Archival digitization for non-professionals

This thesis provides illustrated instructions, explanations, and suggestions regarding the digitization of personal family archives at home. It discusses philosophical approaches to and implications of digitization, as well as the disparity between the collections of museums and the personal documents and artifacts found within family collections around the world. Members of the Ontario Genealogical Society, who represent the demographic for which this thesis is intended, were surveyed anonymously to understand their needs, experience levels, and concerns regarding archival digitization.This thesis demonstrates that it is still possible to digitize materials using policies and procedures that adhere to nationally-approved guidelines with the limited resources one might have at home. It provides a bridge between what has largely been a professional field and those individuals who, although not formally trained, have personal collections that they would like to digitize and preserve. This thesis divided into four sections: Preparation, Digitization, Post-Processing, and Appendices