Policies & Guidelines

In this section you’ll find policies for digitisation and digital preservation activities. You’ll also find guidelines on topics ranging from general project management through to the specifics of imaging, creating metadata, preserving your digital collections and ensuring that your encoding caters for te reo Māori.   If you would like to suggest a policy or guidelines resource for this section, please check the selection criteria and contact us

Digitisation Policy – University of Auckland Library
Outlines policy for digitisation activities, defined as conversion of hard copy items into digital form or the creation of new digital objects (born digital). Also covers storage management and preservation.
http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/docs/digital_projects/Policy.pdf

National Library of Australia Digitisation Policy 2000-2004 (May-00)
National Library of Australia
This policy establishes a framework for future NLA digitisation activities. It provides a guide to digitisation of collections and the management of the resulting digital objects.
http://www.nla.gov.au/policy/digitisation.html

A Digital Preservation Policy for the National Library of Australia (Feb-02)
National Library of Australia
NLA’s preservation policy for its digital collections. It outlines the nature of the collections, preferred management strategies, and an intended research focus.
http://www.nla.gov.au/policy/digpres.html

John Oxley Library Digitisation Policy (Oct-00)
State Library of Queensland
This policy sets out the principles, goals and selection criteria that underpin the State Library of Queensland's digitisation programme.
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/policies/john_oxley_library_digitisation_policy.doc

Digitisation Selection Work (08)
National Digital Forum

A scoping paper produced to articulate ideas about how New Zealand could prioritise material for future digitisation with a Summary of Responses to the paper received from NDF partner organisations.

Digitisation Selection Work (Word Doc) (PDF)

Summary of Responses (Word Doc) (PDF)

Electronic Textual Editing (06)
Text Encoding Initiative Consortium

A volume of guidelines and articles jointly sponsored by the Modern Language Association and the Text Encoding Initiative Consortium.
http://www.tei-c.org/Activities/ETE/

Moving Theory into Practice: Digital Imaging for Libraries and Archives (Published by Research Libraries Group, USA) (Apr-00)
Kenney, Anne R; Rieger Oya Y
A core text for those beginning digitisation. While the focus is imaging, it also covers more general practical aspects of digitisation, delivery and preservation. Funded by RLG and written by experts from Cornell University (online tutorial also available).
http://www.rlg.org/preserv/mtip2000.html

The NINCH Guide to Good Practice in the Digital Representation and Management of Cultural Heritage Materials (Oct-02)
Humanities Advanced Technology & Information Institute (HATII) and the National Initiative for a Networked Cultural Heritage (NINCH)
A guide to best practice on the capture, preservation and management of digitised and networked digital resources.
http://www.nyu.edu/its/humanities/ninchguide/

Producing On-Line Heritage Projects (Jan-02)
Canadian Heritage and Information Network (CHIN)
Aimed at professionals from museums, galleries and heritage institutions who want to produce on-line heritage products and virtual exhibits, this project management handbook is based on 7 years experience from Canadian Museums. Available on the web as html and a pdf file. Has an excellent reading list.
http://www.chin.gc.ca/English/Digital_Content/Producing_Heritage/index.html

The Digital Library Toolkit (Mar-00)
Noerr, Peter, Sun Microsystems
This book is a useful tool for those starting on digitisation. Covers planning and implementing a project, and lists useful resources, standards, and organisations. Available in pdf format on the web.
http://www.sun.com/products-n-solutions/edu/whitepapers/digitaltoolkit.html

Introduction to Art Image Access: Issues, Tools, Standards, Strategies (Published by the Getty Research Institute)
Murtha Baca (editor)
A good book to help with all aspects of digitising art images.
http://www.getty.edu/bookstore/titles/access.html

National Library of New Zealand Digitisation Guidelines (Oct 2006)
National Library of New Zealand
Guidelines for creating archival quality digital image collections for the Alexander Turnbull Library and National Library of New Zealand. Specifies image quality, file formats, storage and access standards for digital images created by the Library.

http://www.natlib.govt.nz/catalogues/library-documents/digitisation-guidelines

National Library of New Zealand Copying Guidelines (Oct 2006)
National Library of New Zealand
The Copying Guidelines provide a framework and standards for the copying of the Library documentary heritage collections for both access and preservation. These guidelines ensure that copying projects and services are efficient, but also do not damage collections.

http://www.natlib.govt.nz/catalogues/library-documents/copying-guidelines

Auckland Art Gallery Image Capture Process (Mar-03)
Auckland Art Gallery
Find out how the Auckland Art Gallery digitised its images.
http://www.aucklandartgallery.govt.nz/collection/imagecapture/default.asp

Digitisation of Traditional Library Format Materials: Standards and Guidelines
National Library of Australia
This document sets out NLA’s standards for creating and displaying digital images. It also provides a guidance on which type of scanning device to use for different items.
http://www.nla.gov.au/digital/standards.html

California Digital Library Digital Image Format Standards (Jul-02)
California Digital Library
This document outlines required standards for digital images created by or incorporated into the CDL. Covers file formats and image quality, while companion documents cover storage, access and metadata requirements.
http://www.cdlib.org/about/publications/CDLImageStd-2001.pdf

Image Capture Process (2003)
Auckland City Art Gallery
A brief document outlining the digital photographic procedures employed at the Auckland Art Gallery
http://www.aucklandartgallery.govt.nz/collection/imagecapture/default.asp

For information about imaging standards and image file formats, see Technical and metadata standards

Guidelines for the Creation of Content for Resource Discovery Metadata (Oct-02)
National Library of Australia and the State Library of Tasmania
The Guidelines are intended to assist with the creation of consistent descriptive metadata. They are written in general terms and relate to web resources as well as digitised versions of pictures or objects. Based on Dublin Core but not all elements are covered.
http://www.nla.gov.au/meta/metaguide.html

Using Dublin Core (Apr-01)
Diane Hillman, Dublin Core Metadata Initiative
An entry point for users of the Dublin Core standard that will assist non-specialists to create simple descriptive records for information resources
http://www.dublincore.org/usage/terms/dc/current-elements/

Guidelines for implementing Dublin Core in XML (Dec-02)
Andy Powell and Pete Johnson, UKOLM
This Proposed Recommendation gives guidelines for people implementing DC applications using XML. It considers both simple (unqualified) DC and qualified DC applications. Some guidance on the use of non-DC metadata within DC metadata applications is also provided.
http://dublincore.org/documents/2002/12/02/dc-xml-guidelines/

Guide to Best Practice: Dublin Core, Version 1.1
Consortium for the Computer Interchange of Museum Information (CIMI)
These recommendations are designed to assist museum professionals with applying DC to museum information, mapping existing data elements sets to the Dublin Core element set, and creating DC using manual or automated tools. Includes worked examples for museum objects.
http://www.cimi.org/public_docs/meta_bestprac_v1_1_210400.pdf

National Library of New Zealand Digitisation Guidelines (Oct 2006)
National Library of New Zealand
Guidelines for creating archival quality digital image collections for the Alexander Turnbull Library and National Library of New Zealand. Specifies image quality, file formats, storage and access standards for digital images created by the Library.
http://www.natlib.govt.nz/catalogues/library-documents/digitisation-guidelines

Preservation Management of Digital Materials: A Handbook
Neil Beagrie and Maggie Jones, British Library
A handbook compiled by staff from the JISC Digital Preservation Focus and the Arts and Humanities Data Service, aimed at institutions that are creating or acquiring digital materials. Provides guidance on strategies, policies and following guidelines to ensure continued access to digital materials. Excellent references and updated regularly.
http://www.dpconline.org/graphics/handbook/index.html

Introduction to implementing macrons on the Internet and on computers
Karaitiana N Taiuru
Guide to implementing macrons in digital resources using the Unicode (UTF-8) character set. Part of a larger website that deals with Māori Internet issues, including information about the .iwi.nz and .Māori.nz domains, and downloads for spellchecking, fonts and dynamic Javascript greetings and dates.
http://www.dream-it.co.nz/

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