1. Digitisation: What, why and how
Bryan Kalms
Welcome and thanks for coming
Purpose: give you an introduction to digitisation and what it means for you
What do you want to get from today?
About me
Questions as we go
Any questions to begin with?
The Atlas is funded by the Australian Government under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and further supported by the Super Science Initiative of the Education Investment Fund

2. Topics for today Context of the talk Defining digitisation
Benefits of digitisation
Issues in digitisation
Getting started with digitisation
Measuring digitisation performance
The digitisation landscape
Where to from here

3. Context of talk Curation Natural history focus
Supported through science
Natural history focus
Applies to cultural collections as well
Information and overview
Get you started

4. Digitisation and you
What is the state of digitisation in your organisation?
Which image best represents digitisation in your organisation? I used babies because we are all babes-in-the-woods in our digitisation activities.
Draw out what’s happening, issues, desires etc.
If they already have digitisation up and going, even in an ad hoc manner, it would be good to focus on organisation/planning/documentation/policy aspects. If not, this can be intimidating and should not be over-stated, with more of an emphasis on the 'just get started, and see what you learn as you go - the need for the policy/strategy side of things will become clear and easier to manage as you get underway' approach.

5. What is digitisation?

6. Digitisation is… Digital asset Moo, moo, moo
Digital asset

7. What is a digital asset? Data in a data base
Digital image of a collection item
Digital image of a painting
Digital audio file
Digital video file
Digital version of a photographic slide
Digital version of a microscope slide
Scanned (OCR?) version of a field note book
Digital CT scan
Digital copy of…

8. Core digitisation activities
Databasing
Making digital
Managing data
Digitisation
Governing digitisation
Sharing data
Using technology

9. Digitisation process
Plan
Organise
Digitise
Manage
Share

10. Why digitise?
Can you give me some reasons why an institution may engage in systematic digitisation?

11. Benefits of digitisation
It’s (core) business
Reduced object handling
Easier loans procedures
Easier data sharing
Easier compliance with legal obligations
Produce more complete data sets
Meet client/user needs
Create opportunities for better work practices
Facilitate new ways of looking at the data
Greater audience reach
Assist curation process
Raise the institution’s profile
Do it now or go out of business
Use the image not the specimen—save damaging the specimen; the QM experience
Save time and effort—the QM experience
Publish many times in many ways; provide online access to new information like field notebooks
Right to information legislation
Images, sounds, records…
Systematisation of data creation and management
Change the way you work; the QM experience with loans; barcodes; random storage
See similarities through images; hear them through sounds
Get rid of the old photographic and microscope slides
Raise your profile
Tell your story more readiy

12. Issues in digitisation

13. Issues in digitisation
Accepting the need for digitisation
Managing culture change
Managing data quality
Deciding what to digitise
Managing data sensitivities
Knowing your collection
Knowing users and uses
Feeding the digitisation process
Laying the foundation
Dealing with rights
Adopting standards
Data management
Funding and resourcing

14. Issue: Accepting the need for digitisation
Overcome the ‘Why?’
Sell the benefits
Financial, operational, scientific, practical
Overcome resistance
Curators highly affected
‘Can’t’ is really ‘It’s hard’
Show what’s possible
Avoid becoming overwhelmed by the task
It’s all in the strategy
Accept it’s a long term project

15. Issue: Deciding what to digitise
Everything?
Probably not
Selected items?
Strategic?
User driven?
Best contribution to society/science/organisational objectives?
Condition? …?
Key is to know your:
Collection
Users and uses of digital assets

16. Issue: Knowing your collection
What objects do you have?
What is their condition?
Which are digitised?
Databased?
Imaged?
How are these digital assets managed?
How much time and $$ have you spent making these assets?
Where is your collection going in the future?
What does this mean for digitisation?
Detailed analysis should be done.

17. Object categories, eg…
Documents: monographs, journals, notebooks, ledgers, field notes, photographs, maps
In-situ specimens and scenes
Analogue images: photographic slides, paintings and drawings, x-ray plates, microfilm, other images, eg CT scans
Preserved and dried specimens—individuals
Preserved and dried specimens—groups, drawers
Analogue multimedia
Microscope slides
Analogue sound files
Living specimens …
Field work activities

18. Issue: Users of digital assets, eg…
Researchers
Marketers
Natural resource managers
Auditors
Citizen scientists
Teachers
Collection managers
Land developers
Policy makers
Students
Curators
Consultants
Different users for cultural collections

19. Issue: Uses of digital assets, eg…
Education
Collection management
Species identification
Taxonomy
Policy making
Collection planning
Transcription
In lieu of specimen loans
Resource management
Recordkeeping
Entertainment
Online viewing
Biodiversity modelling
Mapping
Collection valuation …
Publication

20. Issue: Laying the (ideal) foundation
Digitisation activities
Digitisation processes
Digitisation resources
(Technology
Trained staff
Facilities
Standards)
Digital collections manager
Digitisation performance management
Digitisation principles
Digitisation plans
Digitisation strategy

21. Digitisation principles #1
Appoint a digitisation manager
Digitise strategically
Digitise once, at the highest possible resolution
Digitise at the accession stage
Allocate persistent identifiers to each digital asset and its subject
Use formats that are likely to be around for a long time and that can be easily migrated
Capture metadata to facilitate long-term discovery, description and management of digital assets

22. Digitisation principles #2
Store data in management systems that are cost-effective, manage data integrity, facilitate discovery and accessibility, and are preferably OAIS-compliant
Implement and audit effective backup, disaster recovery and data management arrangements
Migrate digital asset formats and media to maintain data accessibility and integrity
Respect objects being digitised; care for and protect them

23. Issue: Adopting standards
Standards are central.
It’s impractical and unnecessary to get everyone to use the same equipment, so focus on the outputs of digitisation: the standards used for the digital files, data sharing etc
The good thing about standards is that there are so many of them from which to choose

24. What standards? Choose a standard
ALA has guidance
Promote the standard within your organisation
Get on with digitisation!

25. Standards-based characteristics for digital assets
Resolution
File format
Level of compression
Encoding format
Image size
Interpretation aids, eg colour patches
Calibration
Preferred access or delivery arrangements
Bit depth
Authentication
Audio sampling resolution
Typical, but not comprehensive

26. Issue: Data management
Changing file formats
Changing standards
Backups
Data migration
OS changes
Software changes

27. Issue: Funding and resourcing
Equipment
Digitisers, IT
Disk storage
Facilities
Updated work practices
Expertise
People
Planning and analysis
Digitisation management
Research
Use of volunteers

28. Issue: Managing culture change
Systematic digitisation requires cultural change
And management leadership
‘Digitisation is part of our core business’
Not everyone will jump for joy
Alexis ‘tell them that I spent the first six months of my project in endless conversations where people were telling [me] what I WASN'T going to be able to do - I've spent the second six months of the project showing off to those same people what we CAN do’.

29. Issue: Managing data quality
You do have data quality issues, right now
Will be highlighted by digitisation
They are independent of digitisation
They are not an excuse for doing nothing
How will you deal with them?
Come to understand them as you digitise
Use Atlas tools

30. Issue: Managing data sensitivities
You have sensitive data, right now
Independent of digitisation
How will you deal with them?
Digitise and sort it out later
ALA sensitive data service of use

31. Issue: Feeding the digitisation process
Resources needed to provide specimens
Curators highly affected
Planning essential
Integrate into BAU

32. Issue: Dealing with rights
Intellectual property is an issue
Right to information legislation
Capture rights in metadata
Copyright, ownership, moral

33. Getting started with digitisation
3 options

34. UNREALISTIC The systematic way Appoint manager Set up working group
Collect data
Analyse data
Report
Plan
Digitise
Review
UNREALISTIC

35. The short cut (Better)
Appoint manager
Plan
Digitise
Review
MAYBE

36. The practical way
Just go for it!
But remember to review performance.

37. Develop strategy/plan
Going for it…
Digitisation manager
Develop strategy/plan
Digitise
Review and backfill

38. Going for it… Have a strategy/plan
Consolidate images, sounds etc
Start with a small project
Decide naming, storing and backup arrangements
Allocate responsibilities
Monitor
Learn lessons
Document everything
Work out your strategy and policy context as you go
The best approach if you are DMM0/1
Bring the organisation with you
Apply to all approaches to digitisation
Alexis at SAM: their experience ‘is somewhere between the 'Just go for it' approach and the 'Shortcut' approach. I don't think that there's anything wrong with that, as a 0 on your digitisation maturity model scale, we needed to start with a 'Just go for it' approach, so that we had something to base our digitisation strategy on. We couldn't have generated the answers to create a Digitisation Strategy before we started because we didn't even know the questions! And also, charging ahead has exposed some of the hindrances and handicaps that were actually based in individuals' or departments' nervousness and anxiety about the activity, and helped us find a way around them.’
Alexis: ‘re: the 'manageable portion' comment - people don't need to go through an enormous planning process, but choose a defined project - eg. all the types from a certain Order of invertebrates OR photograph all specimens from one cabinet OR scan all photographic slides from one department. THEN review and document what you've learned (you've got some knowledge then to build a Digitisation Strategy as you go).’

39. Measuring performance
3 options

40. Digitisation maturity model
Level 5 On the look out
We are building the (next) idea together
Continuous innovation by everyone
Level 4
Under control
We all know how well we are doing
Managers take responsibility for improving digitisation
Level 3 Organised
We all know what to do and how it all fits together, and all share the same idea
Management takes responsibility for digitisation
Level 2 Coming along nicely
We are getting our act together and starting to share the same idea
Digitisation left to each part of the organisation
Level 1 Making do
Some of us are doing a good job
Digitisation left to individuals who have their standard processes
Level 0
No idea
No-one has any idea what's happening across the organisation
Digitisation left to individuals

41. Digitisation maturity model
Level 5 On the look out
Level 4
Under control
Level 3 Organised
Level 2 Coming along nicely
Level 1 Making do
Level 0
No idea
Where are you?
Where would you like to be?
How will you get there?
Choose your level

42. Digitisation landscape
3 options

43. Digitisation activities
International
NSF spending $US100m
Several European initiatives (Europeana)
Australian
ALA
Accepted in cultural collections
Mostly piecemeal in natural history collections
Need for digitisation strategies becoming accepted
Digitisation becoming expected as part of research grants
Resourcing the main impediment

44. What’s next… …for you?
What will you do now?

45. The Atlas of Living Australia Participants
The Atlas is funded by the Australian Government under the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy and further supported by the Super Science Initiative of the Education Investment Fund