The Digitization Institute is a program provided by NC ECHO to expose participants to the various aspects of a digital project. The theme of the Institute is collaboration. Throughout the week, collaboration between libraries and non-library institutions will be emphasized. The institute will focus on project planning and sustainability. Participants will acquire the basic skills and information necessary to begin planning and implementing a digitization program for special collections, including the essentials of planning, basic scanning techniques, fundamental copyright issues, an introduction to metadata, and key issues in web design and online context for the presentation of digital content. Sessions will include presentations, discussions, hands-on work, and active learning. Participants will be provided with workshop materials and a copy of the NC ECHO Digitization Guidelines. The institute is a week-long intensive experience for participants.

Who Should Apply

The Digitization Institute is open to staff members of all North Carolina's Cultural Institutions, including but not limited to libraries, museums, historical societies, and archives.

This institute is designed for participants who are planning a digitization project, have responsibilities in an ongoing digitization project, or seek an overview of what digitization projects are all about.

Applicants should have experience in or at least be familiar with the following in order to benefit fully from the Digitization Institute:

• basic web page creation (html)
• preservation and handling of special collection materials
• arrangement and description/archival processing and finding aids

James Sorrell assures proper placement of a document before scanning

Bill Richards, Photographic Services at UNC, talks about the camera back used to create digital images of artifacts during DI II

Application Process
The Digitization Institute is open to staff members of North Carolina cultural heritage institutions. Interested individuals must submit an application form. The application form must be signed both by the applicant and their institution's director.

Only one staff member from an institution should apply during the application cycle. Preference will be given to applicants who are digitization project managers or leaders in local digitization efforts. Preference will also be given to applicants from institutions that have never sent a staff member to an NC ECHO Digitization Institute.

Photos from previous Digitization Institutes.