Step 2: Digitization process
Choice of equipment
Choose digital capture equipment suitable for the items to be digitized and appropriate to the goals of the project. For instance, high-resolution digital cameras are recommended for medieval manuscripts and other materials for which researchers will want to study minute details. A flatbed scanner may be well suited to modern photograph collections. Special book scanners can be used for a wide range of printed books.
Whenever possible, the same process should be used for an entire object to provide uniformity. Some of the automated equipment that has been developed for mass digitization projects may be inappropriate for digitizing rare and fragile materials due to the risk of damage.
Image Quality
Resolution, colour depth, and lighting should be decided by taking into account any specific standards and recommendations generally accepted for the particular material, requirements for the archival master, and the requirements of display and use, according to the general design of the project. Other elements of image quality to consider include colour saturation, image brightness, image integrity, and the absence of halos and other optical flaws.
If foldouts are photographed with different equipment, the images should be inserted into the proper sequence.
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Guidelines for Planning the Digitization of Rare Book and Manuscript Collections
When planning capture resolutions, be sure to calculate how much storage space you will need, and consider the download time that researchers will experience. Institutions that wish to digitize collections only once to accommodate current and future needs should consider capturing at 1.5 times above the currently desired final format. The higher the image quality, the more uses the file will have in the future.