Photographs, Digital Galleries and Access at State Records

Digital practice update: digitisation and digital preservation

State Library of NSW15 February 2011

Digitise for access

• Digitise primarily for access not preservation alone• Microfilming is still the preferred method for long-term

preservation• Need to manage the original as well as the digital image

files• Less handling of the original if digitised and/or microfilmed• Link images in your control system• Quantity versus quality – high resolution versus low

resolution• Identify individual images by titling as well as by Digital ID

Digitisation resources

• Staff: 1 Project Officer and 1 Digitisation Officer• Equipment: Sinar Camera with MacPro Laptop;

Microtek ArtixScan 2020 A3 Flat Bed Scanner • Software: Adobe PhotoShop 7.0• Images linked to Business Operations System

(BOS) and Archives Investigator• Metadata harvested by Picture Australia

Sinarcamera

Technical specifications

Photographs and Documents• 600dpi TIFF scan, 24 bit colour (master)• 600dpi JPEG (image for printing/purchase)• 75dpi JPEG (online display)• Thumbnails are created by Business Operations System

(BOS)• Master image between 1 and 5 MB (mostly between 1 and 2

MB)

Glass negatives• Choose the film type (eg. Kodak)• Trial and error to get colour right (eg. sepia image looks sepia)

Digital ID

• Digital ID is a unique number for each image• Eg. Digital ID: 4481_a026_000008.jpg• 4481 is the New South Wales Record Series (NRS)• a026 is the Job No.• 000008 is the sequential number (unique)• The Digital ID is used to link the image to BOS

• File Path: eg. 2008-2009\NRS4481\75dpi\4481_a026_000008.jpg

‘Online’ reels

• ‘Online’ microfilm of assisted shipping lists

Digital galleries

• Matron’s Diary for the Fitzjames (1857)• Lachlan Macquarie: visionary and

builder• 50 years at State Records NSW

(1961-2011)

Recent projects – Why digitise?

First Fleet indents: NRS 1150 [SZ115]• Already microfilmed (Fiche 620-624)• Client request for digitisation• Significant record

Thunderbolt documents• Call for papers from NSW Parliament• Public interest in bushrangers• PR opportunity

Other projects

• First Fleet Indents • Thunderbolt

Other projects

• First Fleet Indent• Thunderbolt

Access issues

• External/Internal Access• Reference Copies• Convenience• Expectations• Digital on demand• Orphan images

A Moving Photo

State Records NSW

Janette PelosiA/Senior Archivist, Context and DocumentationRhonda CampbellProject Officer, Copying and Digitisation(02) 9673 1788