Consortium members will monitor consistency and quality in performance levels throughout the production process and across all production sites by integrating quality control into every phase of digitization. Steps of production include: selection, capture, metadata creation, XML encoding, intellectual property/privacy resolution, and finding aid conversion (EAD).

Selection :

The task of selection will be distributed to the respective repositories. Materials will be selected for digitization on the basis of historical importance, current or potential high usage, relevancy to materials already digitized in Mississippi, intellectual property/privacy issues, and an assessment of physical properties of the original that may be affected adversely by the digitization process. Repository leaders will direct the selection of materials at their respective institutions.

Capture :

Capture will be centralized at USM for some repositories, while others have chosen to do their own capture. The capture process will be documented in detail at the time of capture by scanning personnel, and master images will be inspected and evaluated at that time for similarity to the original, as well as completeness, contrast, sharpness, skew, color reproduction, rendering of fine detail, resolution, bit depth, level of compression, and the presence of digital artifacts. Scanning personnel will be responsible for this first round of quality control, but their work will also be sampled and checked on-site under the direction of the Repository Leaders. Derivative images will be similarly evaluated, though some image enhancements will be allowed to improve legibility, and derivatives will also be inspected for proper watermarking. Electronic texts (transcription or OCR) will be evaluated for accuracy through manual proofreading and software spell-checking, compared with the original text when necessary, and examined for completeness. Again, transcriptionists/scanning personnel will be responsible for the first round of quality control, but their work will also be sampled and checked under the direction of the Repository Leaders.

Metadata :

Metadata will be manually proofread and evaluated for accuracy, completeness, and adherence to the Dublin Core standard. Descriptions and subject headings will be carefully reviewed for applicability to the associated item. In addition, subject headings will be examined for compatibility with LC standards and application of a controlled vocabulary.

XML Encoding :

Encoding is centralized at USM. XML documents will be evaluated for consistency, DTD conformance, and proper tag applications. The Digitization Specialist will be responsible for quality checks on the XML Encoding.

Intellectual Property/Privacy:

Resolution of intellectual property/privacy issues will be an ongoing process, carefully pursued and documented using the standard procedures being developed in the current IMLS-funded project. The Intellectual Property/Privacy Leader will collaborate with Repository Leaders to implement these procedures and assure that the standards are correctly upheld.

Finding Aid Conversion (EAD) :

Existing best practices will guide participants in finding aid quality control. The Society of American Archivists, the Research Libraries Group, and the Library of Congress offer online resources and print publications for reference. Project participants will agree on encoding procedures, DTDs, file naming conventions, and revision procedures. Since EAD encoding will be outsourced, all participants must have a clear understanding of the vendor's program of work. Project staff/participants will review vendor output and evaluate finding aids for encoding consistency and DTD conformance. An index or database will connect electronic file names with their home institutions and relevant collections.

Public Release :

Prior to public release, at least 10% of the digital surrogates will be reviewed on all aspects of production by the Project Director/Digitization Librarian. Particular attention will be paid to the resolution and watermarking of derivative images, correct metadata association, correct number and sequence of images for digital surrogates, sharpness, and skewing of images. The Repository Leaders will also perform random quality checks. After public release, feedback from users/participants will be used to correct any errors or problems found after public release.

References

Kenny, Anne R., and Oya Y. Reiger. Moving Theory into Practice: Digital Imaging for Libraries and Archives. ( Mountain View , CA : Research Libraries Group, 2000)

Sitts, Maxine K. (ed.) Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access. ( Andover , MA : Northeast Document Conservation Center , 2000)

Society of American Archivists. Encoded Archival Description Working Group. Encoded Archival Description Application Guidelines , version 1.0. (Chicago: Society of American Archivists, 1999)