Guidelines

DIGITAL PROJECTS GUIDELINES AND FAQ

Ohio Memory adheres to standard best practices widely used in the digitization community. The following selection criteria is recommended for digitization projects:

• Historical significance: collections or items should represent experiences that are either common to all Ohioans, unique to a specific local community, and that reflect one or more of the Ohio Memory subject categories.
• Scanning potential: suitability for digitization is evaluated in terms of image quality and physical condition. For example, items that have high contrast and/or a clean, crisp font digitize well. Project staff can provide advice on scanning potential.
• Complementary value: preference will be given to materials that best complement collections in Ohio Memory to present a balanced view of state history.
• Ownership and copyrights: the institution must hold property rights to the collection or item and make it available to the public for research. Items that violate copyright restrictions will not be included in Ohio Memory without the permission of the holder of the copyright. If your item is protected by copyright, you must include a signed release from the copyright holder. If you are unsure of the copyright, see our copyright resource links or contact project staff.

Consider:

• What are the highlights of your collections?
• What is the most significant, oldest, or most unique item or collection in your institution?
• What collection/item best represents your community or region?
• What items are most used or requested by patrons?