The Scan PA Project
North Central Library District Scan PA Project Guidelines
Scan PA Project – The Scan PA Project is a pilot program whose goals are to promote libraries as trusted repositories for local history and culture, remove financial barriers to digitizing local information, increase number of collections in PA Photos and Documents, and to extend digitizing services to material owned by the public.
The program was opened to districts and systems throughout the Commonwealth. The North Central Library District, a department of James V Brown Library, purchased the equipment and has developed guidelines and priorities for the use of the equipment.
Borrowing the Equipment:
To borrow the Scan PA equipment, email June Houghtaling, (jhoughtaling@jvbrown.edu). Your request will go in a queue. We will accommodate certain dates if possible. The borrowing library will sign an agreement to borrow the equipment. The agreement can be found on the North Central Library District web site (northcentrallibraries.org)
It is the responsibility of the borrowing library to:
- Arrange for and be responsible for the cost of delivery of equipment from the James V Brown Library to borrowing Library.
- Notify the District Consultant or IT consultant immediately if the equipment arrives damaged or is not functioning correctly.
- If the equipment is damaged or lost while under the control of the borrowing library, the borrowing library shall reimburse James V Brown for any repair costs, or replacement of equipment.
- To return the Equipment within 6 weeks. Extensions may be considered if no other libraries are in the queue.
- To develop a collection of digitized materials to include in the PA Photos and Documents repository administered by HSLC.
Steps to developing a digitized collection:
Step 1: Identify items to be scanned
Priorities for Digitization
- Library History
- Documents pertaining to the founding of the library
- Documents pertaining to the building of the library
- Early photographs of the library
- Letters/Correspondence
- Ephemera – pamphlets, notices, etc.
- Other items of significance to library’s early history
- Local History
- Historical items pertaining to the history of the town or county in which the library is located (contributed by library or by citizens)
- Photographs
- Documents
- Family Histories
- Letters
- Manuscripts
- Maps
Step 2: Complete Participation Application
Name and describe your collection: Participant Application
- Training video: Completing the PA Photos and Documents Application
- Receive email with username and password from HSLC
Step 3: Digitize your materials
- Review equipment list and help sheets
- Set up needed equipment
- Get permission if scanning items from general public
- Scan items
- Use greyscale for black & white
- Resolution at 300 dpi (industry standard)
- Scan as TIFF file (best resolution)
- All drivers for equipment have been preloaded on laptop
- Training videos for using scanners
Step 4: Catalog items in Content DM
- Content DM has been loaded on laptop
- View Basic Dublin Core Metadata video
- View Cataloging a Simple Object
- View Editing Objects in PA Photos and Documents
- Use Library of Congress Subject Headings
- If scanning an item with multiple pages, view Cataloging a Compound Object
A note about Restrictions: Digitizing PA Photos and Documents: Who Owns the Pictures
More advice for online collections
Sponsorship: This is the boilerplate that you will use in the sponsorship field for every item uploaded to PA Photos and Documents:
This digital object is provided in a collection that is included in Power Library: Pennsylvania Photos and Documents, which is funded by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries of Pennsylvania/Pennsylvania Department of education.