Appendix F: Working with an A/V Digitization Vendor
Appendix F: Working with an A/V Digitization Vendor
Introduction
This document offers guidelines for working with an audiovisual preservation vendor. Before sending your analog audiovisual assets off to a vendor for digitization, it is important to determine two things:
- Do I need to use a vendor?
Is it more cost and time effective?
Is it in keeping with my organization’s mission statement (vs. digitizing our collection in-house through community efforts)? - If I am using a vendor, how do I choose a vendor and how do I communicate what I need from them?
This document helps you to answer these questions. It also walks you through the necessary steps to working successfully with a vendor, should you choose to use one.
How to Determine If You Need to Use a Vendor for Audiovisual Digitization
Review the Advantages and Disadvantages of In-House Digitization Versus Out of House Digitization
After you have prioritized an analog audiovisual collection for digitization, you must determine if the digitization will be done by an external vendor, if you will digitize the collection yourself, or if you will use a community-based or collaborative effort to digitize the collection. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages, and you may wish to perform a combination of methods.
Vendors and specialists are vital to digitization efforts, but it is important to note that sending everything to a vendor is not always cheaper, faster, or less of a burden on your time. Below are some thoughts to review as you make your decision.
Advantages of using a vendor to perform digitization may include:
- The vendor provides a specialty service such as:
- Photochemical film reproduction (making a new film element on film)
- Film restoration/ replasticizing for deteriorated film
- Tape baking or working with tapes that have “sticky shed syndrome”
- Physical repair or inspection of film and magnetic media
- Working with dangerous materials that offgas, are flammable, or are moldy
- The vendor has expertise, equipment, or facilities that the client does not have.
- Working with a vendor may be cheaper than investing in staff skill-building and equipment for small collections.
Disadvantages of using a vendor may include:
- Hidden time and cost to:
- Manage and oversee the digitization project
- Pull, ship, and re-shelve materials
- Perform quality control of digitized files
- Communicate any problems with the vendor and have the vendor re-do work
- Using a vendor can be more expensive than performing digitization in-house, especially for large collections.
- Rare and unique items may be in uncontrolled storage and shipping environments that may expose them to potential damage.
Advantages of in-house and community digitization include:
- It may be more cost effective for your organization to digitize in-house.
- Staff gains new skills in digitization.
- Resources (such as equipment and expertise) can be shared among organizations.
- Organization maintains physical control ove