National Library of Australia


Collection photographic digitisation

Project participants: Orange Regional Gallery
Contact officer/s: Alan Sisley, Gallery Director (email sisleya@ix.net.au, phone 02 63615136 or fax 02 63610072)
Project description: The digital photography/scanning of Orange Regional Gallery collection and entry into Inmagic database. Purchase of suitable colour printer, removable storage and data display/projector to make this data and image bank accessible to the public. Creation of Web site with documentation of this data. Main aim being to provide improved public access to the collection.
URL of site:
URL for project information:
Content: Photographs handwritten material typed text 3-D objects paintings. Images are to be published electronically or hard copy without appropriate copyright permission. Permission will gradually be sought as time and funding permits, however, we refuse to pay copyright fees for Web site, for information kiosk or for hard copy publicity or education purposes - indeed, for any use that does not and is not intended to generate income for us. Artists who refuse to give free permission for these uses will not be listed in either place, via image. 10% of the collection has already been digitised - 60% is planned to be digitised by the end of 1998 and 100% by the end of 1999.
Digitisation policy and priorities: Organisation has a digitisation policy (not yet available publicly) within it's business plan which was developed through ideas generated in an AusIndustry trial marketing project of which Orange Regional Gallery was a participant. No online policy.
Timetable: June 1998 - June 2000 (anticipated completion)
Budget and funding: A draft funding submission has been lodged with NSW Ministry for the Arts and suitable Federal funding will be sought next funding round. However, it is not very expensive, and most hardware has been purchased - we only have 600 objects, so completion of the project can take place with Local Government funding if necessary - (so tedious lodging Federal grant submissions, and fruitless in most cases - and getting worse and less relevant to regional galleries). Funding from internal, private State and Commonwealth government sources. Total budget $A20,000-$A50,000.
Staff resources: Digitisation undertaken mostly inhouse - Web site being designed externally. Plan to train staff in FTP, instruction in digitisation procedures. Most will be inhouse given by Alan Sisley who has self acquired various computer skills - having owned a computer since 1982. Alan has attended DCA and RGANSW digitisation forums and used online resources to gather information.
Technical standards: Scanning resolution is 72dpi, file formats are JPEG. Adobe Photo Deluxe and other software bundled with the camera and Lexmark 7200 inkjet printer. Intend to purchase Paint Shop Pro for enhanced browsing ability of our 600 object collection. We have also Inmagic database modified inhouse for art gallery use. For digitisation: Pentium 200mmx computer as server to four dx4100 users, including public kiosk to be built. New top of the range Sony LCD projector. Image capturing: Kodak 120 digital camera, Hewlett Packard scanner, Snappy simple video capture where necessary (only to take stills from in house video). Storage: probably 2gb Jaz drive and a CD-ROM cutter (still investigating - images and database currently stored on Council Network server)
Cataloguing and indexing: Only unique identifying title (artist name)
Comments: Although time consuming, any one can do it with online advice and commitment to the project - and at least 10K worth of hardware and software.

No technical difficulties encountered - it is easy - but time consuming. Although Inmagic has good batch file import of AASCI text data linking to image storage location - it still takes time to scan and or photograph the works (I tend to photograph them as the scanner does not seem very reliable and not high quality enough). As the images are not meant to be of publication quality in hard copy a resolution of 72dpi seems adequate - although I seek advice on better approaches here.

Project managers wishing to update the details of their Australian digitisation projects, should send the changes to ALG Administration. L

Last modified: October 20 2009.