Digitizing Historical Records Projects
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can we demonstrate that the project materials are nationally significant?
- Where can I find best practices for the digitizing of historical materials?
- Do you have examples of the results of previously-funded projects?
- We wish to submit a draft for review by NHPRC program staff. How should we do this?
- We have number of great collections, but they are all relatively small. Can we propose digitizing more than one collection?
- We have a great collection, but we do not think every series needs to be digitized. Can we select the most used or most important?
- Does every item need to be digitized. Can we exclude certain items that we do not think are interesting or valuable?
- The announcement requires that funded-project maintain public website describing the process of digitizing the materials as well as an access point for the digitized materials. Are there any further requirements about these sites, such as they must be built with open-source tools or be located in the same website?
- We plan to work with another repository or vendor which has more expertise in digitizing or digital presentations. Is this permissible?
- There are several smaller repositories in my area that would like to work together on a digitizing project. Can we propose such a project?
- The descriptive information for our materials is not in an EAD finding aid. Instead, it is a hard-copy finding aid, a word processing document, or a database. Can we apply?
- The finding aid for our collection does not include enough descriptive information. Can we update it as part of this project?
- We have a collection of published materials that is rare and that we know researchers would like to access on the web. Can we apply?
- How do we demonstrate in our application that we "have the permission of all relevant copyright holders, where possible?"
- The announcement emphasizes the need for cost-effective approaches. How will the Commission evaluate this standard?
How can we demonstrate that the project materials are nationally significant?
In general, remember that you will need to convince reviewers with varying historical knowledge of the significance of this material. Do not assume that because an event or debate is familiar to you that it will be familiar to others. Three approaches that you might want to consider are:
- Demonstrate that the materials or equivalent ones have been used in studies with a national audience. Try to provide specific citations to books, articles, websites, or other publications.
- Demonstrate the connections between the materials and significant fields of study in American history. Be as specific as possible about how the materials document important events, trends, and fields. Indicate how they will be useful in ongoing debates or research.
- Demonstrate the uniqueness of the items in documenting aspects of American history that need more source materials to allow the public, including scholars, to understand the past. Explain why there are few other similar sources available.
Where can I find best practices for the digitizing of historical materials?
Here are some suggested resources. There are many other groups that also provide guidelines. Your own institution may have already developed standards, or you may consult with a vendor to develop your specifications.
In your proposal, it is important to explain why you picked particular standards and your experience with them. In addition, reviewers will want you to specify how you will apply to these standards to the specific types of materials you have. Explain, for example, how will you handle photographs, oversized materials, nitrate negatives, fragile materials or whatever kinds of documents apply to your project. Remember that if your project focuses on audiovisual materials and has complex permission issues, you may want to apply for funding in the NHPRC's Processing: Detailed Project category since those projects allow reformatting for preservation rather than access purposes.
Guidelines for Digitizing Manuscripts and Photos
- Library of Congress, Technical Standards for Digital Conversion of Text and Graphic Materials (December 2006) (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/about/techStandards.pdf).
- United States National Archives and Records Administration, Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Archival Materials for Electronic Access: Creation of Production Master Files - Raster Images (2004) (http://www.archives.gov/preservation/technical/guidelines.html)
- Western States Digital Standards Group, Digital Imaging Working Group, Western States Digital Imaging Best Practices (Version 1.0, January 2003) (http://www.bcr.org/cdp/best/digital-imaging-bp.pdf).
Guidelines for Digitizing Audio Materials
- CDP Digital Audio Working Group, Digital Audio Best Practices (Version 2.1, October 2006) (http://www.bcr.org/cdp/best/digital-audio-bp.pdf).
Guidelines for Preserving and Digitizing Film
- National Film Preservation Foundation, The Film Preservation Guide: The Basics for Archives, Libraries, and Museums (2004) (http://www.filmpreservation.org/preservation/fpg.pdf).
Guidelines for Preserving and Digitizing Videos
- See the Video Preservation web site, especially the Digital Migration Tools and Techniques (http://www.videopreservation.stanford.edu/dig_mig).
Do you have examples of the results of previously-funded projects?
In Fall 2006, the NHPRC funded three projects that applied under a similar announcement. Each of these projects has a website, but none of them have completed the linking of digitized materials to finding aids.
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The Aldo Leopold Foundation and the University of Wisconsin have started releasing scanned materials. Select Browse the Collection (http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/AldoLeopold/) to see what is available online. They will be adding materials as the scanning and quality control is completed. There are also links from the finding aid on the same page.
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Troup County (Georgia) has project materials and reports at: Troup County Court Records Scanning Project (http://www.troupscanning.blogspot.com/).
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The Archives of Michigan has materials at their partner's website (the University of Michigan Digital Library): Online Finding Aids (http://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/archivemi/).
In addition, thanks to funding from the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Archives of American Art have been engaging in the practice of digitizing entire collections or series and has many examples of the results. Browse the Collections Online (http://www.aaa.si.edu/collectionsonline/).
We wish to submit a draft for review by NHPRC program staff. How should we do this?
Send as complete a draft as possible by email to lucy.barber@nara.gov by April 1, 2008. You may attach the grants.gov package or send individual documents. Drafts are easier to evaluate if they contain clear descriptions of the materials to be digitized as well as rough figures about project costs. Program staff will reply as promptly as possible to the drafts.
We have number of great collections, but they are all relatively small. Can we propose digitizing more than one collection?
Yes. The collections should be related, however, so that outreach plans can target similar audiences. In addition, you will want to ensure that you have enough materials to reach a cost-effective solution. If you think the cost of the entire project will be less than $40,000 (i.e. a grant request of $20,000), you should probably consider a different source of funding.
We have a great collection, but we do not think every series needs to be digitized. Can we select the most used or most important?
Absolutely. Explain why you are picking the records and justify it with reference to usage records, fields of studies, or practical concerns (such as copyright issues or the cost of digitizing certain formats). However, within a series, all materials should be digitized. In addition, the materials that you will digitize must already have sufficient descriptive information at the series, folder or item level to be useful to researchers. Remember, you cannot use grant funds to create descriptive information as part of these projects.
Does every item need to be digitized. Can we exclude certain items that we do not think are interesting or valuable?
In general, no. The NHPRC is interested in supporting projects that provide researchers on the internet with access to the same materials that researchers at your facility would use. Excluding items requires you to edit the existing metadata and suggests that the collection requires further appraisal. Both issues are likely to raise serious concerns for reviewers and the Commission.
The announcement requires that funded-project maintain public website describing the process of digitizing the materials as well as an access point for the digitized materials. Are there any further requirements about these sites, such as they must be built with open-source tools or be located in the same website?
No. The NHPRC expects applicants to explain what software and hardware they will use for these websites and to justify those choices, but there are no preconceived notions of what is the best method.
We plan to work with another repository or vendor which has more expertise in digitizing or digital presentations. Is this permissible?
Absolutely. Partnerships are often an essential part of these projects. Provide sufficient information about the process of selecting the partner and their expertise so that reviewers and the Commission can understand the choice. Selection of vendors should be based on your institutions' normal practices and involve comparative bids when possible.
There are several smaller repositories in my area that would like to work together on a digitizing project. Can we propose such a project?
It depends. Such a project might involve more training and developing of effective processes that would take away from the goal of cost-effective digitization of entire collections. Depending on the scale of the project, it might be a more effective proposal in the NHPRC's Strategies and Tools category or as a state-based initiative in the State and National Archival Partnership Grants.
The descriptive information for our materials is not in an EAD finding aid. Instead, it is a hard-copy finding aid, a word processing document, or a database. Can we apply?
Yes, but you will have to include reformatting of the finding aid into EAD in your project costs. You may also make the case that an EAD finding aid is not an effective access tool for your materials. However, in order to link the digitized images with the existing descriptive information, you will need to have it in a structured format. The reformatting process should be routine and not result in rewriting of the descriptive material.
The finding aid for our collection does not include enough descriptive information. Can we update it as part of this project?
No. You will have to find other resources for such a project.
We have a collection of published materials that is rare and that we know researchers would like to access on the web. Can we apply?
The NHPRC does not support projects that "catalog, acquire, or preserve books, periodicals, or other library materials." We do not award grants for collections of published materials, and you may wish to seek funding through the National Endowment for the Humanities, Institute of Museum and Library Services, or other funding sources, depending upon the nature of your collection.
How do we demonstrate in our application that we "have the permission of all relevant copyright holders, where possible?"
Explain the dates and possible copyright issues relating to the materials. If the materials are likely to be covered by copyright, explain your contact with the copyright holders and why that gives you confidence that the materials can be posted online for public use. If there are agreements that specify the arrangements, include them in the supplemental materials.
The announcement emphasizes the need for cost-effective approaches. How will the Commission evaluate this standard?
The Commission is aware that costs for digitizing will vary depending on the collection and its condition. In the application, provide enough details so that reviewers and the Commission can evaluate the per-item cost for the project. Remember the work plan needs to show the costs for each stage of the project.
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