The Golden Rule: Do it once and do it right

It is important to note that when digitising an item – be it a sheet of paper, a book, a horse saddle, a shoe, a painting or a vehicle – your aim should always be to do it once and do it right.

Digitising requires handling the item and can be a time consuming process that will take volunteers and staff away from other tasks in the organisation. It is important to get it right the first time so that it doesn’t have to be done again. Gather as much information as possible before purchasing equipment or taking your first scan or photograph.

Once an item has been ‘captured’ digitally, copies can be made and used in whatever format is required. It is highly recommended throughout the GLAM sector to save digital image files as TIFF files. The resolution should be as high as possible and uncompressed. This initial image capture becomes the Master File for that item.