Selection Criteria for Preservation Digital Reformatting
Principles | Phased Delivery | Life-Cycle Management
Selection of materials for preservation digital reformatting is based on value, use, condition, characteristics of the original item, and appropriateness of digital reproductions for use and access.
- Value - Priority is given to high-value, at-risk materials of national interest. The delivery of a digital reproduction is highly desirable for materials in this category, in part, to serve preventive preservation, as well as security, goals by reducing the handling of originals.
- Condition - Items that are not serviceable because of damage or fragility are candidates for digital reformatting, as are items stored on unstable media.
- Use - Original materials that have high frequency of demand or high retrieval costs are strong candidates for digital reformatting.
- Characteristics of originals - Originals in different physical formats and with different characteristics are suitable for digital reformatting, including bound and single-sheet paper materials, photographs, negatives, and items with color. This list of physical formats and characteristics will likely expand in the future.
- Acceptability of the resulting digital object - The digital object resulting from the reformatting process must meet the requirements of the custodial division and Preservation Directorate. In some cases the technology and/or methodology may not exist, or be too immature, to produce the desired results for large-scale production. However, some items or collections may be selected for preservation digital reformatting in order to test research results, approaches, or methodologies, and determine the feasibility of large-scale production digital reformatting for certain types of works.
- Access aids - Access aids of all types are candidates for digital reformatting, especially when the advantages of digital technology will significantly enhance access to microfilm or print collections. The criteria listed above are generally applied in selection decisions. In addition, digital access aids, including guides, indices, and databases, are created for digitally reformatted, microform, and, in some cases, print collections, as appropriate.