Prepared by James Van Mil and Sidney Gao – June 2020

The success of digitization project execution depends on the collaboration of stakeholders from multiple units across the University of Cincinnati Libraries. Digitization projects may range from focused, in-house digitization to large-scale, out-sourced digitization. This document will identify how to plan different types of digitization projects.

Project types

Basic Digitization Projects

Basic digitization projects are characterized by simplicity in managing the execution of the workflow - all stages of the workflows are able to be completed through established, in-house workflows. Workflow steps for this type of project include:

  • Selection & Profiling –identification of an item or a collection for digitization, including the identification of digitization needs

  • Digitization – imaging or reformatting of materials into a digital format

  • Digital Preservation Planning – documenting file format risk and storage needs

  • Accessibility Review and Remediation – reviewing and correcting basic content accessibility issues

  • Metadata Review – consulting with selector to ensure well-formatted metadata and advising on appropriate standards or vocabularies

  • Ingest & Verification – loading content into the destination repository and performing quality assurance checks; finalizing project documentation

Advanced Digitization Projects

Advanced digitization projects are characterized by targeting an expanded project scope, beyond what typical digitization and ingest workflows can fulfil. The selector (or their designee) should expect to serve as a project manager, with overall responsibility for coordinating resources for the project.

Advanced project needs will vary – some will be marginally more complex than basic projects, and other will involve coordination of effort across multiple departments within UCL.

Starting a Digitization Project

If you have any questions about starting a project, please contact the Digital Collections Team at digitalcontent@ucmail.uc.edu.

As you start work on any project, please review the Selection Guidelines. This document will help you to understand what materials are well-suited for digitization projects.

If your project is a basic digitization project, the first step is to complete the Digital Collection Project Profile. The Digital Collections Team is available to consult and support the completion of the project profile. After this document is complete and verified by the digital content team, the project will be added to the digital collections workflow queue. The Digital Collections Team maintains two workflow queues: one for projects that demonstrate potential for success, and an additional queue for projects which, in addition to demonstrating potential for success, also amplify hidden voices though digitizing collections that represent historically underrepresented groups.

If your project is an advanced digitization project, the first step is to identify an advocate who will serve as project manager - this will often be the selector. Next, the project manager should work to identify what will be needed to successfully digitize the materials. Working with the Digital Collections Team to complete the Digital Collection Project Profile will help to identify these project needs. This is likely to include any of the following needs:

  • Preservation treatment – preparing fragile materials for digitization

  • Outsourced digitization – working with an non-UCL partner or vendor to complete workflow where in-house digitization cannot accommodate the quantity or formats

  • Metadata creation/cataloging support – metadata creation or cataloging; metadata training for student workers

  • Accessibility support and remediation – addressing challenging content needs, e.g., transcription of handwriting or archaic type, table formatting, image description

Although the Digital Collections Team will coordinate the integration of advanced workflow needs with the digitization workflow, the selector/project manager shall be responsible for arranging, managing, and, if necessary, funding this advanced work.

To ensure the success of an advanced digitization project, the project manager should prepare a project plan outlining participant contributions and general timelines for completion. This project plan should include inputs from all stakeholders, and indicate their roles in the project.

The Digitization Project Scope document may serve as a template for project planning. In cases where advanced digitization project needs are minimal (e.g., when the project integrates existing workflows for preservation treatment, or other technical/metadata support), the need for additional project documentation may be waived.

If the project depends on external funding for success, the Digital Collections Team should be involved in planning for digitization at the beginning stages of the project.