DOHM
Digitisation of Heritage Materials
While most large cultural institutions are capable of setting up digitisation programs of their own, many smaller organisations or groups struggle with covering significant initial costs and trying to acquire the knowledge required to run a successful digitisation project. Obviously, commercial solutions are available but they tend to be expensive and aimed at the upper end of the market – organisations that can afford to purchase professional equipment, software and expertise.
Recognising these difficulties, the National Library explored possible alternatives and in due course developed a basic training program in digital copying and archiving of still images. The objective of the program is to provide participants with practical skills to capture, manage, preserve and provide access to digital images. The course's aim is to teach best digitisation techniques and practices using least expensive options currently available. We believe that recent advances in technology permit successfully running of digitisation projects on a very tight budget.
Initially, a very successful pilot training course was held at the National Library of Australia (Canberra, Australia), in June 2007. It included a full day of theory and another full day of hands-on modules. The Library provided all materials and digitisation equipment. Since then, multiple DOHM seminars were held at various institutions across Australia. Last year staff of the National Library of Indonesia had an opportunity to learn more about archival digitisation through the DOHM seminar held in Jakarta.
DOHM Software and Training Material Downloads
DOHM Software Suite - ver1.4.3 updated 18 August 2008
DOHM Training Material - 11 Mb - updated 5 December 2008
Introduction to Digital Imaging - 30 Mb - updated 5 December 2008
Introduction to Colour Management - 12 Mb - updated 12 November 2008
Other Software: GPS Tag Viewer - updated 18 May 2009
Contact
Anyone interested in DOHM or willing to contribute to the program, please contact:
Andrew Stawowczyk Long
Digital Preservation Standards Strategist
National Library of Australia
Parkes Place
Canberra, ACT 2600
Phone: +61 2 62621382
Email: anlong@nla.gov.au
