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Details -
While some clients prefer that I use other media, I
usually photograph records with a
high-resolution camera on a copy stand with lights. Images can be
photographed using Image Authentication software with integrated GPS
information which provides irrefutable legal proof of exactly when and where the
image was taken. Similar "certification" by Archives staff can take up
to four months and costs over $60.00 per document, plus photocopying
costs.
Upon return home in the evening, images are converted
into easy-to-print, text-searchable PDF files and/or also posted on a website
for the client to peruse at leisure. In this manner, the client
can give me feedback on the direction of the research before
I return to the Archives, usually the next day.
To ensure privacy, images and/or PDF files are posted to "hidden URL" website
so that only those possessing the correct Internet address can
view and download them.
I can also scan documents using a scanner attached to a laptop
and post them to a website. However, using a flatbed scanner (the
only ones allowed) takes longer and no Image Authentication software
exists for such scanner/laptop combinations.
Rarely, a client will
ask that I copy documents with a photocopier which then can be snail
mailed or
scanned and emailed or downloaded as PDF files. Photocopies almost
always lack the color and nuance of the originals. Color
photography or flatbed scanning is far more desirable.
There are several possible "final products" available. These,
from least to most expensive include:
1)
Simple Website containing responsive documents. Each image on each page of
the website is downloadable from the website to your computer as a JPG that can be printed out on any size
paper on any printer. No renaming of documents - images are labeled with
the name given by the camera. This website is kept active for at least two weeks.
This work usually takes me a little more than an hour to complete with less than 200
individual images.
2)
Simple Website
plus
Searchable*
Unadjusted PDF. This is a Simple Website (above) plus the images are converted
into a single PDF
file which is "text recognized," which means that you can
search fore specific words within it. The PDF can be sent to the client via e-mail or downloaded from the website or
sent via regular mail or carrier as a CD or DVD. The PDF format is
the easiest to print out on a normal color printer. The documents
contained in the PDF are in
the order they were found and are not chronologically ordered. This work usually takes me two hours.
3)
Labeled and Adjusted
Website. Each document is labeled and appears in
chronological order followed by a short descriptor
and images are color-corrected and sharpened. This work usually
takes me under three hours.
1)
"Searchable"* adjusted PDF plus
labeled and Adjusted
Website
. This is the best and usually takes me under
three hours to complete. It is the easiest to work with as all of
the documents can be found in chronological order. In the case of
the PDF, documents
Final Product as a CD or DVD.
Clients usually request that I burn a CD or DVD of the the digitized
documents as a website; medium-sized JPGs for printing; small-sized
JPGs; and often PDF files. I usually charge a little extra for
burning the original RAW files because these can require more than one
DVD and take some time to burn.
Rates:
I charge $300.00 a day. If the
work requires additional time at home in the vening, this will have to be
negotiated. All copying media, such as photocopy paper, CDs,
DVDs and Mini-DVs are paid for by the client.
* Note: Searchable
text-recognized PDF files are created after the image has been
converted into a PDF file using an OCR (optical character
recognition) program. Such files are searchable by many search
engines, such as Windows Desktop Search and Google Desktop Search or
the search tool that in included with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
These search tools do not work with handwriting and can be
imprecise, especially with old documents written with manual
typewriters.
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