MICHIGAN.GOV/LMDIGITIZATION

The Library of Michigan does not digitize materials on behalf of libraries, archives, or museums. Instead, it provides consulting, training, equipment loans, hosting, and grant funding to help Michigan libraries and cultural memory institutions run their own digitization projects.

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SERVICES AVAILABLE TO LIBRARIES

• Digitization Consulting - Biz Gallo, Statewide Digitization Initiatives Coordinator at the Library of Michigan, provides one-on-one consulting on digitization programming and resources. Contact Biz Gallo at GalloB@michigan.gov or 517-335-1402. 
• Training and Webinars - The Library of Michigan runs a Digitization Basics webinar series and other digitization training. Register or watch recordings on the Continuing Education Opportunities page - the Library of Michigan's hub for upcoming and on-demand training - or the Webinar Archives page - recordings of past Library of Michigan webinars. 
• Digital Collections Hosting - Libraries and cultural heritage institutions that want their digitized collections hosted on the Library of Michigan's digital platform can submit a digital hosting request form - the intake form the Library of Michigan uses to start a hosting request. 
• Digitization Kits (Equipment Lending) - The Library of Michigan lends Digitization Kits for small-scale digitization projects. Each kit includes scanners, a laptop, and software needed to digitize most materials. Learn more and reserve a Digitization Kit - the Library of Michigan's own page describing kit contents and how to reserve one. 
• Grant Funding - The Library of Michigan administers Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds, which support library, museum, and information services including digitization. Learn more about LSTA grant funding - the Library of Michigan's LSTA program page, covering eligibility and how to apply. 

PROGRAMS & PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

The Library of Michigan partners with the following organizations to preserve and provide access to digital collections from Michigan libraries, archives, historical societies, and museums: 

• DPLA Michigan Service Hub - The Michigan Service Hub extends the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) by aggregating metadata from Michigan libraries, archives, historical societies, and museums through a network of regional hubs, then sharing that data with the DPLA. michmemories.org - the Hub's public site. 
• Michigan Memories - Michigan Memories provides public access to digital collections metadata created and maintained by archivists, librarians, and curators across Michigan, serving students, teachers, genealogists, historians, and the general public. michmemories.org - the searchable public collections metadata portal. 
• Michigan Digital Preservation Network (MDPN) - MDPN is a member-governed collaborative organization dedicated to preserving Michigan's digital cultural heritage materials and leveraging shared resources to make digital preservation accessible to all institutions. mipres.org - MDPN's site, with membership and preservation resource information.
• Library of Michigan Digital (LM Digital) - LM Digital is the Library of Michigan's own digital repository, providing online access to digitized Library of Michigan collections, born-digital content from Michigan web publishers, and partner collections. View LM Digital - the repository's browsable collections interface. 
• Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal - Digital Michigan Newspaper Portal is a publicly accessible tool for locating digitized Michigan newspapers, with content from over 1,000 newspapers representing all 83 Michigan counties. Learn more at cmich.edu - Central Michigan University's Clarke Historical Library page describing DMNP and its newspaper digitization/microfilming services. 
• Mid-Michigan Digital Practitioners (MMDP) - MMDP is a regional network of librarians, archivists, museum curators, conservators, historians, and scholars working on digital collections in Mid-Michigan. Members with specific digitization skills who have volunteered to be a resource are listed in the Directory of Experts - a shared document listing MMDP members and their self-identified digital-records skills. mmdp.wordpress.com — MMDP's blog and group homepage. 

Digital Collections Office Hours -Free virtual office hours with experts from the Library of Michigan, the DPLA Michigan Service Hub, and the Michigan Digital Preservation Network are held the second Thursday of every month, 10:30–11:30 a.m. ET. Open to staff and volunteers at any Michigan library, archive, museum, historical society, or cultural memory organization. Register for office hours - the Zoom registration link; registering sends you the meeting link.

DIGITIZATION PLANNING RESOURCES

INTRODUCTION TO DIGITIZATION

New to digitization or need a refresher? The Library of Michigan's Digitization Basics video series - a YouTube playlist covering the fundamentals of starting a digitization project - lays the foundation for a successful digitization project. For standards and best practices, see: 

• Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI) Guidelines - the U.S. federal government's official technical standards for digitizing cultural heritage materials. 
  • FADGI Glossary - definitions of digitization and imaging terminology used in the FADGI guidelines. 
  • Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials: Creation of Raster Image Files (PDF) - the full technical specification document for image capture settings and quality tiers. 
• Library of Congress: Preservation Guidelines for Digitizing Library Materials - the Library of Congress's guidance on scanning practices that protect original materials. 
• Digital Imaging Best Practices Version 2.0 (PDF) - a Sustainable Heritage Network guide to imaging workflows and quality benchmarks. 

PROJECT PLANNING

A digitization project needs planning before scanning begins. Planning resources: 

• Library of Michigan Digitization Project Planning Guide (PDF) - the Library of Michigan's own step-by-step planning worksheet for a digitization project. 
• DPLA's Planning for Digitization (video) - a video module from DPLA's self-guided digitization curriculum covering early planning steps. 
• WebJunction: Best Practices and Planning for Digitization Projects - an article summarizing planning best practices for library digitization projects. 

Cost estimation. Use the Digital Library Federation's Costs of Digitization tool - an interactive dashboard for estimating digitization project costs based on comparable projects - to estimate digitization costs. Note that projects require storage for preservation files plus duplicate and access copies; access copies are typically about 10% of the preservation file storage size. File size and format tools: 

• Raster Image Size Calculator - a calculator for estimating an image file's storage size from its resolution and format. 
• Video Space Estimator - a calculator for estimating video file storage needs based on format and length. 
• Sustainability of Digital Formats (Library of Congress) - the Library of Congress's reference on which digital file formats hold up best for long-term preservation. 
• Common Image File Formats (Cornell) - a Cornell University comparison table of common image file formats and their properties. 
• ALCTS Minimum Digitization Capture Recommendations - American Library Association recommended minimum capture specifications by material type. 

NEWSPAPER DIGITIZATION

Newspaper digitization projects involve additional factors, including copyright and long-term digital preservation. See the Guide to Digitizing Michigan Newspapers (PDF) - the Library of Michigan's guide walking through Michigan-specific newspaper digitization considerations, from rights to preservation.

USING A VENDOR OR DIGITIZING IN-HOUSE?

Libraries can weigh outsourcing digitization to a vendor against digitizing in-house: 

• NEDCC Leaflet: Outsourcing and Vendor Relations - a Northeast Document Conservation Center leaflet on evaluating and working with digitization vendors. 
• Sample Requests for Proposal (RFPs) - templates for soliciting vendor bids: 
  • Digital Imaging Sample RFP - an OCLC model RFP document for digital imaging projects. 
  • Digital Imaging RFP Guidelines - OCLC guidance on what to include when writing your own imaging RFP. 
  • Audio RFP Guide - a Sustainable Heritage Network RFP guide specific to audio digitization vendors. 
  • Video RFP Guide - a Sustainable Heritage Network RFP guide specific to video digitization vendors. 
• If digitizing in-house: 
  • Digitization Equipment Selection Matrix — a tool for comparing scanning equipment against your material types and budget. 
  • Sustainable Heritage Network: Scanners — Good, Better, Best (PDF) — scanner recommendations grouped by budget tier. 

Note: The Library of Michigan does not endorse or recommend specific vendors or brands. Libraries should contact vendors directly and confirm any choice reflects their institution's specific needs. 

SCOPE & SELECTION

Not everything should, or even could, be digitized, given limits on time, funding, and storage. Selection resources:

• The Five A's: A Digitization Decision Guide (PDF) - the Library of Michigan's own framework for deciding what to digitize first. 
• DPLA's Selecting Content for a Digitization Project (video) - a video module from DPLA's self-guided curriculum on choosing what to digitize. 
• NEDCC Preservation and Selection for Digitization - a Northeast Document Conservation Center leaflet on balancing preservation needs against selection priorities. 

Audiovisual materials (audio, video, film) carry additional preservation risks due to equipment obsolescence:

• Preservation Self-Assessment Program (PSAP) - a free online tool to identify audiovisual formats in your collection and assess their preservation risk. 
• Museum of Obsolete Media's Media Stability Ratings (archived) - a reference ranking how long different AV media formats are expected to remain playable, useful for prioritizing what to digitize first. 

COPYRIGHT

FUNDING FOR DIGITIZATION

Statewide & Regional Grants

• Improving Access to Information Grant Program (LSTA) - the Library of Michigan's medium-size LSTA grant, which can fund digitization projects. 
• Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan - a regional foundation offering grants to Northeast Michigan organizations, including cultural heritage projects. 
• Digital Michigan Newspaper Grant Program - Central Michigan University's grant program supporting Michigan newspaper digitization. 
• Michigan History Alliance Grant Program - a grant program from the Historical Society of Michigan supporting local history organizations. 
• Michigan Humanities Grant - Michigan Humanities' grant programs, which can support cultural heritage and humanities projects. 
• Save Michigan History Grant - a Michigan State Historic Records Advisory Board grant for preserving and providing access to historical records. 

National Grants

• Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR): 
  • Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices - a national grant program funding digitization of underused special collections. 
  • Recordings at Risk - a national grant program funding preservation of at-risk audio, video, and film recordings. 
  • Digital Preservation Professional Development Funding - funding from the Digital Preservation Outreach and Education Network (DPOE-N) to support staff digital preservation training. 
• Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS): 
  • Collections Assessment for Preservation Program (museums only) - funds a professional assessment of a museum's collections and preservation needs. 
  • Inspire! Grants for Small Museums -general operating and project grants for small museums. 
  • Museums for America - IMLS's largest museum grant program, supporting a wide range of museum projects including digitization. 
  • Museums Grants for African American Culture and History - a grant program supporting museums focused on African American history and culture. 
  • Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program - a grant program for museum services serving Native American and Native Hawaiian communities. 
  • National Leadership Grants for Libraries - funds library projects with national or field-wide impact, including digitization initiatives. 
  • Community Collections - a Library of Congress grant program supporting community-based historical collections. 
• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): 
  • Humanities Collection and Reference Resources - an NEH grant category supporting preservation and access to humanities collections. 
  • National Digital Newspaper Program - the NEH/Library of Congress partnership funding state-level historic newspaper digitization. 
  • Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions - small NEH grants for basic preservation needs at smaller institutions. 
  • Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections - an NEH grant category for improving collection storage and environmental conditions. 
• National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF): 
  • Basic Preservation Grants - smaller grants for preserving individual films or small groups of films. 
  • Matching Grants - larger, matching-fund grants for film preservation projects. 
• National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC): 
  • Access to Historical Records: Archival Projects - grants for processing and providing access to archival historical records. 
  • Major Collaborative Archival Initiatives - grants for large, multi-institution archival collaborations. 
  • Publishing Historical Records in Collaborative Digital Editions - grants for creating scholarly digital editions of historical records. 
  • Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections - a National Science Foundation program funding digitization of natural history and biodiversity collections. 
• Religious organization specific: 
  • Atla Digitization Grant Program - a grant program from the American Theological Library Association supporting digitization of religious studies materials. 
  • Presbyterian Historical Society Heritage Preservation Grant - a grant supporting preservation of Presbyterian church records and history. 

Know of a grant not listed here? Send the information to Biz Gallo (GalloB@michigan.gov) to have it added to this funding resource list. 

METADATA

Metadata, or information that describes data, comes in many types (descriptive, technical, and administrative) and standards (Dublin Core, MODS, METS). Good metadata is essential for ensuring access to and long-term stewardship of your collections. Below are resources for understanding and assigning good metadata to your digital collections.

• DPLA's Using Metadata to Describe Digital Content (video) - a video module from DPLA's self-guided curriculum introducing metadata concepts. 
• NISO Understanding Metadata Primer - a National Information Standards Organization primer explaining metadata types and standards. 
• Dublin Core Basics - an introductory guide to the Dublin Core metadata schema, one of the most common standards for describing digital objects. 
• MODS Official Website - the Library of Congress's official documentation for the MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema) standard. 
• File naming guidance: 
  • Smithsonian Data Management Best Practices: Naming and Organizing Files (PDF) - Smithsonian guidance on consistent, durable file naming conventions. 
  • File Naming Conventions (Harvard) - Harvard guidance on structuring file names for long-term organization. 

QUALITY CONTROL

Quality control is an important part of the digitization process that allows you to identify errors (blurry images, incorrect filenaming or directory structure, or missed pages) and ensure that images meet specifications (resolution, file format, color profile, etc.). See the Sustainable Heritage Network's Guide to Quality Control and Quality Checklists (PDF) - a guide with ready-to-use checklists for reviewing digitized images before they're finalized.

ACCESS

One of the key drivers behind digitization is to improve and enable access to materials. Make sure that access to your digitized collections is part of your project plan using the resources below:

• DPLA's Promoting Use of Your Digital Content (video) - a video module from DPLA's self-guided curriculum on increasing use of digitized collections once they're online. 
• LM Digital, the Library of Michigan's digital repository, supports libraries and cultural memory institutions in sharing and showcasing collections online. 
• After collections are online, institutions can share them with the DPLA through the Michigan Service Hub - the Hub's "about" page, describing how to become a contributing partner - which aggregates metadata of digital content from partners statewide to enrich the DPLA.  

DIGITAL PRESERVATION

Digital preservation is key to ensuring long-term access to your digital materials. These resources will help you manage the activities necessary to maintain your digital files for as long as necessary:

• DPLA's Digital Reformatting and File Management (video) - a video module from DPLA's self-guided curriculum on managing digital files after creation. 
• Michigan Digital Preservation Network supports long-term preservation of Michigan's digital cultural heritage materials. 
• Digital Preservation Handbook - the Digital Preservation Coalition's comprehensive reference guide covering the full digital preservation lifecycle. 
  • Fixity & Checksums - the Handbook's section on verifying files haven't been altered or corrupted over time. 
• Data Backup Options, or the "3-2-1 rule" (PDF) - a US-CERT guide to the "3-2-1" backup strategy (three copies, two media types, one offsite) for protecting digital files. 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does the Library of Michigan digitize materials for my library or institution? No. The Library of Michigan does not perform digitization on behalf of libraries or cultural memory institutions. It provides consulting, training, equipment loans, hosting, and grant funding to support institutions running their own digitization projects. 

Who do I contact for digitization consulting? Biz Gallo, Statewide Digitization Initiatives Coordinator at the Library of Michigan, provides digitization consulting. Contact GalloB@michigan.gov or 517-335-1402. 

Can I borrow digitization equipment? Yes. The Library of Michigan lends Digitization Kits - scanners, a laptop, and software - for small-scale digitization projects. Reserve a Digitization Kit - the Library of Michigan's page describing kit contents and the reservation process. 

What funding is available for a digitization project? The Library of Michigan administers LSTA grant funds that can support digitization, alongside a range of statewide, regional, and national grant programs listed in the Funding for Digitization section above. 

Where can my digitized collection be hosted or made publicly accessible? Institutions can request hosting on the Library of Michigan's digital platform via the digital hosting request form, or share collections with the public through the DPLA Michigan Service Hub. 

Is there a live Q&A for digitization questions? Yes. Digital Collections Office Hours are held virtually the second Thursday of every month, 10:30–11:30 a.m. ET, with experts from the Library of Michigan, the DPLA Michigan Service Hub, and the Michigan Digital Preservation Network. Register for office hours - the Zoom registration link. 

CONTACT AND FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Digitization consulting: Biz Gallo, Statewide Digitization Initiatives Coordinator - GalloB@michigan.gov, 517-335-1402

Copyright questions: Clare Membiela, Law Consultant - membielac@michigan.gov

Grant resource suggestions: GalloB@michigan.gov 

Updated 10/01/2026