Digitize It Yourself!:

A Method of In-House DigitizationAmanda M. Shepp, MLS

Marion H. Skidmore LibraryLily Dale, New York

Digitization & Your

InstitutionNo Budget?

No Problem!

Digitization doesn’t have to be a distant dream!

You don’t need an extravagant budget to create beautiful, professional-quality digitial objects from rare, fragile, or

unique collections.

...Why DIY?

Advantages to DIY Digitization Using the Chamber Method➔ Acts Like a Portable Photography Studio

◆ Better focus on object being photographed

◆ Improved control over photographic lighting

◆ Adds to consistency of background in shots

➔ Easy to Use

◆ Train Library Assistants, Interns, or Student Workers quickly

◆ Can become an accessible tool for patrons to digitize personal items

➔ Versatile

◆ Open-Ended Usage

● Great addition to Maker Spaces for multiple projects

Where to Use Your Portable Digitization

Chamber➔ Smaller in-house projects

➔ Digitization projects focused around specialized materials

➔ Test runs of larger scale projects

➔ Creation of sample images for grant applications

➔ Personal digitization projects

➔ Alternative Uses

Ready to Build Your Own?

Materials Needed:

1.30”x20” black foam-core board sheets (4)

2.Hot Glue Guna.glue cylinders (4)

3.Clamps (at least 4)4.Right-angle brackets (at

least 2)5.Straight edge (like a

yardstick)6.Sharp edge (scissors, x-

acto knife, box cutter, etc.)

Step 1 - Make the back and bottom of the chamber by gluing two whole foam core boards together on one of the long sides to make a right angle.

It is VERY important that you work quickly on this step, in order to minimize the amount of glue that is exposed between the boards. Hot glue dries FAST, and this is easier when done with two people.

Step 2 - Once your glue is no longer hot and stringy, but still tacky and pliable (about twenty seconds after attaching the boards together) use the right-angle brackets and clamps to secure and reinforce the right angle shape of the two boards. Leave set like this for at least fifteen minutes. You can use this opportunity to fill in any weak points in your glue seam, or to reinforce the existing glue.

Steps 3 & 4 - Once the back and base boards are dried, take the third board and begin to make your sides using the same technique. Make a glue seam along the sides of the back and base, and attach your board. Once this is tacky and pliable, use the clamps and brackets to support the form until it dries, another 15-20 minutes. Repeat with the fourth board on the opposite side to complete the sides of the box.

You Should End Up With Something Like This...

5-A

5-B

Step 5 - Even up the sides by taking a straight edge (such as a yardstick) and tracing a perpendicular line to the back/bottom piece across the side piece (5-A & 5-B). Take a boxcutter, razor blade, x-acto knife, or other similar sharp edge and score this line, using the straight edge for reinforcement (5-C). Feel free to score the line a few times, but try to not cut through the board entirely (unless you are doing this on a surface that doesn’t mind scratches, in which case jump ahead to Step 6).

5-C

Step 6 - Use the edge of your work surface (table, counter top, etc.) to line up your scored lines along the edge, and snap off the excess part of your side boards. To keep your construction more solid during this process, you can keep the brackets and clamps on your side edges to reinforce the structure and keep the edges from splitting.

If you’ve already sliced your edges off and don’t need to break them, use this time to clean up your edges (if necessary) and reinforce them with glue (if desired).

Hooray! It’s Built!

...Now How Do I Use It?

“Quick & Dirty” Steps to DIY DigitizationThe Capture Process

1. Select your collection items

2. Establish digitization space:

a. Adequate natural lighting? Are supplemental lights needed?

b. Are all supplies needed available?

c. Is my space clean?

3. Take some test photos to ensure quality of space and process

4. Digitize!

a. If you’re unsure of your capture, take a few pictures of each item early on in the process - TRUST ME.

Post Process Tips

1. Verify the quality of your captures

a. 2D objects should have even koernig and edges; no signs of “keystone-ing”

b. Smaller items should still be distinct and crisp when zooming in on the capture image, not blurry and indistinguishable

c. Watch out for shiny objects!

2. Decide how your collection will be displayed, as this will reflect your post-process steps and software

3. Ensure that you have adequate storage space to hold the entirety of your collection

What My DIY Digitization Space Looks Like

Sample of Raw Image

Obtained Using DIY Chamber

Method

What Happens After Photography?PDF Format

1. Create archival master TIFFs from your camera’s RAW data

files

2. Make editable images from the master TIFF files

3. Organize files in desired system

4. Upload images into PDF creation program (i.e., ABBYY, Adobe

Acrobat, etc.)

5. Stitch images into multi-page PDFs or individual pages

6. OCR PDF files (if necessary)

7. Display your collection proudly!

Photographic Format

1. Create archival master TIFFs from your camera’s RAW data

files

2. Make editable images from the master TIFF files

3. Organize files in desired system

4. Edit images using preferred program (i.e., GIMP, PhotoShop,

etc.)

5. Save images in preferred file format (i.e., JPEG, JPG2000, TIFF,

PNG, BMP, etc.)

6. Display your collection proudly!

A Sneak Peek of the Post-Capture Process...

Digital Conversion Process - RAW to Archival Master TIFF

Digital Conversion Process - Edge Adjustment & Color Conversion

Digital Conversion Process - Cropping

Digital Conversion Process - Export to TIFF

Final Archival Master TIFF

Collections that Have Been Digitized Using the BlackBox Method❏Nickell Snake Oil Collection

❏ Center For Inquiry Libraries, Buffalo, NY

❏ New York Heritage

❏The Skeptiseum❏ Center For Inquiry, Buffalo, NY

❏ Built digital museum using Omeka platform

❏ Considering restructuring with a different service for better UI

❏Robert Green Ingersoll Birthplace Museum❏ Dresden, NY

❏ Museum Tour

❏Marion H. Skidmore Library❏ Newspapers for the IAPSOP Database

❏ Rare book chapters, pamphlets

❏National Spiritualist Association of Churches Precipitated Spirit Paintings

Recommended

Supplements for

Beginning Your DIY

Digitization Project

Tabletop LED photography lights

Digital camera capable of taking TIFF-quality RAW images (600+ dpi)

Photo processing/editing software (i.e. GIMP, ABBYY for OCR output)

OPTIONAL CAT NOT INCLUDED

Now…

...Go Forth and Digitize!!!

Any Questions

?If you have any questions, suggestions for improvement, or need

assistance/advice with your digital project, please feel free to email me :

loudmouthedlibrarian@gmail.com

Twitter : @LoudLibrarian13