The experience in the United States shows that it is possible to gather statistical measures of digitisation of the cultural heritage in archives, libraries and museums.
One of the most comprehensive surveys of digitisation activities of cultural heritage materials is collated by the United States Institute of Museums and Library Services. The Institute is currently conducting its third survey, but results for those earlier samples gathered in 2002 and 2004 have been published. These show an inevitable difference in the certainties of planning for digitisation programmes, between the larger national institutions and the local public libraries. This arises as a result of the funding programmes made available to different organisations; although it also follows that resourcing of digitisation efforts will be directed towards those institutions with the appropriate objects and content.
For instance, the response from public libraries demonstrates most uncertainty:
In the past year did you have funding for:
| |
Yes |
No |
? |
| technology? |
81% |
17% |
2% |
| digitization? |
12% |
71% |
17% |
Next year do you plan to have funding for:
| |
Yes |
No |
? |
| technology? |
75% |
9% |
17% |
| digitization? |
20% |
52% |
29% |
By way of contrast, nearly six out of ten archive services were able to report the availability of resources for digitisation work, and the proportion increased to nearly three-quarters amongst the major State Library Administrative Agencies. (73% had earmarked funds for digitisation work in the previous year).
In the past year did you have funding for:
| |
Yes |
No |
? |
| technology? |
76% |
20% |
4% |
| digitization? |
57% |
38% |
5% |
When each institution was asked whether they were currently digitising or had digitised certain materials in the previous 12 months, the response was very varied. Different types of institution represent different analogue collections, and this is reflected in type of material that most institutions reported. The following table ranks these materials by those most frequently quoted, and the top five are highlighted by each type of institution:
|
Institutions reporting digitisation of the following in the past year:
|
|
|
Public Libraries.
|
Archives
|
State Library. Admin. Agencies
|
|
Photographs
|
4.8%
|
17.5%
|
2.7%
|
|
Correspondence, etc.
|
2.4%
|
6.5%
|
12.8%
|
|
Historical doc/archives
|
3.3%
|
11.6%
|
5.1%
|
|
Maps
|
1.9%
|
6.6%
|
8.1%
|
|
Gov. publications
|
0.0%
|
1.1%
|
15.4%
|
|
Info re institution
|
4.8%
|
5.4%
|
5.3%
|
|
Films, videotapes
|
1.0%
|
6.5%
|
7.9%
|
|
Other items
|
0.0%
|
5.0%
|
10.0%
|
|
Manuscripts
|
1.0%
|
7.4%
|
2.6%
|
|
Images of items
|
1.5%
|
6.5%
|
0.0%
|
|
Records re collection
|
1.4%
|
3.2%
|
2.8%
|
|
Special exhibits
|
1.0%
|
6.4%
|
0.0%
|
|
Newspapers
|
0.5%
|
1.1%
|
5.3%
|
|
Educ. re collections
|
1.4%
|
2.2%
|
2.7%
|
|
Journals / serials
|
1.0%
|
0.0%
|
2.7%
|
|
Rare books
|
1.0%
|
0.0%
|
2.6%
|
|
Music / rec. sound
|
0.5%
|
2.2%
|
0.0%
|
|
Course material
|
1.4%
|
1.1%
|
0.0%
|
|
Sheet music
|
0.0%
|
2.2%
|
0.0%
|
|
Theses / dissertations
|
0.5%
|
0.0%
|
0.0%
|
Source: "Status of Technology and Digitization in the Nation`s Museums and Libraries", US Institute of Museum and Library Services, Jan 2006.
In Europe there have been several surveys of which the most notable are:
- EUROPEAN BOARD OF NATIONAL ARCHIVISTS (EBNA), Report on Digital Material in European National Archives by Pertti Hakala in November 2006 provides an overview of current activities.
- The survey of CENL members measuring digitisation efforts in National Libraries conducted by Max Kaiser.
- and, status reports arising from EDLNet, MINERVA and MICHAEL projects.
