Digital Practice Guidelines
This Guideline builds on work done by SLIS/Practico in 2005 developing Digital practice: guidelines for digitising images in NSW public libraries. These guidelines were endorsed by the Library Council of NSW at its June 2005 meeting.
The project to update the guidelines was coordinated by Ellen Forsyth, State Library with Scott Wajon, State Library of NSW providing additional technical expertise. The State Library of New South Wales would like to thank Donna Braye, Mosman Council, Bernard de Broglio, Mosman Council, Enzo Accadia, Coffs Harbour Council, and Sue Ryan, Newcastle Council, for their work in revising and expanding this document to include video, sound and digtial preservation.
The Guidelines provide an introduction for public libraries that are involved in digitisation projects, including providing access and storage for born digital objects and digital preservation. It draws on Digital practice: guidelines for digitising images in NSW public libraries which was published in 2005, but has been modified and expanded to include video and audio formats. The information has been divided into general principles - which include selection, cataloguing metadata, file management, digital preservation and access and work flow.
We trust that the guidelines will provide useful advice and direction for public libraries in New South Wales in collecting, making accessible and preserving digital materials.
Frances Sims
Director, Public Library and Community Learning Services
December 2011
Flowchart for digital asset management (PDF 191 KB)
Selection
Outlines selection criteria to help assess whether items and collections should be digitised, as well as information on digital originals.
Cataloguing and metadata
Information on the use of standard descriptive metadata, to assist online users to discover images and other digital objects through more consistent search results.
Still images
Minimum standards and best practice for reformatting images from hardcopy and capturing digital original photographs.
Sound recording
Minimum standards and best practice for digitising sound recordings.
Video and moving images
Minimum standards and best practice for digitising video and moving images, as well as moving images that are born digital.
Asset management
Basic procedural information for the purposes of maintaining digital archives and backups, includes minimum standards and best practice.
Digital preservation
Digital preservation involves processes and activities that ensure long-term, error-free storage of digital information, with means for retrieval and interpretation. Includes guidelines for digital preservation.
Glossary
Definitions of key terms used in the Digital Practice Guidelines.
Reference and further resources
This page contains links from other organisations that may be useful for digital practice.
