Where can I find best practices for the digitizing of historical materials?
Here are some suggested resources. There are many other groups that also provide guidelines. Your own institution may have already developed standards, or you may consult with a vendor to develop your specifications. In your proposal, it is important to explain why you picked particular standards and your experience with them. In addition, reviewers will want you to specify how you will apply these standards to the specific types of materials you have. Explain, for example, how you will handle photographs, oversized materials, nitrate negatives, fragile materials or whatever kinds of documents apply to your project. Remember that if your project focuses on audiovisual materials and has complex permission issues, you may want to apply for funding in NHPRC’s Processing: Detailed Project category since those projects allow reformatting for preservation rather than access purposes.
