When it comes to digitisation projects it is easy to become seduced into rushing straight into the digitisation before thinking about anything else.
However, it is often the case that successful digitisation projects spend what seems like a lot of time thinking about and drafting their work flows and guidelines before embarking on the ‘real work’.
The open-access repository digitisation work being undertaken at Exeter University Library by CHARTER (Creating Heritage Artefacts for Research and Teaching in an E-Repository) has created a robust document for their digitisation workflow and guidelines.
CHARTER is a small scale digitisation project which runs for one year, but has still recognised the advantages of documenting their guidelines.
CHARTER’s willingness to share and be open with their guidelines also allows the opportunity for other projects to explore and borrow from their work, as well as opening up the possibility of feedback and ever improving workflows and guidelines for this and future projects.
JISC Digital Media’s guidelines on project-management for a digitisation project offers a great place to begin. CHARTER‘s progress can be followed on their blog, where their guidelines have also been posted.