Digitisation
We have been imaging our own vast collection of records, spanning over 1,000 years of iconic national documents, since the 1960s. We use the expertise, skills and resources gained through this process to offer a professional digitisation service for others.
Our digitisation services
We offer bespoke digitisation solutions, both for our own and external collections. Imaging your collections can add untold value, such as promoting access, generating income and preserving your records for the future.
Our team of experts can advise on all aspects of document digitisation, from preparing original records for imaging (including their conservation and safety) to data and storage. We help individuals, archives, businesses, and private organisations maximize the potential of their collections through digitisation. Recognising the uniqueness of each collection, our team will work with you to create a customised service that meets your needs.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the services we can provide or would like to discuss your requirements, get in touch. We are happy to provide general guidance and quotations.
Services we offer
- Digitisation of original documents and records
- Expert document preparation
- Secure storage of materials
- Conservation services
- Metadata creation to suit your records and usage requirements
- Optical Character Recognition
- Metamorfoze, FADGI 4*, ISO91623 and ISO91624 standards
- Advice on preservation and data storage solutions
Scoping your project
The initial phase of a digitisation project involves defining the business requirements. Drawing on our extensive experience, we understand that investing time in accurately scoping a project ensures a seamless process. We will calculate an accurate estimation based on an assessment of the collection which can include:
- The medium the documents are held in
- A page number assessment
- The dimensions of the document
- An overview of project specifications; image file format and resolution
- Any requirements for optical character recognition (OCR) or transcription (provided via our network of trusted partners).
- Consideration of transportation of the documents
- Condition of the documents
We will work with you to produce a robust plan that makes the most of your budget and timeframes.
What we can’t digitise
- Cinefilm
- Microfiche
- Video and audio content
If you simply require research-quality digital images or prints, of singular or part documents, all from our collection, please visit our Record Copying pages.
Benefits of digitisation
More and more businesses are adding value to their collections through developing digitisation initiatives. Each organisation has different priorities but the benefits of digitisation include:
Access
The information in documents can be published in a number of ways and made available to global audiences, so that access is no longer restricted to those able to visit the physical location, saving time and travel costs.
There is also the ability to access existing resources previously limited by their format, such as large maps and materials stored on microfilm.
Generating income
Many documents contain information that can have a commercial value when presented to the right audiences. The benefits of digitisation can unlock this potential to create new income streams.
Brand
Opening up your archives can benefit your brand by inspiring new audiences and raising the profile of the institution. Many modern brands are rediscovering the value of their ‘brand heritage’.
Searchability
Capturing the right descriptive data from a digitised document makes finding relevant content much easier, and helps maximise research efficiency.
Preservation
Following digitisation, physical documents will not need to be accessed as often, therefore reducing potential damage caused by handling.
Interaction
Digitised content is versatile and can be used to communicate with customers across a range of channels. It is a particularly strong tool for social media, opening dialogue with customers and encouraging activities like crowdsourcing and blogging.
Integration
Records can be integrated with digital systems and made readily discoverable within digital catalogues.
Disaster recovery
Paper records are vulnerable to many risks. Digital copies ensure information remains retrievable if a site disaster leads to loss of analogue formats.
Specialist digitisation
Our team are highly trained in imaging rare and fragile material in our digitisation studio, which is located on-site here at Kew. We offer specialist digitisation services. We have particular expertise in capturing high volumes of digital images and can digitise a wide range of materials including large-scale documents, such as maps.
We output images in a variety of formats, and onto many types of media to suit individual requirements. At each stage in the image capture process we provide stringent quality assurance, checking that images meet the required standards.
Our newly renovated, state-of-the-art specialist digitisation studio is located on-site in Kew and can accommodate a wide range of materials.
We digitise the following formats:
- Bound volumes and manuscripts
- Rolls, parchments and newspapers
- Maps, plans and technical drawings
- Photographs, blueprints and oversized items (A0+)
- Negatives, glass plates and transparencies
- Microfilm
Safe handling and storage
We understand that fragile and precious records require a high level of care and it is important that they are returned to you in the same condition. We use specialist digitisation book rests, cradles and weights to prevent damage to original items. All records are stored and copied in a secure environment by experienced operators, using digitisation equipment approved by our conservators, to minimise the risk of document damage.
Quality assurance
Quality assurance is a crucial stage in the digitisation process. It enables us to deliver projects with the confidence that images have been precisely captured, thoroughly checked, and are the best possible surrogate / digital copy of the original material. Following digitisation, our team of quality assurance technicians perform checks against the material. This crucial stage in the digitisation process enables us to deliver projects with the confidence that the images have been precisely captured, thoroughly checked, and are the best possible surrogate of the original material.
Digitisation case study
The Design Museum
As part of its plans to put more of its archive online, the Design Museum wanted to digitise their archive of more than 40 years’ worth of exhibition posters. These varied in size, from low-run A3 prints to large 6-sheet bus stop posters, and some were even printed on unusual materials – such as flock printed on acrylic. They were looking to find an organisation that would be able to digitise this complex range of posters at a reasonable cost, and so they approached The National Archives’ digitisation team.
It was a pleasure to work with the team at The National Archives. I was pleased with the service from start to finish. I was particularly impressed with how they were able to digitally stitch together the largest of our posters. I have no hesitation in recommending them for a digitisation project – in fact, we are already planning to send more materials for scanning very shortly.
The Design Museum is a charity and generates most of its operating budget from exhibition admissions, retail income and sponsorship. It does not have an in-house photography or digitisation studio, and is dependent on working with external partners to make high-quality digital images. Working with the National Archives helps us to show more of our collection and archive to the public.