[Genealib] scanners for digitization projects

[Danielle Plumer]

Daniel,

Every year at the Texas Library Association, the Digital Libraries Round Table does a digitization expo and invites vendors to show off their scanners and software. Both of these types of items have been displayed.

The decision on what equipment to buy has a lot to do with the types of projects you're going to be considering. Depending on the quantity of oversized items you have, for example, you may be better off outsourcing all or part of the project and purchasing a smaller flatbed scanner for the bulk of your materials. For microfilm, the big question is whether you own the master copy or not; use copies are generally scratched and otherwise not suitable for scanning no matter how good your equipment is.

If you'd like to go and look at a scanner before you buy one, you should always feel free to contact the vendor and ask him/her for references. As it happens, the Texas State Library has recently purchased a Bookeye, and I know of several other libraries in the state who have one. I haven't used Opus FreeFlow, however; the main OCR engines are Abbey FineReader and OmniPage

BTW, we are going to have a module on making these types of decisions in an upcoming workshop in Texas:

Digital Project Planning & Management Basics 

Course Description
Digital Project Planning & Management Basics will provide the basic knowledge and skills needed to plan, implement and assess a digital project. The course will explore the following topics:

 * Project Planning: Environment Scans, Needs Analyses, and Goal Development
 * Project Management: Defining Tasks and Resources, Scheduling, and Tracking
 * Financial Issues: Budgeting, Fundraising, and Contracting for Services
 * Legal Issues: Copyright and Permissions
 * Outcome Based Evaluation: Outputs, Outcomes, and Accountability

Learning Objectives

 * Understand basic project management concepts for digital projects and when they should be used
 * Identify potential obstacles that could impact a digital project and ways to minimize risk
 * Describe the difference between outcomes and output measures

Intended Audience
The workshop is intended for library, archives, and museum professionals with experience in collections management or cataloging.

Course Hours
The course is designed as a two-day workshop, consisting of 12 hours of instruction.

Workshop Dates and Locations
 July 14 - 15, El Paso, TX
 July 28 - 29, Lubbock, TX
 August 5 - 6, Houston, TX
 August 12 - 13, Dallas, TX
 August 26 - 27, Brownsville, TX
    
Instructor: Bill Walker - [ E-Mail <mailto:walker at amigos.org>  ] [ Bio <http://www.amigos.org/?q=node/35>  ]           
Contact Hrs: 12.00
TEXAS RATE: $250.00    
Amigos Member Fee (non-Texas): $ 525.00
Amigos Non-member Fee (non-Texas): $ 675.00    

This course is part of the "Train to Share" series being developed by the Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative under a grant to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Institute for Museum and Library Services. For more information about the "Train to Share" project, see http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/lrs/projects/trainshare-grant/index.html or contact thdi at tsl.state.tx.us.

TO REGISTER: http://www.amigos.org/learning/catalog/shopping/product_details.php?id=304


Danielle Cunniff Plumer, Coordinator
Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
512.463.5852 (phone) / 512.936.2306 (fax)
dplumer at tsl.state.tx.us 
-----Original Message-----
From: genealib-bounces at mailman.acomp.usf.edu [mailto:genealib-bounces at mailman.acomp.usf.edu]On Behalf Of Daniel Sample
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 4:00 PM
To: Librarians Serving Genealogists
Subject: [Genealib] scanners for digitization projects


I am looking at several different scanners for a few projects I would like to start in the near future.  
 
One is the Scan Pro 2000 for digitizing microfilm, fiche, 35mm roll film, etc.
 
The other is the Bookeye scanner + Opus FreeFlow software for digitizing books, newspaper clippings, maps, etc.
 
Both these items are quite expensive and I was wondering if anyone owns these or has had experience with them.  Also, are there any other  similar scanners that are less expensive that I should consider for these projects?
 
Thanks in advance for any assistance with this.
 
Daniel Sample
Manager, Genealogy & Local History Department
1001 Golfview
Richmond, TX 77469-5199
281-341-2646
dsample at fortbend.lib.tx.us