Heritage often resides behind closed doors in order to preserve it properly, which makes it difficult to access for a wide audience and for education and research. Therefore digitisation of heritage is a must. Maastricht University Library aims to raise digital access to its Special Collections by making them more visible and retrievable in collection registration systems, repositories and other databases, by describing not yet opened up collections, and digitise them in selective ways. Let us show you how this process looks like.
Thoughtful selection
Before the actual hands on digitisation process takes place a very thoughtful and considered thinking process takes place. Which books will be scanned? Which criteria must they meet? Odin Essers, curator Maastricht University’s Special Collections, will tell you all about this.
Scanning process
This process of digitisation is accompanied by special techniques in handling the books from the shelves to the scanning process. Book digitisation requires gentle handling, patience and attention to detail to ensure minimal impact.
Digitised, now what?
The selected books have been gently scanned and are now digitally available. Now what? In this video Odin Essers, curator Maastricht University’s Special Collections, talks about the post-process of this digitisation journey and how we bring these sources to the world and make them usable for all.
More information:
Wikidata
Connected Digital Heritage (Dutch)