U.S. agencies work toward digitization guidelines.

• Position: ARCHIVES - Brief article

The Library of Congress (LOC) is joining a dozen federal agencies to establish a common set of guidelines for digitizing historical materials. The Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative will address a variety of issues related to the complex activities involved in digitizing cultural heritage items.

Two working groups have been formed. The Federal Agencies Still Image Digitization Working Group will focus on content such as books, manuscripts, maps, and photographic prints and negatives. Its members include the LOC, the National Agricultural Library, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the National Gallery of Art, the National Library of Medicine, the National Technical Information Service, the National Transportation Library, the Smithsonian Institution, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S...