What are some good options for digitizing AV legacy formats and print materials?
Audiovisual materials
Digitization of audiovisual materials on legacy formats (magnetic tape, cassettes, Umatics, etc) is usually the only way to access their content. Furthermore, all AV formats are at some stage of deterioration and will be lost forever if not reformatted within the near future. The process of digitizing AV materials can be time-consuming and expensive, so the best way to begin is to choose a representative sample of AV materials from your collection and send them to a vendor for reformatting. You can also digitize them yourself if you have working legacy equipment. Either way, you can use the resulting digitized files to demonstrate to potential repositories or funding sources the value of what you’re saving, which may lead to opportunities for larger-scale digitization and preservation. For example, the American Archive of Public Broadcasting only accepts digital materials, but they are willing to partner on grants that fund digitization of AV materials.
Copyright
Questions of copyright should never prevent organizations or individuals from saving audiovisual materials that contain broadcast-related content. Most repositories, especially larger ones such as universities and federal institutions, maintain policies that protect copyright owners while ensuring AV materials are accessible to researchers. And all professional archivists are bound by duty to preserve the materials under their stewardship, especially if they are at risk for content loss. Issues of copyright between the donor and the repository should also be clarified in the legal agreement stages of the accessioning process.
Inventories
Digital files should also be inventoried the same way as print and analog items so that curators or content managers know exactly what they have. The more metadata (content description) you can provide for a digitized item, the easier it will be for archivists to create a finding aid that will enable researchers to discover them online. Whether or not the digital file can be made available for public streaming, archives can list the item’s record so researchers at least know they have it.
The digital AV items in the Commercial Broadcasting and Public Broadcasting collections at UMD contain nearly 1500 digitized radio and television programs, speeches, interviews, and news reports from a wide variety of collections. Some are only available to stream on campus due to copyright restrictions (but researchers can request copies for personal use), while others are available to stream from any device with internet access. The item records provide good examples of the kinds of metadata that are useful to researchers.
Digitization Vendors-Audiovisual
The following list includes reputable vendors who provide digitization of primarily audiovisual materials:
Audio Restorations Located in Santa Rosa, CA, Audio-Restorations will digitize the following: LPs, 45s, 78s, cassette, microcassette, reel-to-reel tapes, DATs, ADATs, 8 tracks, videos, wire recordings, homemade records, laserdiscs, ZIP & floppy discs. Their website is user-friendly with easy step-by-step shipping instructions, and pricing and payment information.
ARSC Audio Preservation and Restoration Directory This directory includes Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) members who offer services for audio preservation and restoration, as well as ARSC members and non-members who offer equipment and supplies for audio preservation and restoration.
Colorlab “Colorlab is a multi generational family business committed to the acquisition, presentation, and preservation of motion picture film.”
George Blood Audio/Video/Film/Data GBAVFD is “a leading provider of archival audio and moving image preservation” in the Philadelphia area. They digitize obsolete and deteriorating audio, video and film media. They’ve partnered with nationally-renowned museums, colleges and universities, libraries, festivals, orchestras and other archival repositories. They are reliable vendors for a grant project of any size.
Digitization Vendors-Print Materials
Print materials, especially those from the 20th century, are not considered at risk for content loss the way AV materials are. Digitization is a good option for documents or photos that show signs of degradation, or that may be especially useful to a wide range of research communities. Repositories that manage broadcast-related print collections can make them available to visiting researchers onsite, or digitize them on demand for remote requests. If the materials are in good condition, there is usually little urgency to digitize them in bulk.
Digitizing print materials can often be done at home using a scanner, or at local businesses that offer copy services. For a high volume of materials, vendors are often the best option.
The following list includes reputable vendors you provide digitization of print materials:
Backstage Library Works Digitization Services “For over 35 years, organizations across the globe, both large and small, trust our team to provide specialized services such as microfilm preservation, digitization, metadata, automation, and on-site projects.”
Creekside Digital “Creekside Digital is the leading provider of standards-compliant still image digitization services in the United States. Since 2006, we have focused on providing top-quality digitization of microfilm, books, newspapers, photographs, artwork, manuscripts, and objects using the most advanced technology today, as well as developing related software applications.”
Crowley Digitization Services “Since 1980, The Crowley Company has provided commercial and archival scanning, digitization and micrographic services for those needing to digitally preserve important documents, newspapers, maps, books, microfilm, slides and more.”
HF Group Digitizing Services “We are uniquely equipped to scan bound items including books, magazines, newspapers, yearbooks, theses, and, dissertations, and we also scan photographs, paintings, lithographs, slides, and film. We specialize in scanning delicate, fragile, and otherwise difficult work that other digitization companies are not able to do.”
Internet Archives Scanning Services “Open and free online discovery and access, long-term storage and engineering file management and unlimited downloads.”
