Community Digitization at Washington State Library: Planning

There are a number of steps that must be taken before the work on any digital project can begin. Factors to consider include:

Who will be involved
Some projects will be completed by a single person while others may involve multiple people including stakeholders such as donors or library boards member, the project manager, scanning and cataloging technicians, and subject matter specialists. Those involved in the project can be regular library staff, temporary staff, interns, volunteers, or people from other organizations. Determine who will be responsible for which tasks and involved in which phases of the project.

The scope of the project
This includes identification and selection of specific collections and/or topical themes on which to focus. Especially when planning your first digital project or working within a limited timeframe, make sure to narrow the scope of the project to something that can reasonably be accomplished. 

Any necessary legal documentation
Consider developing inter-organizational agreements when working with partner institutions. Gather and/or develop other legal agreements such as permissions documents for digitizing privately-owned collections or collecting oral histories, or temporary custody agreements when materials will be digitized outside their owning institution.

The equipment and supplies required
The equipment needed will depend on the type of digital project and/or the items being digitized. For materials to be scanned, consider their size and whether they are loose or bound. An appropriately sized flatbed scanner will work for most documents, but could damage items such as books which cannot safely and easily be unbound.

File naming and storage
Washington Rural Heritage has established file naming conventions. Consult with Washington State Library staff to develop a file naming convention for your digital materials. While Washington State Library will preserve the files, libraries and other contributing organizations may also wish to store the master files. Determine how and where the files will be stored.

Feel free to contact Washington State Library staff with questions at any stage of the planning process.