Digitization and Digital Archiving, 2 nd ed

Abstract

Digital archiving and the need to digitize in general is pervasive, not only across libraries and archives, but increasingly among individuals as well. Archives have collections that warrant digitization for a variety of reasons, including the inability to allow objects to be regularly handled because of brittleness, or as a result of the demand for photographs that exist only in print. Furthermore, digital archiving projects may tackle courageous endeavors like the preservation of institutional web pages or serve to make tedious formats like microfilm accessible in an online environment. Solutions, strategies, and workflows to these sometimes-complicated objectives are abundant in the literature. Finding a resource with content that matches the particular needs of the user is important. Part of the process is having a basic understanding of fundamental aspects of digital storage options, or, for example, the differences between the various types of digital audio or video files. This foundation building is the underlying strength of Elizabeth Leggett’s Digitization and digital archiving, 2nd ed. In the Preface, the author acknowledges the short timespan between the first and second editions of her book (six years) but justifies the apparently quick turnaround citing technological and economic developments such as the dramatic drop in prices of data storage. Among the three new chapters in the second edition are Chapter 6 (“Storing born digital”) and Chapter 7 (“Floppy disks and optical media”). Other chapters carried over from the first edition contain generally minor edits and slight revisions. Most chapters introduce the reader to the basics of various aspects of technology and computer function. This includes description of the inner workings of hard disk drives, descriptions of various types of computer ports and cables, and clear explanations of concepts like compression and bit depth when it comes to image and audio files. Information is often placed in a historical context that provides the reader with a foothold in how we have arrived at where we are today with regard to digital storage and archival practices. This can be valuable for novices in the realm of digital stewardship. The chapters of Digitization and digital archiving can certainly be read out of order and cherry-picked to satisfy individual needs. One of the most useful and engaging chapters is the one on copyright, which provides a concise, strategic crash course in the most relevant copyright concepts and issues. Chapter 16 (“Drawing up policies”), which is a revised version of the “Putting it all together” chapter in the first edition, provides a solid, though general, overview of what librarians and archivists would need to consider as digitization projects are planned. More specific examples or case studies would have been helpful here. Overall, this book is an improvement over the first edition but probably reserved as an introductory text for those who may be new and largely inexperienced when it comes to digitization and digital archiving.