Presented by Chris Edwards at the Annual Conference of the Visual Resources Association, April 3rd - April 6th, 2013, in Providence, Rhode Island. Session #7: Digitizing Originals – From Best Practice to Archival Image ORGANIZER / MODERATOR: Beth Wodnick, Princeton University PRESENTERS: David Dwiggins, Historic New England Chris Edwards, Yale University, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Tom Rieger, Northeast Document Conservation Center Endorsed by the Education Committee Everyone wants a digital image! Researchers expect to have a plethora of information at their fingertips and from anywhere with internet access. The need for digital imaging in collections has risen exponentially and we, as visual resource professionals, need to embrace the idea that imaging is no longer limited to slide scanning and copy stand photography. Many researchers now expect to have digital images of rare books, special collections, historic photographs and graphic materials, to mention a few, available to them quickly and easily. VR professionals are well versed in the ways of digitizing slide collections, but handling and photographing sometimes challenging original material may be a new frontier. This session will discuss best practices for photographing original material and creating archival images. Presenters will also provide examples of established workflows for gathering, photographing, cataloging and archiving these materials. Tom Rieger , Director of Imaging Services at the Northeast Document Conservation Center, in Andover, Massachusetts, will provide an overview of the best practices for the care and handling of original materials and the best practices for digital imaging, as defined in the FADGI guidelines. The FADGI guidelines were developed with major imaging centers in mind, but they can be interpreted for use in smaller imaging centers and local initiatives. This discussion will address these differences. The range of medias included in the discussion will include all forms of visual media, from rare books through modern photographic media. An overview of the workflow and digital imaging process at NEDCC will also be presented. David Dwiggins, Systems Librarian/Archivist at Historic New England, will discuss the evolution of the organization's digitization strategy. As part of its Collections Access Project, the Historic New England has placed images of more than 50,000 items from its collection online since 2010. Although original plans called for outsourcing almost all digitization, investments in equipment and training allowed the organization to produce archival quality, high-resolution images to supply its website, publication programs, and external users. The new direction has made the organization less dependent on grant funding for maintaining digitization activities, and has allowed it to develop internal expertise that reduces costs and increases efficiency. Dwiggins will discuss the ch

1. Chris Edwards
Visual Resources Association 2013 Annual Conference
Thursday, April 4, 2013
YALE UNIVERSITY
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Digitizing Originals – From
Best Practice to Archival Image

2. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library

3. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
High Resolution Publication Quality Images:

4. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Hardware
•PhaseOne IQ180, 80MP
digital back
•Digital Transitions RCAM with
30”x40” capture table
• ProPhoto strip strobes
Software
•CaptureOne
•Adobe CS6
High Resolution 2012-Present

5. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Rapid Imaging:

6. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Hardware
•Canon EOS 1-DS Mark III
•Canon EF 24-70 f 2.8 Lens
•Kaiser R1 System
•Dell Latitude D830 Core 2 Duo
•LaCie 2 Terabyte External Hard
Drive w/USB 2.0
•Uline Wire Utility Cart, 36w x
24d x 39h
Software
•Canon EOS Utility
•Adobe CS5 w/Bridge and
Camera RAW 6.4.1
•Adobe Digital Negative
Converter
Rapid Imaging Project (RIP)

7. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Hardware
•Better Light Super 8K scan back
camera
•ZBESatellite 4x5 camera stand
and controller
• North Light HDI lights
Software
•Better Light Viewfinder 7.2.1
•Adobe CS3
Old High Resolution 2002-2012

8. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Original Studio 2002-2012 Re-Designed Studio 2012-Present

9. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Custom
ICC Profile
Custom
ICC Profile
RAW Image Capture
IQ-Analyzer
Metamorphoze
FADGI
RAW Image Capture
untagged
Color Management
Workflow

10. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Color Management Tools
IQ-Analyzer

11. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Low Cost, Readily Available, DIY

12. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Low Cost, Readily Available, DIY

13. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Negative and Transparency digitization

14. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keefe Correspondence

15. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
Alfred Stieglitz and Georgia O’Keefe Correspondence

16. Contacts and Resources
• chris.edwards@yale.edu
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library
• http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/
Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library and Yale University Art Gallery

17. The Visual Resources Association gratefully
acknowledges support for Session 7 from:
Please attend the
Meet and Greet VRA Sponsors Event,
4:30 on Friday, to thank our sponsors.