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4.21.1 The use of standard technologies, standard forms and media types, and plan for changes in formats, technologies and formats (standardisation) is strongly encouraged. Standardised formats allow for interoperability between governmental bodies, aiding service delivery and lowering the cost of creating and preserving digital information.
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However, it must be noted that the formats and media types currently in use are not likely to remain as fixed standards, for the long term. Governmental bodies and repositories must plan for migration into newer formats and media.
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Technology and succession plans for migration to newer formats and media must be in place and budgeted for by repositories.
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Only archivally appropriate scanning machines that limit the harm and damage to fragile historical materials may be permitted to be used for digitisation projects.
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High speed automated scanning processes are considered to be damaging to archival records, due to the fragile nature of many archival records as well as the variable nature of historical paper formats. High speed automated scanning processes are explicitly not allowed for scanning purposes for historical archival records.
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The exact nature and type of scanning machinery and equipment to be used in the digitisation project must be stipulated in the contract. In most instances this will mean, that an overhead camera with support cradle for bound books and loose documents, will have to be used.
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Scanning machines for maps must be able to accommodate the size of the map, without causing harm to the item.
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The use of high-volume automated scanners, or any scanning device that exerts pressure (for example, drum roll scanners) on a record, is not allowed.
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Repositories must preserve older technologies and equipment to access all digital records in that format.
4.21.10The Provincial Digital Repository (PDR) at the Western Cape Archives and Records Service must use standard technologies, standard forms and media types, and plan for changes in formats, technologies and formats.
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The formats and media types currently in use are not likely to remain as fixed standards in the long-term future and repositories must accept and plan for migration into newer formats and media.
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Technology and succession plans for migration to newer formats and media must be in place and budgeted for by repositories.
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Only approved digital formats and media must be used.
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Digital material in alternate formats must be migrated to the approved standard.
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Digital and electronic collections and reproductions in obsolete formats and media must be identified for eventual migration of the content in future when technologies will be available.
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New technologies and media types must be reviewed regularly.
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4.22.1 The digitisation sector is fragmented with most institutions operating in silos. A community of practice will help to unify the sector and provide a common purpose.
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A community of practice, in the form of a professional body, must be established to integrate the digitisation sector by building up national capacity through coordination of skills development, and consequently to reduce the dependence upon foreign agencies. This is to be an independent professional body which may over time be constituted as a statutory body. The Department of Arts and Culture will facilitate the establishment of this professional body through workshops and conferences and to provide guidance, support and linkage with key governmental stakeholders. For the purposes of this policy this proposed professional body that embodies the community of practice might referred to as the Institute for Digital Heritage (IDH).
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4.23.1 There is a need for a skills framework that covers the digitisation discipline, which supports monitoring of skills demand and supply, and which forms the basis for skills development programmes.
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A skills framework must be established that will provide a range of skills that can be developed and used for the development and management of the digital heritage.
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Existing skills structured in digitisation and related disciplines must be consulted to ensure coherence in the skills framework. Particular attention must be given to skills that are not transferrable from other disciplines and which are unique to digitisation as a discipline.
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Continuous assessment of skills should be undertaken to ensure a balanced supply of local skills and to reduce the need for importing international skills to participate in local projects.
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Local training companies should be encouraged to offer skills in accordance with the skills framework.
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4.24.1 Many institutions are competent to undertake digitisation projects without external assistance. It is essential that institutional capacity be developed to ensure that digitisation becomes a core activity.
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Each governmental body should develop institutional capacity to enable digitisation to become a core competence. For practical purposes this may be developed as shared services among regional collection of custodians to benefit from economies of scale.
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An institutional scorecard must be developed to enable measurement of the capability and maturity of custodians in terms of this scorecard.
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Regular assessments should be conducted for each governmental body in terms of this scorecard and provincial awards may be implemented to recognise specific achievements and institutional excellence. This should be performed either as self-assessments or through the shared services centres.
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