GOOD PRACTICE IN DIGITISATION
FORM FOR NOMINATION

This is the form for the nomination of a good practice in digitisation.
Please, send a form for each different project.
Each project can be “nominated” for more than one area.

Send the form/forms to the attention of Maria Teresa Natale by e-mail to minerva2@beniculturali.it orf by fax to +390667232499.

The form will be submitted to the National representative for approval.

English must be used.

NAME AND ACRONYM OF THE PROJECT: DAVID = Digitale archivering in Vlaamse instellingen en diensten = Digital ArchiVing: guIdelines & aDvice. 
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URL: http://www.antwerpen.be/david
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AREAS for nominations of 'good practice' for on-going projects on digitisation:

1)  Digitisation Project Planning (The Reasons for the project, Human Resources, Research, Risks

2)  Selecting Source Material for Digitisation (Establish Selection Criteria, Selection Against the Criteria)

3)  Preparation for Digitisation (Hardware; Software; Environment)

4)  Handling of Originals (Moving and Manipulating Original Material)

5)  The Digitisation Process (Using Scanners; Using Digital Cameras; Software Applications for Optical Character Recognition (OCR)

6)  Preservation of Digital Master Material (File Formats; Media Choices; Migration Strategies)

7)  Meta-Data (The Scope of Meta-Data Used for Object Description; Appropriate Meta-Data Standards)

8)  Publication (Image Processing; 3D and Virtual Reality Issues; Online Publication)

9)  IPR and Copyright (Establing Copyright; Safeguarding Copyright)

10)  Managing Digitisation projects (Digitisation Process management; Team Development; Staff Training; Working with Third Parties for Technical Assistance; Working with Third Parties in Cooperative projects and Content Sharing; Costs

RESPONSIBLE BODY AND/OR ANY SPECIFIC 
CO-ORDINATING BODY/MECHANISM/INSTITUTION

Name of the institution:  Stadsarchief Antwerpen
English name of the institution:   Antwerp City Archives

Acronym of the institution:  SA

Mailing address: Venusstraat 11, B-2000 Antwerpen

Country:  Belgium

Tel.: +32 3 206 9411

Fax: +32 3 206 94 10

e-mail: stadsarchief@stad.antwerpen.be

URL: http://stadsarchief.antwerpen.be 

Type of institution:  National	 Governmental		 Regional
             Other Specify ........................................................................
 
Sector:  Archive   Library  Museum  Foundation  
             Other   Specify ........................................................................

Legal status:  Public   Private    No profit

Description of the institution (max 200 characters):

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CONTACT PERSON OF THE PROJECT

Name: Filip   Surname: Boudrez

Gender:   x M		 F

Title: DAVID = Digitale archivering in Vlaamse instellingen en diensten = Digital ArchiVing: guIdelines & aDvice. 

Institution: Antwerp City Archives

Mailing address: Venusstraat 11, B-2000 Antwerpen

Country: Belgium

Tel.: +32 3 206 94 11

Fax: +32 3 206 94 10

e-mail: david@stad.antwerpen.be

Contact languages: Dutch, English

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

Duration: 2000 - 2003 

Ojectives and priorities  (max 200 characters):

DAVID addresses the question of how we can preserve digital documents in a durable and reliable way. What measures should be taken to ensure digital authenticity and accuracy?  DAVID assists in preparing policies to preserve and provide access to digital heritage. This heritage consists of unique resources of human knowledge. This fast growing heritage is particularly at risk because of the rapid obsolescence of the hardware and software with which it is generated.

The main features for what you consider the project a 'good practice' example, with respect to the selected areas ((max 200 characters for each area):

1)  Digitisation Project Planning (The Reasons for the project, Human Resources, Research, Risks

The project combined theoretical research with practical cases. The experiences were used in developing best practices and in the development of practical guidelines and issues to be delt with while managing digital objects. 

2)  Selecting Source Material for Digitisation (Establish Selection Criteria, Selection Against the Criteria)

The practical cases learned that every record-keeping procedure starts with the identification of the records and appraisal. The identification of the elements which form the basis of the recordness of a document is the starting point for every procedure and influences all choices the record-keeping strategy (file format choice, selection, e.g.)

3)  Preparation for Digitisation (Hardware; Software; Environment)

The DAVID-poject learned that the longevity of digitised materials is at risk, if there’s no attention paid to the requirements for long term preservation beginning from the digitisation moment. All hard- and softwaredependencies should be avoided and all digitisation equipment must be capable to support the requirements for long term preservation.

6)  Preservation of Digital Master Material (File Formats; Media Choices; Migration Strategies)

The DAVID-project developped a preservation strategy for digital records of objects, and digital master materials. This strategy ensures the readability of digital records in the long term and is based on migration to open standards in combination with the preservation of the original bitstreams. In the future new migrations or even emulation for rendering the original and migrated bitstreams will still be possible. 

7)  Meta-Data (The Scope of Meta-Data Used for Object Description; Appropriate Meta-Data Standards)

In as far as is possible, the project is measured for practicability. Special care is taken with the archiving of digital records resulting from new technologies such as e-mail and websites. The practical experience has been translated into guidelines and bundled together into a series entitled Digital ArchiVing: guIdelines & aDvice. In this addition to the interim results, the following guidelines and advices are published:
•	Archiving of e-mails
•	CDs for archiving
•	Folder structure and filenames for electronic records
•	Standards for file formats
•	Website management for archiving
•	Durable magnetic storage media
•	Checklist for IT managers

Problems encountered and lessons learned:
We are now looking at getting more experience in keeping the digital records reliable with special attention on methods and procedures of making and keeping this digital archival objects available and disponible for users, researchers and the public.   

Comments:
We paid a lot of attention to the archival quality of digital objects. 

I agree this information may be published on Minerva Knowledge Base: http://www.minervaeurope.org

 Yes  No

Signature: _____________________

Name: Inge Schoups

e-mail: inge.schoups@sd.antwerpen.be