Presentation "Digitisation at KU Leuven University Libraries: Towards consolidation" by Nele Gabriëls, KU Leuven, at IMPACT Members' Meeting 2017. http://bib.kuleuven.be/ub

1. Digitisation at KU Leuven
University Libraries:
Towards consolidation
Nele Gabriëls
Domain Responsible Digitisation
KU Leuven Libraries, Central Services

2. Context: general introduction
• Mainly documentary materials (manuscripts/printed books,
image materials)
• In-house digitisation (to date), camera-based
• Output Imaging Lab: up to 1.000 images / day
• Infrastructure for technical imaging
• Since 2015:
o Digitisation defined within the strategic plan
o Purpose: support for research, education and heritage
activities at the KU Leuven

3. 3
University Library
ULCSLIBISSpecial CollectionsArtes2Bergen
Policy Unit
Administration, Finance,
HR, Communication
SBIB
GBIB
FBIB
PBIB
RBIB
EBIB
Facultiy
libraries
Context: decentralised library
Digitisation &
Document
Delivery
Document
Delivery (ILL &
scan on demand)
Research &
Policy
Preparation
Document
Processing
Policy Support &
Advise
Digitisation

4. Context: stakeholders
Digitisation
Curators
Research
Education
Analogue materials
ULCS Metadata
Services
LIBIS
(LIS Provider)
Digital content
Digital Archiving
& OPAC
(OPAC, …)

5. Past (1): project-based digitisation
• Upon request
• Internal
e.g. historical statistics
1896; ‘prentbijbels’;
historical post cards;
oral health sciences
Projectidee
Contact UBD
Digitalisering
Online melding
projectidee
Samen uitwerken
formulier
projectaanvraag
Advies Werkgroep
Digitale Projecten
Herwerken
project-
aanvraag
Beslissing MT-UB
Goedkeuring
en opstart
project
Project in
huidige vorm
niet mogelijk
(Voorlopige)
afkeuring &
feedback
ok neg.
ok
pos.
haalbaar
niet haalbaar
neg.

6. Past (1): project-based digitisation
Advantages
• Needs met (short-term)
• Infrastructural
experimenting possible
Disadvantages
• Limited/no funding
• Lack of continuity
(collections & operational)

7. ULCS
Digitisation
CS DigitalImaging Lab
Faculty of ArtsUniversity Libraries
Past (2): Teaming up digitisation and research
@KU Leuven

8. Microdome (photometric stereo)

9. Past (3): first steps into OCR
Testing of software, tools and digitisation methods
Collection: early printed books in Dutch

10. Future
Policy-based Open
Innovative

11. Present: Policy-based - Getting ready
Workflow & tracking
essential for in-house
digitisation of higher volumes
Preparation
• Project application
• Agreement
• Book loans
• Transport
• Pre-/conservation
Metadating
Collection /
Items
• Analysis existing metadata
• Creating (extra) metadata
• Creating metadata for digitisation (‘digi
numbers’)
Digitisation
• Imaging
• Checks and processing
• Upload
Enrichment
• OCR
• High resolution viewer
• …
Ingest and
publishing
• Metadata – image
matching
• Ingest
• Checks
Post-care
• Archiving documentation
• Image preservation

12. Present: Policy-based - Digitisation choices
Digitisation of 3 core collections
• Incunabulae
• Collection Academica Antiqua
(Special Collections)
• Jesuit Collection (Maurits
Sabbe Library)
Herbarius Latinus (Mainz: Schoeffer, 1484)
KU Leuven Libraries, Special Collections, Inc. 101

13. Present: Policy-based - Digitisation choices
Thematic ‘hooks’ for project
applications
• 600th anniversary Leuven
University Foundation
• Conservational digitisation
• Showcases
• Infrastructural development
focusing on OCR Charter from the ancient Leuven University
KU Leuven University Archives

14. Present: Technical imaging - external
FingerPrint (prints by Pieter Brueghel the Elder)
Collaboration with Royal Library, Illuminare, ESAT
Research partners: KIKIRPA, KHM Vienna

15. Present: Technical imaging - external
ArtGarden (Mixed media heritage objects: ‘Besloten hofjes’, Mechelen)
Collaboration with KIKIRPA and Universiteit van Antwerpen

16. Present: Technical imaging - internal
Technical imaging of in-house collections
based on photometric stereo
KU Leuven Libraries,
Special Collections,
Khirbet Mird Papyri
Visual spectra FCIR: IR, G, B
KU Leuven Libraries, Maurits Sabbe Library, MS 1 (Anjou Bible), fol. 1v

17. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
Folio 34R
Folio 34R Treated
Untreated Treated
Height profile
comparison
Antiphonary

18. Present: Technical imaging
We’re hiring!
Choice for structural embedding of technical imaging and innovation &
research at the KU Leuven Libraries)

19. Present: open images - Mirador
+ adjusting infrastructure to improve sharing
Implementation of IIIF-based viewer (work in progress)

20. Present: open images – Public Domain
+ adjusting infrastructure to improve sharing

21. Present: Theme ‘infrastructure’/OCR
SUCCEED succession??
Quick wins:
• Basic OCR implementation in standard workflow
• Unifying practices at decentralised libraries with in-house
digitisation and OCR

22. KU Leuven University
Library | Digitisation
Nele Gabriels, Dieter Daemen, Erika Scheltens,
Frédéric Van Cutsem, Mark Verbrugge, Bruno
Vandermeulen
http://bib.kuleuven.be/ub
https://enrichingheritage.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/imagingkuleuven