Beyond 2D images: effective 3D imaging for library materials

Significant efforts are being made to digitize rare and valuable library materials, with the goal of providing patrons and historians digital facsimiles that capture the "look and feel" of the original materials. This is often done by digitally photographing the materials and making high resolution 2D images available. The underlying assumption is that the objects are flat. However, older materials may not be flat in practice, being warped and crinkled due to decay, neglect, accident and the passing of time. In such cases, 2D imaging is insufficient to capture the "look and feel" of the original. For these materials, 3D acquisition is necessary to create a realistic facsimile. This paper outlines a technique for capturing an accurate 3D representation of library materials which can be integrated directly into current digitization setups. This will allow digitization efforts to provide patrons with more realistic digital facsimile of library materials.