Consultation
Digital Initiatives will offer consultation (in-person or remote) on such issues as:
Have additional questions that are not on this list? Uncertain about scanning or scanner settings? Feeling overwhelmed with your digital project? Digital Initiatives is here to help! Consulting can take place by email, over the phone, in-person (via a site visit), or virtual (via tools like Teams or Zoom). This service is available to all North Dakota libraries. To get started, contact Digital Initiatives.
The digital collections of the ND State Library are publicly accessible and searchable online on Digital Horizons. The collections contain thousands of items (photographs, documents, objects, etc.) relating to the history and culture of North Dakota and the Great Plains, as well as state government. The ND State Library supports open access to its digital collections and strives to allow users to access and search high-quality representations of the original items.
- If any libraries are interested in partnering with the ND State Library to have their collections (photographs, letters, etc.) digitized and made available online, contact Digital Initiatives.
- Digital Initiatives can work with your library directly or point you in the right direction to get your digital collection project up and running.
- The ND State Library may also be able to provide your library with online hosting at no cost. Your digital content would become incorporated into the digital collections of the ND State Library. Contact Digital Initiatives for more information.
This toolkit covers the basics of cultural heritage digitization projects. Each of the sections includes practical tools, guidelines, examples, and resources for more in-depth learning. The toolkit includes sections on project planning, copyright, digitization, metadata, digital collection management, and storage and digital preservation.
Digital Initiatives provides resources on topics such as genealogy, hardware & software, oral histories, archiving & preservation, and much more!
ScanDay
- ScanDay
- ScanDay is an event hosted with or in libraries (public, academic, school, special, etc.) across the state, in which Digital Initiatives staff from the ND State Library bring scanning and photography equipment to a community and digitize photographs, documents, objects, etc. from the collections of local institutions and private citizens. After digitization, the items are returned and each participant is given a flash drive containing digital copies of their items.
- If your library is interested in hosting or participating in a ScanDay, contact Digital Initiatives.
- Planning Your Own ScanDay
- If your library has the space and the necessary equipment, Digital Initiatives can help you successfully plan and implement its very own ScanDay event.
- The "Planning Your Own ScanDay" page provides information and resources for libraries and institutions that want to host a ScanDay on their own.
- Digital Initiatives also provides "train the trainer" services and will train your library staff on how to conduct your own ScanDay.
- Virtual ScanDay
- This is a spinoff program of ScanDay. It was started during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for citizens and organizations to contribute copies of their items to the North Dakota Memories collection. It has since been made into an ongoing program/ service.
- The only caveat (and this is the biggest difference from a traditional ScanDay) is that items must be digitized already. Digital Initiatives will not travel to a local library and scan the items for you. For example, items (like photographs) need to be in a digital format (like JPEG or TIFF) in order for them to be virtually submitted.
Digital Initiatives provides many different training opportunities. Some of these come directly from the North Dakota State Library, and others come from a variety of reputable sources. These trainings also come in different formats (such as webinars, workshops, tutorials, guides, presentations, etc.).
