitization of resources held in cultural heritage institutions. Our image-capture practices are consistent with those defined in the FADGI and Metamorphoze guidelines. These guidelines inform our image-capture system performance expectations regarding resolution efficiency, system noise, channel registration, gray balance, and tonal and color accuracy. Making “accurate” images at the point of capture can be a complex process with many variables at play, including staff expertise and judgment. Imaging Services has developed digitization workflows for a wide variety of library materials, and we continually refine our practices based on our growing experience, the availability of new hardware and software, and evolving user expectations.
Post-capture, we apply additional processing steps to more closely match images to the source material. Depending on the workflow, image processing may be applied individually to match a specific original or in large batches to match a class of originals. Images are evaluated in an ISO 3664 compliant viewing environment using calibrated monitors and D-50 viewing booths. Final images are delivered in standard color spaces and embedded with an appropriate ICC color profile.
The published materials that we digitize conform to the Digital Library Federation Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, and all are added to the DLF/OCLC Registry of Digital Masters.
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