Free help and advice to the UK Further and Higher Education community

Helpdesk

All advice documents, training courses and blog entries tagged 'digital collections'

Still images advice tagged 'digital collections'

Moving images advice tagged 'digital collections'

  • Choosing a Digital Video File Type

    Choosing a file format can prove overwhelming for someone new to the world of digital video. The aims of this document are to discuss some of the key factors that should be considered before selecting a file format and to suggest suitable choices for specific applications

    Read full advice document...
  • Transcoding Digital Video

    ‘Digitisation' is a process in which analogue materials become digital, while ‘transcoding' is the shift from one digital format to another digital format. This brief paper looks at some common situations which call for transcoding, such as when ‘migrating' data to new formats in order to avoid obsolescence.

    Read full advice document...
  • Planning a Video Digitisation Project

    The digitisation of an existing video collection has many potential benefits; newly digitised materials offer opportunities to reach new users and to engage with new and existing users in new ways. Digitisation may also prove to be the only viable way to make our vulnerable video materials available to generations of future users. The complexities of achieving a successfully digitised and fully accessible video collection can be considerable but through careful preparation, the task can be broken down into manageable stages.

    Read full advice document...

Audio advice tagged 'digital collections'

  • User Guide to MP3

    A guide to the creation, manipulation and use of audio flies in the popular MP3 format, including a close look at the many audio and metadata options which MP3 offers, and its use within teaching and learning.

    Read full advice document...
  • Metadata and Audio Resources

    Working with metadata can be a very time-consuming and resource heavy activity, so it is important to have a firm understanding of your objectives before initial decisions are made. Before reading this advice document, it is worth familiarising yourself with the document An Introduction to Metadata.

    Read full advice document...
  • Audio Digitisation Workflow

    This paper discusses the considerations needed when planning a workflow for digitisation. It outlines some of the preparation needed when creating a workflow and precepts that need to be incorporated. The paper then offers an example generic workflow for digitising open-reel audiotapes onto a computer hard drive system.

    Read full advice document...
  • Choosing a Digital Audio File Format

    The choice of file formats can often prove overwhelming for someone new to the world of digital audio. The aim of this document is to discuss some of the key factors that should be considered before choosing a format and suggest suitable file formats for specific applications.

    Read full advice document...
  • Equipping an Audio Digitisation System

    This document aims to provide information needed when equipping an audio digitisation project of analogue media to a digital hard drive. This document is written with the digitisation of stereo and mono files in mind. For information regarding digitising multi-track recordings, there is a section at the end of this document with some recommendations and considerations. This document is intended to provide a guide to staff who wish to undertake digitisation projects of any scale, be it small or large.

    Read full advice document...
  • Selecting an Audio Digitisation System

    This document is a discussion of some of the primary audio digitisation systems available for digitising analogue audio media. This document is intended to be of use to staff engaged in the digitisation of analogue audio, whether dealing with only a few or a few hundred tapes.

    Read full advice document...
  • An Introduction to Digital Audio

    A guide to the theory of digital audio, explaining the process of analogue to digital conversion and how sound is represented and stored in digital form.

    Read full advice document...

Cross-media advice tagged 'digital collections'

  • Metadata Standards and Interoperability

    This advice document aims to provide a comprehensive look at the various choices the developer of multimedia collections has in terms of metadata standards and the principles behind using them. It attempts to provide a synopsis of general metadata trends, a) in usage for audio, moving and still image format types; b) in specific areas of practice such as museums, archives, libraries and education; and, c) in various activities and tasks such as preservation, interoperability and resource discovery. For an overview of the whole series of papers, and an introduction to the metadata issues discussed here, please see An Introduction to Metadata.

    Read full advice document...
  • Signposts to Relevant Organisations

    This page provides links to four types of organisation that digitisation project staff may be interested in: Academic Service Providers; Public Sector Organisations; Standards Organisations; International Organisations.

    Read full advice document...
  • Asset Management: The Digital Asset Lab MediaFiler

    JISC Digital Media has surveyed a range of image management software developers to gather specific information about their systems. These are the responses from The Digital Asset Lab MediaFiler.

    Read full advice document...
  • Finding Subject-Specific Digital Media Resources

    There are a multitude of websites providing access to a wide range of digital media resources (images, video and audio) covering many subject areas. This can be very bewildering if you are searching for specific resources to use in the lecture/classroom or for inclusion in a VLE (virtual learning environment). The purpose of this document is to provide a subject-specific guide to finding digital media resources with links to a number of useful websites.

    Read full advice document...
  • Finding Video, Audio and Images Online

    There are countless websites offering images, video and audio files for use in education, but it's not always easy to know which sites are most useful or appropriate. This advice document discusses general tools and strategies for finding digital resources and looks at many of the sites you can use as reliable sources.

    Read full advice document...
  • Copyright and Other Rights for Creating Time-based Media Resources

    This advice document provides some basic information on rights issues associated with creating time-based digital media resources. By time-based we mean resources that change over time - including spoken audio, music, animation, and video - as opposed to still images or screen shots, which do not change over time. Rights issues include copyright, recording rights, moral rights and performance rights.

    Read full advice document...
  • Asset Management: Papermule DAM and Workflow Engine

    JISC Digital Media has surveyed a range of image management software developers to gather specific information about their systems. These are the responses from Papermule DAM & Workflow Engine.

    Read full advice document...
  • File Formats and Compression

    This document looks at the theory of file formats and the common methods of data compression.

    Read full advice document...
  • Systems for Managing Digital Media Collections

    Everyone's collection and context is unique, so your choice of a system (or systems) for managing your digital media will require a careful assessment of your needs and resources and an evaluation of the available options. This paper provides an overview of a number of different approaches to media management: from some very cheap and 'low-tech' approaches to much more complex and specialised solutions.

    Read full advice document...
  • Audiovisual Signal Types and Interconnects

    Over the decades various technical standards have been adopted for analogue and then for digital video and audio. As the popularity of systems declined they were generally replaced by improved technologies, making many system configurations entirely obsolete. Obsolete interconnects can be difficult to use in conjunction with modern equipment.

    This paper looks at the nature of audio and video signals and then surveys significant historical interconnects (such as RCA) and contemporary, digital equivalents (such as SDI and SPDIF).

    Any method of transferring digital data, such as USB (Universal Serial Bus) can potentially be used to transfer digital audiovisual files, but such technologies are not primarily associated with audio video signal data and so are not discussed here.

    Read full advice document...
  • Overview of JISC Digital Media Materials for Digitisation Project Staff

    This guide provides an overview of the JISC Digital Media website materials we think digitisation project staff will find useful during the lifetime of a digitisation project.

    Read full advice document...
  • Links to Digital Media and Digital Preservation Organisations

    The list below survey a selection of audiovisual and digital preservation related organisations and provides links to their websites.

    Read full advice document...
  • Budgeting for a Digitisation Project

    It is not possible to provide detailed information on budgeting for a digitisation project; these costs will depend on the nature, condition and amount of analogue materials to be digitised and the extent and accuracy of existing metadata. However, some general advice which assigns comparative values to different activities within a project may help when planning a digitisation project.

    Read full advice document...
  • Graphical User Interface Design: Developing Usable and Accessible Collections

    This paper looks at the development of a graphical user interface (GUI) for a digital collection. It takes a general view of facilitating effective access to a digital resource and then examines more closely the issues of usability and then accessibility. It is intended to be of use to collection managers wishing to grant access to a digital resource.

    Read full advice document...
  • Learning Lessons from Other Digitisation Projects

    This document proposes a number of potential challenges associated with the digitisation of a collection. It then examines the value of lessons learned from previous projects when attempting to meet those challenges. It is intended to be of use to resource management staff considering the digitisation of all or part of their collection.

    Read full advice document...
  • Project Management for a Digitisation Project

    This paper takes a look at the role and responsibilities of the digitisation project manager. It addresses common managerial challenges such balancing the expectations of stakeholders and ensuring the of quality of output. It is intended to be of use to the management team of time limited digitisation projects or to resource management staff planning to digitise their collection.

    Read full advice document...
  • Risk Assessment for Digitisation Projects

    This paper identifies some of the more common risks associated with a digitisation project. It is intended to be of use to the management team of time limited digitisation projects or to permanent collection management staff planning to digitise.

    Read full advice document...
  • Quality Assurance and Digitisation Projects

    This document examines issues relating to quality assurance from a project management perspective. It proposes a four-layer model for assuring quality and looks at some of the more common reasons for problems with output quality. This document is intended to be used by collection managers intending to digitise their resources or by managers of digitisation projects.

    Read full advice document...
  • Sustainability of Digital Collections

    Once funding for a digitisation project comes to an end, how will you ensure the long term sustainability of your newly-created collection? This is a fundamental question that needs to be addressed at the outset of the project. This document looks at different approaches to sustainability and discusses the factors you need to take into consideration when planning for sustainability. We will highlight the practical steps a project can take and examine various options for financing the ongoing maintenance and availability of the collection beyond the life of the project.

    Read full advice document...

Training courses tagged

  • BTEC Professional Certificate in Digital Imaging: 3 days

    The following units are the BTEC accredited assessment components of our still image professional development certificate and award.

    Read course description...
  • Video Production 1: Lectures and Interviews 2-day course

    The use of video in education has ceased to be an occasional occurrence, but the quality of videos has not kept pace with their popularity. This course is intended to instil basic competence in the many areas of knowledge that are needed to produce good video work. A hands-on approach is taken, such that during the two days of learning about video techniques the participants will actually produce two short videos. All equipment and facilities will be supplied.

    PLEASE NOTE: This is a two-day course. Course fees are as follows:

    • £275 for participants from UK Higher or Further Education
    • £325 for participants from government, charities, libraries, galleries or museums
    • Prices for all other participants are available on request
    Read course description...
  • JISC Advance - Digital Media and Copyright Seminar

    Bringing together experts in digital media and copyright law this seminar created by the JISC Advance services, JISC Digital Media and JISC Legal, uses common real-world scenarios to focus on how copyright impacts on the use of digital media. The seminar will allow participants to gain an understanding of the common issues and challenges facing institutions in the current copyright landscape.

    Seminar fees: £100 per participant. Includes lunch and refreshments. There will be a pre-seminar online exercise attendees are requested to complete. This is merely to provide some background knowledge prior to the seminar.

    Objectives

    • To increase confidence in dealing with multi-layer intellectual property rights in digital media
    • To identify appropriate approaches to dealing with the uncertainties of copyright law in relation to digital media
    • To share experiences of both issues and solutions to IPR challenges in relation to digital media
    Read course description...
  • Building Effective Screencasts

    Screencasts - videos of on-screen computer activity, accompanied by voice-over, and possibly other media (webcam video, Powerpoint slides etc) - have in recent times increased massively in popularity, scope and acceptance, and can now provide a sophisticated learning experience, incorporating slides, images, video, audio, screen annotation, subtitles, interactive quizzes and more.. Whether you want to narrate a presentation, demonstrate the use of software, or record and share your screen for any other reason, a screencast may well be the answer.

    This practical one-day workshop provides an opportunity to learn how to maximise the value of screencasting in presentation, demonstration and digital storytelling for teaching and learning, in the context of the whole workflow from planning your own short screencast to rendering it as a video. We've even had some delegates posting finished screencasts to YouTube by the end of the day!

    Read course description...
  • Digital Media Restoration (Audio-Visual only)

    Analogue media deteriorates at an alarming rate and few digitisation projects can hope to retrieve great signals from aged collections. In order to archive maximum usefulness some basic digital remastering is often required. Fortunately, today's digital tools mean we can easily remove unwanted 'defects' whether hisses and scratches from shellac discs or the distorted colours of old videotapes

    N.B. This course covers digital restoration of audio-visual resources only. It does not cover restoration of still images

    Read course description...
  • Advanced Techniques in Digital Image Capture

    This course looks at the technical background behind, and procedures for, image capture and optimisation delivered through hands-on activities. This workshop will teach you how to produce the correct end product for your intended purpose and teach you the easy 'science' of scanning to remove the guesswork from your image capture.

    Read course description...
  • Digital Photography - Taking Control of your SLR

    This action packed course looks in depth at using a digital SLR's creative controls to put you in charge of your photography. You will also have plenty of hands-on practice with the camera and be shown how to effectively illuminate 2D and 3D objects using tungsten and fluorescent studio lighting.

    Read course description...
  • Digital Photography - Getting Started with your SLR

    This entry level course will provide you with an understanding of the techniques and skills needed to produce great quality images from a digital SLR camera with ease. Some illuminating background theory will be supported by hands-on practical exercises in photography.

    Read course description...
  • Colour Management

    Effective colour management is vital within the digital workflow and anyone working with digital images should understand and be employing the core principles. This training course introduces colour management theory and 'good practice' to ensure that you understand how to achieve consistent and accurate colour between applications, platforms, and devices.

    Read course description...
  • Audio Production: Recording Lectures, Seminars, Interviews and Podcasts

    This course will provide you with the knowledge and skills to record and produce recordings of spoken word audio, with specific emphasis being placed upon the recording of lectures, seminars and events. You will learn the basic concepts of recording technologies and through practical exercises you will learn how to confidently apply these to practical situations. The workshop will also introduce you to ideas for delivering new media such as podcasting, and suggest methods for managing your digital recordings.

    Read course description...
  • Introduction to Image Metadata

    This course is designed specifically to help you consider how to effectively incorporate metadata into the fabric of your image collection, through explanation, discussion and practical activities.

    Read course description...
  • Digitising Analogue Video Recordings

    Over the past fifty years the videotape has grown from an obscure television production tool into a vibrant and vital social document. But videotape has proved to be a fragile long-term medium and its contents are at risk. This risk can only be mitigated through careful planning. This workshop will investigate the challenges associated with the preservation of videotapes. Through practical exercises, we will look at how digitising materials to archival standards can both safeguard and help develop a collection. We will also look at the challenge of creating a sustainable digital collection. Quality assurance procedures and best practice will be referred to throughout.

    Read course description...
  • Essential Techniques in Digital Image Capture

    This entry level course provides an easy to understand theoretical overview of digital images and image capture combined with practical exercises using both a scanner and digital SLR camera for those getting started with creating digital images.

    Read course description...
  • Using Digital Media in VLEs

    This one day workshop focuses on the effective use of digital media online including the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). During the workshop attendees will discover how to improve their presentation resources, know when and how digital media can be used to enhance learning materials and be able to successfully embed their new knowledge in their VLE and online services.

    Read course description...
  • Finding Free-to-Use Images, Video and Audio

    If you've ever needed to find images, video or audio you can use in your work materials then this course is for you. It will guide you to all the best places to locate free-to-use, copyright-cleared digital media resources for use in teaching and learning. You'll never use Google to find digital media again!

    Read course description...
  • Essential Photoshop Skills

    This course will get you up and running with Adobe Photoshop. You will learn key concepts and skills to enable you to understand and start using this exciting application with confidence.

    Read course description...
  • Managing Digital Media Collections

    Now that many important materials are in a digital form, building an accessible online media collection which successfully delivers images, sounds, video and other media is a goal of many institutions.

    Until recently, expensive Digital Asset Management systems where the most viable option, but now open source server applications such as Dspace, Omeka and Drupal hold the promise of truly interoperable and standards-based collection management.

    This one day course will offer a model of digital collection management, based upon open source solutions. Attendees will gain hands-on experience of planning, building, managing and delivering a digital media collection.

    Read course description...
  • Image Optimisation for Print and Web

    This course covers the essential skills you need in order to maximise the quality and visual appeal of digital images from both scanners and digital cameras. You will learn the tips and tricks necessary to transform your images quickly and easily.

    Read course description...
  • Building a Departmental Image Collection

    This course will provide you with a hands-on experience of creating, managing and delivering a departmental image collection. You will acquire the foundation knowledge required to make well informed decisions about building an image library. You will also have the opportunity to discuss and share information with people from the HE/FE/Cultural sector facing similar issues in order to help you develop practical solutions.

    Read course description...
  • Copyright and Digital Media

    This informative and stimulating course is run by a leading expert in copyright. It looks in-depth at how copyright and other legal issues impact upon digital media and it will enable you to develop practical approaches to clearing and managing those rights within your own collections.

    Read course description...
  • Digitising Analogue Audio

    To meet the skills required by libraries, archives and institutions to digitise their existing analogue collections, this course aims to provide a complete introduction to the theory and practicalities of successfully digitising analogue audio resources. The workshop will provide hands-on tuition alongside presenting theoretical knowledge with group discussions of topics surrounding the digital lifecycle, in a digitisation project based context. The workshop has been designed as a precursor for our more technical, media specific training modules. The practical elements will involve digitising audiocassette tapes as example media.

    Read course description...
  • Scanning with the CLA Licence

    This course provides a thorough practical overview of how to digitise images and text from print-based materials. You will use a desktop scanner and related technology to effectively enable you to leverage the rights granted to you by the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) scanning licence.

    Read course description...
  • Digitising Grooved Discs and Open Reel Audio

    This course is designed to meet the requirements of staff in libraries, archives and other related institutions needing to digitise existing analogue collections. The course builds on our Digitising Analogue Audio workshop, by introducing a range of legacy audio media and examining them in more detail.

    The workshop will provide the opportunity to both handle these media and configure the equipment needed for their successful playback. A recommended, pragmatic workflow will be followed.

    Essential theoretical and interesting historical information is included which together contribute to understanding: the development of audio recording technologies; how to handle and best reproduce each medium; how to digitise each medium to archival standard.

    Read course description...

Blog entries tagged 'digital collections'