A simple digitisation workflow for small archive teams

29th September 2026

Digitisation is a game-changer for arts and heritage institutions that want to extend access to their collections and ensure long-term, sustainable preservation, but it can be a daunting task for small archival teams with limited resources.

After all, digitising large volumes of documents and creating images of physical assets can take a long time, but failing to do so means missing out on the efficiency gains offered by that same project.

In this article we’re going to look at a simple digitisation workflow smaller teams or solo archivists can implement, and how to make the process more achievable.

Decide what to digitise and when

Digitisation of physical assets can be time-consuming for archive teams that are responsible for large collections, particularly if some of those assets are delicate or of high value. For example, you can’t just put a 500-year old manuscript into a scanner and hope for the best.

To make this process easier, start by ranking material according to value and urgency rather than simply working through items in order. Prioritise items that are frequently requested, support current projects or exhibitions, or are at greater risk of damage or loss, while also considering whether an item is unique or particularly significant to your collection.

A basic spreadsheet can help you score each group of materials against a set list of criteria to create a clear priority list. Start with the highest-scoring material, review your priorities as needs change and set realistic weekly targets so digitisation remains manageable.

The four key factors of a digitisation workflow

Let’s take a closer look at the four key factors of digitisation workflows, although note that your specific institution might want to consider other factors in addition to, or instead of, any of these criteria.

Condition and fragility

Fragile, damaged or deteriorating material may need to be digitised sooner to reduce handling and preserve its contents. However, be sure to assess whether items require specialist conservation, as attempting to digitise fragile materials without appropriate care could cause further damage.

Demand

Prioritise items that researchers, staff, community members or the public regularly need, or want, to access.

Digitising high-demand material first can quickly deliver practical benefits while reducing repeated handling of physical originals.

Uniqueness

Give higher priority to one-of-a-kind photographs, handwritten records, original documents, or historically or culturally significant material. Digitisation of these assets protects works that would be lost if the physical versions deteriorate.

What you can exclude from digitisation

For small archival teams, sometimes deciding what to exclude from digitisation is just as important. For example, you might choose not to include:

Low-value duplicate assets — multiple copies of the same document.
Poor quality or incomplete assets — items that have already degraded to the point that they don’t offer useful information.
Restricted or sensitive information — this would include assets that can’t or shouldn’t be made available digitally because of privacy concerns, or legal or access restrictions.
Assets unsuitable for scanning — very fragile material or large artefacts that will require specialist equipment or additional conservation expertise.

Scanning standards: Resolution and file formats that will last

Managing file formats should be a part of the wider preservation strategy, and as such be created in a format that will provide long-term access.

There are two key factors to consider here:

Obsolescence. Formats evolve as users and developers incorporate new functionality, and sometimes these new versions will introduce obsolescence, potentially leading to data becoming unusable.
Proliferation. Conversely, the proliferation of file formats can be more of a challenge than obsolescence, with lots of different versions of file formats making it hard to track and manage which are at risk and which tools can be used for each one.

Ultimately, not all digital formats are suitable for archiving and preservation. Let’s take a look at some of the most common formats used by archival teams and what you need to be aware of.

PDF/A

PDF/A (PDF for Archiving) is considered the ‘Gold Standard’ for long-term storage of text-based files, such as manuscripts, reports and catalogues. It’s the ISO-standardised version of PDF designed specifically for preservation, defined in ISO 19005 and recommended by The National Archives, the British Library and most international archival bodies.

The differences between PDF/A and PDF are:

Fonts are embedded in the PDF/A file
The file doesn’t rely on linked resources (also known as external dependencies) that might be removed in the future
There’s no encryption or password protection that could prevent access to your own files, although this might be a problem in the cases of some assets
There’s no JavaScript or executable content, which reduces security risks
Colour profiles are embedded in a PDF/A, offering a consistent visual appearance
Metadata is standardised using XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform)

Note that there are several versions of PDF/A:

PDF/A-1b, the most basic version that ensures visual reproduction.
PDF/A-2b, which adds support for JPEG2000 compression and transparency
PDF/A-3, which allows embedded files.

Standard PDF

Universally readable and supporting multi-page documents, standard PDF is perfectly acceptable for most business purposes, but the key limitation in the context of preservation is that they contain features that might not be supported in the future. PDF might be okay for documents you want to access for 5-10 years, but PDF/A is preferred for longer preservation.

TIFF

The TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) format is the go-to option for high-quality image archiving, providing lossless quality, wide platform and software support, while it’s also ideal for documents needing further image processing.

However, TIFF files are typically significantly larger than PDF files, while not all email clients and web browsers can open them. This makes it less suitable for day-to-day digital collection access and sharing, meaning TIFF is best suited as a master archive format.

PNG

The PNG (Portable Network Graphics) format is lossless like TIFF, but produces smaller files, making it ideal for web graphics. However, because PNGs do not support multi-page files, it’s not a suitable format for document archiving.

JPEG

JPEG offers the smallest file sizes by discarding image data that it considers to be visually unimportant. JPEG files also suffer from ‘generational loss’, with quality degrading further every time it is opened, edited and resaved. This means JPEG is not recommended for archiving, except for photographs within documents.

JPEG 2000

JPEG 2000 improves on the standard JPEG format, offering lossless compression as well as small file sizes, allowing for high-fidelity preservation and ease of access. JPEG 2000 also permits partial file decoding, allowing users to load only the resolution or image tile they need.

There are some limitations of the format though, including variations in how software interprets embedded ICC colour profiles and limited native support across standard web browsers.

File naming and metadata

A consistent naming system makes digitised files easier to identify, sort and find, even before they enter your DAM system. Try to keep file names short, predictable and free from spaces or punctuation that could cause problems across different systems.

Here’s a simple naming convention you could use for your digitisation project:

COLLECTION_ITEMID_DATE_TYPE_VERSION

Based on this, let’s look at a working example, and explain what each element means: ARCH001_00427_1956-06-14_PHOTO_01

ARCH001 = collection or archive code
00427 = unique item or catalogue number
1956-06-14 = date of the original, using YYYY-MM-DD
PHOTO = file type or material type
01 = version or sequence number

For the file metadata, make sure you capture the essential information, including:

Title
Description
Date captured
Creator or author
Collection name or number
The subject of the asset
Location the asset was captured (if applicable)
Original reference number (from previous system)
Rights and access restrictions
Unique cataloging number usually referred to as the accession number

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s everything you’ll need as a starting point.

Post-scan QA checks

Following the digitisation of the collection but before they’re approved for use and access within the DAM, it’s essential that quality assurance checks are carried out.

Start by checking that each image is complete, correctly oriented and legible, with no unexpected cropping, blur, dust or scanning ‘artefacts’. Ensure you compare a sample set against the original to confirm important details such as colour, tone and fine text have been captured accurately.

The next step is to check file names and metadata against the original record, correcting any missing or inconsistent information. Once this is done, create derivatives of the master file, including PNGs and JPEG 2000 for easy access and web viewing. A DAM system can automate both of these tasks.

Finally, check that your files have been saved in the right place, open as expected, are in the correct format and meet quality standards. You can then approve the assets for access by DAM users, but make sure you record who completed the checks and when so there’s a clear audit trail.

A simple QA checklist your archive team can follow

☐ Image is complete and correctly oriented
☐ No unexpected cropping, blur or scanning artefacts
☐ Text and important details are legible
☐ Colour and tone look accurate
☐ File name follows the agreed naming convention
☐ Metadata is complete and accurate
☐ Master file is stored safely and unchanged
☐ Required derivatives have been created
☐ Files open correctly and use the agreed formats
☐ Rights or access restrictions have been checked
☐ Asset has been approved for DAM access
☐ QA check and approval have been recorded

Ready to get started, but yet to choose your Digital Asset Management provider? ResourceSpace is used by arts and heritage institutions all over the world, including smaller institutions that need to implement effective preservation processes with limited resources.

To find out more about how ResourceSpace can support your digitisation project, get in touch with one of our experts below.