Moving Theory into Practice: Digital Imaging for Libraries and Archives

Internet users expect full-text and image content to be available at the click of a mouse. If libraries are not to become the slide rule and buggy whip providers of the new century, digital access to collections must be improved. Seeking to help librarians do just that, Kenny, associate director of the Department of Preservation, and Rieger, coordinator of the Digital Imaging and Preservation Research Unit, Cornell University Library, have written a useful reference full of practical advice on digitizing collections. Selection strategies, digital image creation, quality control, image management, use of metadata, rights management, access control, and preservation are among the topics covered. Each chapter includes helpful sidebar reviews of important aspects of digitization. The sidebar on copyright and fair use in Chapter 2 is an excellent starting point for document selection, since the copyright question must be answered early in the process. The informative case studies and realistic appraisals of the conversion process make this book essential reading for librarians and archivists preparing to digitize a collection. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.DMargaret Sylvia, St. Mary's Univ. Lib., San Antonio
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.