Preparing Collections for DigitizationANNA E. BULOW, JESS AHMON with contributions from ROSS SPENCER

London, Facet Publishing, 2011 (in conjunction with The National Archives)xvii þ 184 pp., ISBN 978-1-85604-711-1 (£49.95)

Preparing collections for digitization is a complicated process, more so no doubt than

many a would-be promoter of digitization projects imagines. The theme throughoutthe book is the importance of planning a project in its entirety to avoid costly

interruptions caused by discovering unexpected damage to the documents while theyare being copied. The authors outline the processes required to ensure the care of thematerial selected for digitization and, importantly, promote a smooth operation from

document storage, through conservation and the imaging studios and return tostorage. They rehearse the reasons for embarking on a digitization programme, the

importance of assessing resources and selecting appropriate suppliers and digitizationpartners, methods of surveying collections to assess damage likely to interrupt the

operation, the equipment required and the actual preparation of the documents. Theemphasis throughout is a wider one than just the preservation of the documents

being processed, citing the advantages for readers of using digitized material and theimportance of avoiding delays on the project caused by the physical condition of the

material. It is acknowledged that digitization may well be a preservation gain sincepopular original documents are less likely to be repeatedly handled in the future,though this is not guaranteed.

The authors wisely rehearse the various means of providing surrogates in differentforms before embarking on a full scale description of the digitizing process. Common

sense prevails in pointing out the advantages – as well as some of the drawbacks – ofother types of surrogates and especially in the underlying value of microfilm which

provides a low cost, stable alternative to the digitised image, albeit without some of themajor advantages of flexibility of image and indexing. The role of the conservation

manager in making these decisions is emphasised, not only for traditional reasons butalso for the value of conservation perception of the type and extent of damage sufferedby popular documents. The need to undertake only appropriate conservation work

rather than full scale repair on all damaged documents is also a timely reminder that thecost in time and resources must be taken into account. The importance of good co-

operation and communication between project managers, conservators and thosecarrying out the work of digitisation is another constant refrain, perhaps from a

consciousness that this is an area which all too frequently falls short of the ideal,particularly in a large organisation. Many a copying project has over-run in terms of

time and budget as a result of a failure to understand that all the processes involved,including the safe retrieval and return of documents from storage, must be allowed for

in the initial calculations.Useful advice is given on different methods of surveying a collection for damage

prior to a digitisation project. The authors give full details of different methodologies

according to the perceived need for information about condition and format, leading

Reviews 117

to discussion of the importance of good handling techniques and getting the bestimage of documents which are either bound or in other ways fastened together.

Training is emphasised, in particular for those operating the scanning equipmentsince they are not likely to have conservation training; heritage digitisation projects

are very different from many others and the staff involved may well lack relevantexperience.

The experience of the authors is largely grounded in the projects which have beenundertaken at The National Archives and the text reflects many of the issues which

arise in a large organisation. Experience in undertaking digitization projects over thelast 15 years has resulted in the development of expertise and understanding there,which is a far cry from many of the microfilming projects of earlier years. There is an

assumption that the resources for and ambience surrounding the project will all beadequate and well organised; it might have been useful to consider options for those

who are in a less favourable position, although the general principles, which are wellexplained, will apply to most projects. Conflicts of priorities, often encountered

where the staff is very small, or the difficulties experienced when the timing of aproject is dictated by other considerations – e.g. the demands of a funder or the needs

of other partners – frequently destabilize even the most well organised projects.Overall, however, this is a very clearly written and jargon-free introduction to a

subject which makes it abundantly obvious how important proper preservationprocedures are to the success of major digitization schemes.

HELEN FORDE

University College London, UK

� 2012 Helen Fordehttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00379816.2012.666342

Leading and Managing Archives and Records Programs. Strategies for SuccessBRUCE W. DEARSTYNE (Ed.)London, Facet Publishing, 2008

xvii þ 347 pp., ISBN 978-1-85604-654-1 (£44.95)

This collection of essays seeks to address the practicalities of creating and maintainingsuccessful archives and records management services, focusing specifically on the

leadership challenges that these pose.The volume opens and concludes with chapters by the editor Bruce Dearstyne,

Adjunct Professor of the College of Information Studies at the University ofMaryland, introducing and drawing together his key themes. Twelve further

chapters from a range of contributors provide case studies from the US (10) and UK(two). These examples are evenly distributed across both records management andarchival environments and are chiefly derived from corporate and university based

services. Although published simultaneously in the US and UK, this book is

118 Reviews