Scanning, scanning and more scanning

One of the great truths of the BSU Archive is that two of our main tasks are repetitive and time consuming. Scanning documents and transcribing oral history interviews take a very long time.

Yet for those of us involved, these tasks mean that you spend concentrated time with the real words of the past, with the pieces of paper and the recorded voices.

Here in the archive office, scanning occurs in a little corner of the corridor, which at this time of year is rather cold. We are beginning to suspect that in summer, it will be too hot. As is usual with forms of technology, the scanning process is simple, except when it isn't....knowledge of which button to press, in which order, is naturally important. But additionally useful is knowing which tone of voice to use to cajole the machine into cooperating. Or perhaps this is just paranoia...

Our relationship with the scanner is clearly getting too personal.

Documents come in all shapes and sizes, and making sure that the scans don't miss anything, is important. When looking at scanned papers online, I love to see the edges, and although you're a big step away from the real thing, a complete image gives a sense of it. Well-thumbed corners, damaged pages, finger prints and broken spines all add to the sensory experience of archives, even when witnessed remotely. A Historian friend recently posted a twitter image of a medieval manuscript, complete with the inky paw prints of the chronicler's cat - very atmospheric!

Next time you engage with a digital archive, spare a thought for the process which got it online. As well as time, funding, IT support and great documents, it has also been someone's task to stand by the machine, carefully feeding the papers one by one. Maybe their corner is chilly, too.

The opportunities for archive engagement have grown massively in the digital age. The ability to make so much more available online has opened a world of possibility. Especially for those researchers, who can access so much from their own homes. And once you're hooked on digital resources, stepping into a real one is another level of experience altogether.

But more of that, in another blog...

Hayley and Richard make friends with the scanner!