The bookplates in particular presen

The bookplates in particular presented problems regarding
accuracy of tone and color reproduction. Following the National
Archives and Records Administration’s recommendations in
Guidelines for Digitizing Archival Materials for Electronic Access
(Puglia, Reed & Rhodes, 2004), we included a Kodak Q-13 gray scale
target with each scan, which improved the accuracy and consistency of
color and tone reproduction. We also used ICC color profiles,
converting the ColorSync Workflow profile (standard for Epson
scanners) to the Adobe RGB 1998 workspace for post-processing in
Adobe Photoshop. We were not entirely satisfied with the results, and
realized that color management software would have been useful for
profiling and calibrating our scanners and monitors. In addition, the
presence of several large windows in the Visual Resources Center
meant that lighting was highly variable and rendered difficult the
comparison of the originals against the digitized images to check
quality and accuracy for color, brightness, and tone. The process was
less consistent and more subjective than we would have preferred, but
that was a drawback of being housed in a building constructed in 1896
with windows intended to provide as much natural illumination as
possible.