access
Viewers' Needs
The audience will need to:
- View the content of the slides easily, in image quality appropriate for projected or web presentation.
- Listen to the content of the audio tape, at a quality appropriate for high volume as well as listening on computer speakers or through headphones.
- Experience the synced transcript, audio track, and images as they were originally synced.
- Get the equal access to content no matter how they access the slideshow (e.g. captions, contrast, and alt-text).
Options for a web-based version of the slideshow
- YouTube
- Flickr
- Vimeo
Best practices in preparing the slideshow for the web
Digitization: Preparation and Appraisal
Description of Resources
157 individual 35 mm slides in 3 slide carousels
1 cassette tape with approximately 10-15 minutes of audio
6 pages of transcripts
1 cassette tape with approximately 10-15 minutes of audio
6 pages of transcripts
condition assessment of resources
The condition of the slides are excellent. The slide carousels by which they are stored have preserved their structural integrity and the original image depicted. The cassette tape is also in excellent condition, no striations on the medium, or wrinkles on the film. The transcripts are well worn, and slightly yellowed. This was the working copy for the presentation and as such retains notations for the scope, content, and order of collective materials in the presentation.
Considerations during digitization
- Slides
- Question: Are the slides on acetate or polyester film?
- Tape
- From the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA):
- It is important to understand that, in order to optimally retrieve the signal from a tape, an intimate tape-to-head contact is essential, which is one of the reasons for keeping tapes, machines, as well as storage and handling areas, clean.
- PET (polyethylene terephthalate) has gradually replaced CA and PVC tapes from the late 1950s onward. Since then, it has been used for all kind of magnetic tapes. It is mechanically fairly robust, and no systematic chemical deterioration of PET based films has been observed so far.8 However, unlike CA tape, PET elongates (stretches or “shoelaces”) before breaking, which leads to stretched tapes and unrecoverable signals. This calls for high precision replay machines and correctly adjusted tape winding, particularly when thin tapes are to be replayed.
- Older or poorly serviced machines may severely damage, if not destroy, a tape during replay.
- From the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA):
- Transcript
- Keep documents straight: Documents that are scanned in at an angle or more difficult to recognize than straight ones. Make sure that each page has been scanned so that all the lines of text are straight.
Digitization: Hardware and software Needs
Hardware
A slide converter
Computer
DVD Burner
A scanner
Software
VueScan (works with Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED slide converter)
Silverfast (works with Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED slide converter)
Amadeus Pro (digitization software for audiocassettes)
iMovie, iTunes, GarageBand
Adobe Acrobat Pro
Audacity (conversion of audio to mp3.)
A slide converter
- Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED: Clark College has a Nikon slide converter.
- Epson Perfection V700 Photo Scanner
- Pacific Image PowerSlide 3650
- Any cassette player with a headphone jack
- Headphone to microphone cable
- Cassette to mp3 converter:
Computer
DVD Burner
A scanner
Software
VueScan (works with Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED slide converter)
Silverfast (works with Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED slide converter)
Amadeus Pro (digitization software for audiocassettes)
iMovie, iTunes, GarageBand
Adobe Acrobat Pro
Audacity (conversion of audio to mp3.)
Digitization: Resources and Best Practices
Using a slide converter
Time needed: 2-3 hours.
From University of Michigan: As with documents and images, if you’re making a digital copy of your image for web use (like social media), you can scan on the lower end of that scale, around 800 dpi. If you intend to print your image, or if you need a high-quality archive of your negatives and slides, scan on the higher end, at 1000-1200 dpi.
Converting the tape to MP3
Time needed: 30-45 minutes.
Audio file
CLIR & the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) recommend creating a BWF (.wav) file with pulse code modulation (or linear PCM). This can be converted into a compressed file, such as an MP3, for use on the web. The University of Utah Library uses uncompressed WAVE or AIFF formats.
Scanning the transcript
Time needed: 30 minutes.
Preparing the transcript for use in a web-based format
Time needed: 2-3 hours.
From University of Michigan: As with documents and images, if you’re making a digital copy of your image for web use (like social media), you can scan on the lower end of that scale, around 800 dpi. If you intend to print your image, or if you need a high-quality archive of your negatives and slides, scan on the higher end, at 1000-1200 dpi.
Converting the tape to MP3
Time needed: 30-45 minutes.
Audio file
CLIR & the Association for Recorded Sound Collections (ARSC) recommend creating a BWF (.wav) file with pulse code modulation (or linear PCM). This can be converted into a compressed file, such as an MP3, for use on the web. The University of Utah Library uses uncompressed WAVE or AIFF formats.
- Sampling rate and bit depth: CLIR recommends a sampling rate of 96 kHz and a bit depth of 24 bits per channel.
- The University of Utah library uses a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz and a 24-bit sampling depth.
- For MP3 access copies, a minimum data rate of 128 kB/s is recommended
Scanning the transcript
Time needed: 30 minutes.
- Resolution: 300 dpi for font sizes of 10 points or larger and 400-600 dpi for font sizes of 9 points or smaller.
- Scanning mode: Grayscale.
- Scan at the proper brightness: When scanning, make sure you have the proper brightness set for your scanner. If individual letters are broken or illegible, adjust the brightness level so each individual letter has no broken lines.
Preparing the transcript for use in a web-based format
- May need to be converted to .TXT for use in a YouTube transcript.
Resources
Best practices for creating digital collections (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Library)
Digitization best practices (University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library)
Conservation Online (CoOL)
Outsourcing and Vendor Relations (Northeast Document Conservation Center, NDCC)
Slides - Preservation Self-Assessment Program (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Library)
Compact Cassette - Preservation Self-Assessment Program (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Library)
Training for Audiovisual Preservation in Europe
Digitization best practices (University of Utah, J. Willard Marriott Library)
Conservation Online (CoOL)
Outsourcing and Vendor Relations (Northeast Document Conservation Center, NDCC)
Slides - Preservation Self-Assessment Program (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Library)
Compact Cassette - Preservation Self-Assessment Program (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Library)
Training for Audiovisual Preservation in Europe
Preservation: Physical Copies
Slides
- Keep in order, keep individual slides separated
- Acid free storage container
- Color transparencies should be protected from light exposure and stored in a cold, dark, dry environment. Color transparencies will fade rapidly when exposed to light, but they will gradually fade even if kept in dark storage.
Tape
- Avoid playing the original tape.
- Consider reformatting for preservation due to lifespan of 10-30 years.
- Rehouse in a clean, inert plastic container
- Handling: Only touch the casing and do not touch the spools.
- Storage: On long edge. Storage boxes should be made of acid- and lignin-free paper stock; avoid storage containers that retain static charge. Do not rewind. Rewind only before playing.
- Environment: 65-70° F and 45-50% RH, stable environment, no magnetic fields,
Transcript
- Preserve the original in an archival-quality, acid free folder.
- Make a copy on archival, acid-free paper and folder the copy as well.
Outsourcing Options
For digitizing slides:
- Costco: $49.37 (Costco membership required)
- DigMyPics.com, using Nikon 9000: $58.50