Family archives
Plan a small family digitization project
Pick one collection that fits in a few sessions. Record its priority, any condition concern, a file naming rule and how you will check each scan. Finishing a small box teaches more than starting on every box at once.
A text to start with
I want to digitize [collection and approximate size]. It is kept at [location] and holds [item types]. Some items are in this condition: [tears, fading, stuck pages, mold or other concerns]. Help me write a project plan with a priority reason, a file naming rule, a quality check for each scan and a list of items I should not handle myself.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Digitization project sheet
Collection name: [ ] Location of originals: [ ] Item types and approximate count: [ ] Reason this collection comes first: [ ] Condition concern: [ ] Items needing specialist advice before handling: [ ] Who to ask about them: [ ] File naming rule: [ ] Example file name: [ ] Where copies will be stored: [ ] Quality check, what to look at: [ ] Who checks the scans: [ ] Pilot items chosen: [ ] Problems found in the pilot: [ ] Changes to the rule: [ ]
Fragile items and untested rules
The plan should name items that look too fragile for home scanning, such as brittle paper, stuck pages, photographs sticking together or anything with visible mold, and say they need specialist advice before handling. Generic scanning tips do not address those cases. Test the naming rule on five items to see whether two files could end up with the same name. Check that the quality check says what to look at, such as readable text and complete edges, and who does the checking.
Ask another agent to check the result
Look through this plan for fragile originals that need specialist handling, and flag any step that would have me scan them at home. Then test the file naming rule on the sample items and show any two that would receive the same name.
Run a five item pilot
Scan five items under the plan, apply the naming rule, then open each file and compare it with the original against your quality check. Adjust the rule before continuing. The Library of Congress personal digital archiving resources describe organizing and describing digital material and can inform your rule. Record where originals and copies are stored, and finish one collection before starting another.