Why is digitization important for archives?

Digitization is huge for accessibility. Archives are notorious for being inaccessible to people who aren't able to physically visit them, but digitized materials can be uploaded online. Digitization is also great for preservation!

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How can I get experience in digitization?

If you don't have the opportunity to learn about digitization at your library job, you can try to use copy stand photography to take digital photos of your prints and negatives at home. Copy stand photography is a great way to digitize your old family photos!

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How can I get started with copy-stand photography?

You'll need a digital camera, a computer with photo editing software installed, and some sort of stand to hold your camera. You can purchase a copy stand online or you can try to build your own. If you're digitizing negative film, you'll also want some sort of lightbox to illuminate the negative.

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Why do you keep calling your photos "scans" in your blog posts?

It's a bit of digitization lingo that's hard to kick! You'll often hear digital images of archival materials referred to as scans (yep, even the photos) because digitization was largely completed using devices that scanned the originals before copy stand photography became more common. Referring to these digital images as scans is also helpful in differentiating them from the physical photos and negatives we digitize.