Define Digitisation. What are the major benefits of digitisation?
Digitisation is the process of converting the content of physical media (e.g., printed materials, images, photographs, microforms, etc.) into digital format. It refers to the process of translating a piece of information such as a book, journal articles, sound recordings, pictures, audio tapes or videos recordings, etc. into bits. Converting information into these binary digits is called digitisation. Digitising a document in print or other physical media (e.g., sound recordings) makes the document more useful as well as more accessible. It is possible for a user to conduct a full-text search on a document that is digitised and OCRed. It is possible to create hyperlinks to lead a reader to related items within the text itself as well as to external resources. Ultimately, digitisation does not mean replacing the traditional library collections and services; rather, it serves to enhance them.
