Scanning for libraries and museums

Professional scanning partner for image library or museum offers complex solution considering scanning as a part of a bigger archive process. Photo scanning requires efficient slide or film scanner and know-how to ensure transparencies and images are scanned fast and without damages.

Scanning services are often the start of the archive process for any image library or museum that has a history of more than a few years. The technical process is not complicated, and but a number of basic steps have to be followed in order to have a successful project. Think about security and logistics. You are scanning your pictures or photos because they are important or valuable. Particularly for museums and archives the risks associated with movement - physical damage and theft - need to be understood and assessed.

Although fear of damage in transport is often a reason for scanning in house, it is often the case that a well though through external process is less risky than having an inexperienced in house team trying to deal with the issues. If you vendor is not able to describe their logistic and packaging process in detail, steer well clear.

The output of the scanning process is often a raw TIFF file, exactly as it was scanned and a smaller cleaned up thumbnail in a more manageable format. It is important to consider what is going to happen next. If scanning is part of a longer process, including keywording and retouching, then it is a good idea to review at what stage to stop. If the scanned images are being processed anyway, and your vendor is reliable, then it may be a good to retouch and keyword. Obviously it is vital to have a well designed IT system to ensure that the photos are saved and archived securely after scanning.

If you are looking for more information on scanning, learn more about our technology.