Scanning Instructions (Photographs)

These instructions are for scanning photographs with the Epson GT-20000 scanner, located in the Digital Conversion Lab.

Setup

1) Press the gray power button to turn on the Epson GT-20000 scanner.

2) Press the green button next to the "Ready" light once the light stops flashing. This will bring up the EPSON Scan software.

Note: In order to maintain consistency in the color profiles of the scanned images, a scan of the Kodak Q-60 Color Input Target should be made every two weeks. (are we still doing this?) This process will provide a color reference for scans made within each biweekly period. Follow the scanning instructions below to create a TIFF image of the Kodak target, then save the scan astest_target_YYYYMMDD.tif (filling in the Year, Month, and Date for YYYYMMDD) in the Images -> Test Target folder in the LaCieexternal hard drive. You do not need to create a JPEG image from the TIFF image of the target.

Scanning a Photograph

1. In EPSON Scan, make sure “Professional Mode” is selected in the top right hand corner.

2. In Document Source, select "Document Table" for materials that will scanned from the document table.

3. In Auto Exposure Type, select "Photo".

4. In Image Type, select "24-bit color".

5. Set the Resolution to the appropriate dpi. Each project will have a specified dpi range based on our assessments. For general guidelines on bit depth, color space, and resolution, see Digitization Specifications.

6. All of the Adjustments can be left de-selected.

7. Next to the scan button, click the folder icon to go to the File Save Settings.

   1. In Location select the folder location. In most cases you will be saving to the shared server.

   2. Enter the file name according to the project's file naming scheme. For file naming of On-Demand Scanning, the file name will be included in the On-Demand Scanning Queue spreadsheet. See "File Naming", below, for more details.

   3. In Image Format set the “Type” to “TIFF (*.tif)” and click OK.

   4. Document table scanning:

      1. Place the document in the document table face down, with the top of the newspaper on the left hand side. For fragile material such as newspaper, use the cardboard cutout instead of the lid to flatten it out.

   5. Click “Preview” and select the area to be scanned. Select the image area to be scanned using the cursor, leaving a thin border around the photograph.

   6. Click "Scan".

8. Assess the scan for quality.

9. At this point, the photograph from an archival or manuscript collection, and photograph vertical files, should be labeled. On the back of the photograph, write the filename on the upper right hand corner, using the blue Berol Prismacolor blue pencil. Do not include the file extension in the folder title.

10. Next, a smaller JPEG file will be created from the TIFF image for use in the Greenstone Digital Library software or future digital repository. You can do this in Adobe Photoshop. With the TIFF image open, click Image -> Image Size. A box labeled Image Size will open.

11. Adjustments will be made in the second section, labeled Document Size. Change the setting for Resolution to 200. Click OK. The image will change size in the Photoshop window.

12. Save the image as a jpeg; do not overwrite the TIFF file. Click File -> Save As. The filename will remain the same, but change Format to JPEG from the drop-down menu. Select the appropriate destination folder in the top drop-down menu, and click the Save button. A box will open with JPEG Options; under Image Options, set the Quality option at 7, Medium. Click OK. This completes the scanning process.

Next, metadata must be added to the image using the Greenstone Digital Library software. (are we still doing this? if not, we need to add the metadata into a spreadsheet format. also look into adding metadata directly into the object itself) (Depending on the project, you may want to add multiple scans to Greenstone at one time. Check with your supervisor to determine the needs of the particular project.)

File Naming

The filename is constructed to identify the collection the photograph is from, as well as its location in the collection. The photograph may come from one of six collections: manuscript/archival collections, published material, photograph vertical files, keysort photograph files, glass plate collection, or the contact print books. The filenames are constructed as follows:

Photographs/images from manuscript or archival collections: the filename must contain the group number, series number (using Arabic numerals), box number, folder number, and number of the individual item being scanned. Each element in the filename will be preceded by a lowercase letter representing the name of the element (m or r = manuscript or record group number; s = series; b = box; f = folder). Individual items within the same folder will be assigned a sequential number as they are scanned. The number will follow the rest of the filename after an underscore. A complete file name should look like:m115s4b21f112_2 (for manuscript group 115, series IV, box 21, folder 112, scan 2).

Images from published materials: the filename will be taken from the call number of the published material, with letters in lowercase, and each section separated by an underscore. The page number then follows an underscore in the format "p23". A complete file name should appear as: n6757_r46_1991_p168

Scanning the verso of a photo: label the file as “b,” not as an extra number (ex: front (or image side) m117s6b63f46_1a, back (or information side) m117s6b63f46_1b). When not scanning both sides, do not use a letter at the end of the file name.

Stray Images: date of accession followed by an underscore, followed by a sequential number.

Photographs from vertical files: V_name of folder_1

Photographs from the photograph vertical files: the filename should be created from the major subject group, subject subdivision, folder title, and sequential scan number. The major subject groups and subdivisions should be written using the two or three letter codes, in uppercase letters, separated by an underscore.

ACT for Activities

ATH for Athletics

CL for Classrooms and Laboratories

PEO_ORG for People, Organizations and Groups

PEO_POR for People, Portraits

PEO_SL for People, Student Life

PLA_BLD for Places, Buildings

PLA_GRD for Places, Grounds

PLA_RI for Places, Rhode Island General

More Naming

Beacon_yyyymmdd_(p)# Ex: Beacon_19750122_4

Grist_yyyy_(p)# Ex: Grist_1975_14

Pacer negative collection:

PacerBook #_p#_(neg)# Ex: PacerBook4_p17_4687

The subject code should be followed by an underscore, the name of the folder, underscore, and the number of the image. A complete file name should appear as PEO_POR_Johnson,Lyndon_2 or ACT_AlumniDay_5.

Photographs from the keysort collection: the filename should be taken from the subject number, followed by a dash, the subject subdivision number, if any, followed by an underscore, and the negative number. A complete filename should appear as 12-01_12489 or 01_1236

Photographs from the glass plate collection: the filename should begin with "gp", followed by the negative number. A complete filename should appear as gp1256

Photographs from the contact print books: the filename should contain the book number the photograph is located in, the page number of the photograph, followed by an underscore and the negative number. A compete filename should appear asbk1e27_5580 or bk9a34_6800