Editing Digitization (section)

{{Short description|Converting information into digital form}}
{{redirect|Digitizer}}
{{about||transforming business and education|Digital transformation|the shift from mechanical and analog electronic technology to digital electronics technology|Digital Revolution}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2020}}

[[File:Internet Archive book scanner 1.jpg|thumb|[[Internet Archive]] book [[image scanner|scanner]]]]

'''Digitization'''<ref name="wi2">{{Cite web |title=What is digitization? |url=https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/digitization |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=WhatIs.com |language=en}}</ref> is the process of converting information into a [[Digital data|digital]] (i.e. computer-readable) format.<ref name="collins2">Collins Dictionary. (n.d.). Definition of 'digitize'. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/digitize</ref> The result is the representation of an object, [[image]], [[sound]], [[document]], or [[Signal (electrical engineering)|signal]] (usually an [[analog signal]]) obtained by generating a series of numbers that describe a discrete set of points or [[Sample (signal)|samples]].<ref name="abc">{{cite journal |last1=Mirzagayeva |first1=Shamiya |last2=Aslanov |first2=Heydar |date=2022-12-15 |title=The digitalization process: what has it led to, and what can we expect in the future? |url=https://metafizikajurnali.az/storage/images/site/files/Metafizika-20/Metafizika.Vol.5%2CNo.4%2CSerial.20%2Cpp.10-21.pdf |journal=[[Metafizika (journal)|Metafizika]] |language=en |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=10–21 |issn=2616-6879 |eissn=2617-751X |oclc=1117709579 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112173332/https://metafizikajurnali.az/storage/images/site/files/Metafizika-20/Metafizika.Vol.5,No.4,Serial.20,pp.10-21.pdf |archive-date=2022-11-12 |access-date=2022-10-14}}</ref> The result is called ''[[Digital data|digital]] [[Group representation|representation]]'' or, more specifically, a ''[[digital image]]'', for the object, and ''digital form'', for the signal. In modern practice, the digitized data is in the form of [[binary number]]s, which facilitates processing by [[digital computer]]s and other operations, but digitizing simply means "the conversion of analog source material into a numerical format"; the [[decimal]] or any other [[number system]] can be used instead.<ref name="Bloomberg">{{Cite web |last=Bloomberg |first=Jason |title=Digitization, Digitalization, And Digital Transformation: Confuse Them At Your Peril |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbloomberg/2018/04/29/digitization-digitalization-and-digital-transformation-confuse-them-at-your-peril/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

Digitization is of crucial importance to data processing, storage, and transmission, because it "allows information of all kinds in all formats to be carried with the same efficiency and also intermingled."<ref>McQuail, D. (2000). ''McQuail's mass communication theory'' (4th edition). Sage.</ref> Though analog data is typically more stable, digital data has the potential to be more easily shared and accessed and, in theory, can be propagated indefinitely without generation loss, provided it is [[Digital preservation|migrated to new, stable formats as needed]].<ref name=":192">Brown, A. (2013). ''Practical digital preservation: A how-to guide for organizations of any size''. Neal Schuman.</ref> This potential has led to institutional digitization projects designed to improve access and the rapid growth of the digital preservation field.<ref name=":122">{{cite journal | doi=10.1080/01930826.2012.684504 | title=The Digital Transformation of Special Collections | year=2012 | last1=Daigle | first1=Bradley J. | journal=Journal of Library Administration | volume=52 | issue=3–4 | pages=244–264 | s2cid=56527894 }}</ref>

Sometimes digitization and digital preservation are mistaken for the same thing. They are different, but digitization is often a vital first step in digital preservation.<ref name=":132">{{Cite web |last=LeFurgy |first=Bill |date=2011-07-15 |title=Digitization is Different than Digital Preservation: Help Prevent Digital Orphans! {{!}} The Signal |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/thesignal/2011/07/digitization-is-different-than-digital-preservation-help-prevent-digital-orphans/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=The Library of Congress}}</ref> Libraries, archives, museums, and other memory institutions digitize items to preserve fragile materials and create more access points for patrons.<ref name=":04">{{cite journal | doi=10.1108/CB-01-2015-0001 | title=The hidden cost of digitization – things to consider | year=2015 | last1=Riley-Reid | first1=Trevar D. | journal=Collection Building | volume=34 | issue=3 | pages=89–93 }}</ref> Doing this creates challenges for information professionals and solutions can be as varied as the institutions that implement them.<ref name=":202">{{Cite web |title=Collaboration between libraries, archives and museums (LAMS) in the digitisation of information in South Africa |url=https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=3phltK0AAAAJ&citation_for_view=3phltK0AAAAJ:d1gkVwhDpl0C |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=scholar.google.com}}</ref> Some analog materials, such as audio and video tapes, are nearing the end of their life cycle, and it is important to digitize them before equipment obsolescence and media deterioration makes the data irretrievable.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Moving pictures and sound - Digital Preservation Handbook |url=https://www.dpconline.org/handbook/moving-pictures-and-sound?Itemid=501 |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=www.dpconline.org |language=en-gb}}</ref>

There are challenges and implications surrounding digitization including time, cost, cultural history concerns, and creating an equitable platform for historically marginalized voices.<ref name=":822">{{Cite journal |last=Hughes-Watkins |first=Lae'l |date=2018-05-16 |title=Moving Toward a Reparative Archive: A Roadmap for a Holistic Approach to Disrupting Homogenous Histories in Academic Repositories and Creating Inclusive Spaces for Marginalized Voices |url=https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/jcas/vol5/iss1/6 |journal=Journal of Contemporary Archival Studies |volume=5 |issue=1 |issn=2380-8845}}</ref> Many digitizing institutions develop their own solutions to these challenges.<ref name=":04"/>

Mass digitization projects have had mixed results over the years, but some institutions have had success even if not in the traditional Google Books model.<ref name=":922">Verheusen, A. (2008). Mass digitization by libraries: Issues concerning organisation, quality and efficiency. ''LIBER Quarterly'', 18(1), 28-38.</ref> Although e-books have undermined the sales of their printed counterparts, a study from 2017 indicated that the two cater to different audiences and use-cases.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Yoo |first1=Dong Kyoon |last2=Roh |first2=James Jungbae |date=2019-03-04 |title=Adoption of e-Books: A Digital Textbook Perspective |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08874417.2017.1318688 |journal=Journal of Computer Information Systems |language=en |volume=59 |issue=2 |pages=136–145 |doi=10.1080/08874417.2017.1318688 |issn=0887-4417|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In a study of over 1400 university students it was found that physical literature is more apt for intense studies while e-books provide a superior experience for leisurely reading.<ref name=":1" />

Technological changes can happen often and quickly, so digitization standards are difficult to keep updated. Professionals in the field can attend conferences and join organizations and working groups to keep their knowledge current and add to the conversation.<ref name=":18">{{Cite web |title=Session 7: Reformatting and Digitization |url=https://www.nedcc.org/preservation101/session-7/7digitization |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=Northeast Document Conservation Center |language=en}}</ref>