Vendor Digitization

Overview

Vendor Digitization Services is an operational team within the Library’s Digital Reformatting department. The team manages large-scale, outsourced digitization projects across two broad physical media streams: still image-based collections and audio/moving image (AMI) collections.

This section of the site serves as the central documentation hub for image-based vendor digitization. It establishes the baseline operational frameworks, data schemas, and technical capture specifications required to successfully prepare, ship, digitize, and ingest physical collection materials such as bound volumes, manuscripts, maps, photographic prints, film negatives, and microforms.

What You Will Find in This Section

• Scope of Services & Practices: The institutional framework governing external vendor contracts, including mandatory preservation handling rules, climate-controlled transport logistics, chain-of-custody reporting, and quality control thresholds.
• Inventory Spreadsheet: The exact data schema, required item-level fields, and controlled vocabularies Library staff use to build batch manifests—and how vendors must map that data into final JSON sidecars.
• Digital Asset Specifications: Detailed technical capture standards, resolution requirements, optical calibration targets, and FADGI conformance levels by material type.

Audio and Moving Image Preservation (AMIP)

Outsourced digitization for time-based media—including magnetic audio/video tape, grooved discs, and motion picture film—relies on specialized technical architecture, signal extraction protocols, and metadata schemas that differ significantly from still-image capture.

For all policies, technical specifications, and operational workflows governing audiovisual materials, please consult the dedicated AMI Preservation — Vendor Digitization Overview site.