Digitisation is the controlled conversion of analogue originals - paper files, bound volumes, photographs, maps, glass plates, audiovisual carriers - into digital surrogates fit for access, preservation and reuse. Done well, it is a preservation and access strategy, not a scanning exercise. Done badly, it produces files nobody can trust, find or open in a decade.

The starting point is always purpose. Access-driven digitisation, preservation reformatting of fragile or obsolete carriers, and compliance-driven capture of records under retention rules each impose different resolution, colour and metadata requirements. Naming the purpose first prevents costly recapture later.

Why organisations digitise

  • Access & discovery - opening closed stacks to remote and global users, and making content searchable rather than merely listed.
  • Preservation of the original - reducing handling of fragile items and rescuing content from obsolete or degrading media (magnetic tape, nitrate, floppy).
  • Records & compliance - meeting evidential and retention obligations under ISO 15489 (records management) and ISO 16175 (digital records requirements).
  • Resilience - geographically dispersed copies as insurance against fire, flood and theft.

The lifecycle mindset

Treat every project against the OAIS reference model (ISO 14721): you are creating Submission Information Packages that must survive as Archival Information Packages and be served as Dissemination Information Packages. If a capture decision cannot be sustained through that whole chain, it is the wrong decision.

In practice. Before a single item is scanned, write a one-page charter stating purpose, target audience, the standards you will follow, and what "done" looks like. It becomes the reference point for every quality and estimation decision that follows.

Digitisation is not preservation on its own

A surrogate only preserves content if it is backed by durable formats, fixity checks and managed storage. A shoebox of TIFFs on one hard drive is a liability, not an archive. The lessons that follow build the practices - capture, metadata, QA, estimation and preservation - that turn scanning into trustworthy digital custody.

Key takeaways

  • Define purpose first; it drives every resolution, colour and metadata decision.
  • Digitisation serves access, preservation and compliance - often several at once.
  • Plan against the OAIS lifecycle, not just the moment of capture.

Check your understanding

Last modified: Saturday, 1 August 2026, 9:38 AM