Trial using scanners for data input in cataloguing

Overview

Under the auspices of the Collections Management Division of the Library, this project was undertaken during April to June 2007 to look at the feasibility of using hand-held scanners to increase cataloguing efficiency. Three hand-held scanners were purchased for cataloguers to trial on scanning title page data and table of contents data from current and older publications, as well as scanning printed catalogue cards. The three scanners are:

All scanners worked well with the cataloguing system used by the Library, some with a faster speed than others. However the overall finding was that the accuracy of the OCR (optical character recognition) is too low for routine use in cataloguing. The accuracy is affected by the software used as well as the great variation in the font types, sizes and colours used in title pages and table of contents. The support for foreign language and diacritics was found inadequate. There are also occupational health issues associated with holding the scanner down to scan long strings of text, and repeating the scanning to get the best result.

Outcome

As this stage the Library has decided not to go ahead with using hand-held scanners to input data for routine cataloguing operations. The Library will look at the feasibility of using the scanners for other purposes.

For more information about the project please contact the project officer Wan Wong, email wwong@nla.gov.au

Created 18 October 2007

Top

About This Site | Copyright | Privacy | Accessibility | Site Map | Site Search | Content A-Z | Contact Us