Digital scholarship blog

Enabling innovative research with British Library digital collections

14 October 2024

Research and Development activities in the Qatar Programme Imaging Team

This blog post is by members of the Imaging Team at British Library/Qatar Foundation Partnership (BLQFP) Programme: Eugenio Falcioni (Imaging and Digital Product Manager), Dominique Russell, Armando Ribeiro and Alexander Nguyen (Senior Imaging Technicians), Selene Marotta (Quality Management Officer), Matthew Lee and Virginia Mazzocato (Senior Imaging Support Technicians).

The Imaging Team has played a pivotal role in the British Library/Qatar Foundation Partnership (BLQFP) Programme since its launch in 2012. However, the journey has not been without hurdles. In October 2023, the infamous cyber-attack on the British Library severely disrupted operations across the organisation, impacting the Imaging Team profoundly. Inspired by the Library's Rebuild & Renew Programme, we used this challenging period to focus on research and development, refining our processes and deepening our understanding of the studio’s work practices. 

At the time of the attack, we were in the process of recruiting new members of the team who brought fresh energy, expertise, and enthusiasm. This also coincided with the appointment of a new Studio Manager. The formation of this almost entirely new team presented challenges as we adapted to the Library's disrupted environment. Yet, our synergy and commitment led us to find innovative ways of working.  Although the absence of an IT infrastructure, and therefore imaging hardware and software, posed significant difficulties for day-to-day activities in photography and digitisation, we had the time to focus on continuous improvement, without the usual pressures of deadlines. We enhanced our digitisation processes and expertise through a combination of quality improvements, strategic collaborations, and the development of innovative tools. Through teamwork and perseverance, we transformed adversity into an opportunity for growth. 

As an Imaging Team, we aim to create the optimal  digital surrogate of the items we capture. The BLQFP defined parameters for imaging which specify criteria such as colour and resolution accuracy, ensuring compliance with International Imaging Standards (such as FADGI or ISO 19264). 

During this unusual time, we focused on research and development into imaging standards, and updated our guidelines, resulting in a 150-page document detailing our workflow. This has improved consistency between setups and photographers, and has been fundamental in training new staff. We engaged in skills sharing workshops with Imaging Services, the Library’s core imaging department, and Heritage Made Digital (HMD), the Library’s department that manages digitisation workflows. 

Over the months, we have tested our images and setup, cameras, lighting, and colour targets, all while shooting directly to camera cards and using a laser measure device to check resolution (PPI). As a result of this work, we feel more confident in producing images that conform to International Imaging Standards; capturing images that truly represent the collection items. 

A camera stand with a bound volume with a colour target ruler on top and a laser device next to it.
Colour target on a bound volume

Alongside our testing, we arranged visits to imaging studios at other institutions where we shared our knowledge and learnt from the working processes of those who are digitising comparable collection material. During these visits, we gained a better understanding of the different imaging set-ups, the various international quality standards followed, and of how images produced are analysed. We also shared our approaches to capturing and stitching oversized items such as maps and foldouts. Lastly, we discussed quality assurance and workflow management tools. Overall, these visits across the sector have been a valuable exercise in making new connections, sharing ideas, and understanding that other institutions face similar problems when digitisation collection items. 

Without the use of dedicated digitisation software, the capture of items such as manuscripts and large bound volumes has been challenging as we have been unable to check the images we were producing. For this reason, we prioritised items of the collection which were less demanding and postponed the quality assurance checks to a later date. We chose to capture 78 rpm records as they required only two shots (front and back), minimising any possible mistakes. The imaging of audio collection items was our first achievement as a team since the cyber-attack: we digitised over 1100 shellac discs, in collaboration with the BLQFP Audio Team, who had previously catalogued and digitised the sound recording. 

A record with a green label reading Columbia
Image of a shellac disc (9CS0024993_ColumbiaGA3) digitised by the BLQFP

 Through this capture task we gained the optimism and confidence to start capturing more material, starting with the bindings of all the available bound collection items. The binding capture process is time-consuming and requires a specific setup and position of the item to photograph the front, back, spine, edge, head, and tail of each volume. By capturing bindings now, we will be able to streamline the process when we resume the digitisation of entire volumes.

A camera stand with a red-bound volume supported by a frame over cardboard
Capturing the spine of a bound volume, using l-shaped card on support frame

During this time, we were also involved in scoping work to locate and assess the most challenging items and plan a digitisation strategy accordingly. We focused particularly on identifying oversized maps and foldouts, which will be captured in sections and subsequently digitally stitched. This task required frequent visits to the Library’s basement storage areas and collaboration with the BLQFP Workflow Team to optimise and migrate data from the scoping process into existing workflow management systems. By gathering this data, we could determine the physical characteristics of each collection series and select the most suitable capture device. It was also crucial to collaborate with the BLQFP Conservation Team to develop new digitisation tools for capturing oversized foldouts more quickly and securely.

A volume with an insert, folded and unfolded, over two black foam supports

A volume with an insert, folded and unfolded, over two black foam supports
Using c-shaped Plastazote created by the BLQFP Conservation Team to support an oversized fold-out

The past nine months have presented many challenges for our Team. Nevertheless, in the spirit of Rebuild & Renew, we have been able to solve problems and develop creative ways of working, pulling together all our individual skills and experiences. As we expand, we have used this time productively to understand the intricacies of digitising fragile, complex, and oversized material while working to rigorous colour and quality standards. With the imminent return of imaging software, the next step for the BLQFP Imaging Team will be to apply our knowledge and understanding to a mass digitisation environment with the expectations of targets and monthly deliverables.

Team members standing around a stand on which a volume with a large foldout is prepared for photography, with lighting on both sides of the stand
Capturing a large foldout

 

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