CONTENT:
Created by the Cornell University Library Department of Preservation and Conservation and funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, this tutorial provides institutions a comprehensive overview of the issues in converting documents to digital format.
AESTHETICS:
The professional layout is appealing and easy to follow. The tutorial is available in English and Spanish and can be downloaded in PDF format. Acrobat Reader is required to view or print it.
ORGANIZATION:
The tutorial is divided into chapters and is easily navigated by using the "navigation wheel" in the upper right-hand corner or the navigation bar and subtitles on the left side of the page.
REVIEW:
Although this tutorial is provided for the purpose of transforming historical and cultural documents to digitized form, much of the content is relevant for anyone interested in digital imaging. The tutorial explains the various steps in creating digital images and the technology needed. Such technical topics as resolution/threshold, color and tone, and file formats are discussed as well as presentation techniques. Included is information on how scanners work, scanner types, and image processing. Each chapter has links to additional reading and checks for understanding along the way. For those involved in digital publication, there is information on selection and file management.
