My Great Great Grandpa died during the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, 1884. While most of the members died, it was considered a success because their scientific data was preserved. (My Grandpa is portrayed as a scoundrel and a drunk, points I will refute later, lol!) I recently inherited his personal journals from that expedition, a collection of small (maybe 6"x4") notebooks. They are still mostly bound, with a couple dozen pages loose.
So does anyone have tips on how I should scan these and, most importantly, preserve them for future generations? I do have a cheap scanner and have done tech most of my life, but I don't know how to scan the pages without removing them from the notebooks. Thanks in advance! Sgt. Cross is in the back row, with a glorious beard.
If you can, I would consider having them scanned by using the professional scanning services offered by the non-profit Open Library (OpenLibrary.org), which is part of the Internet Archive (Archive.org). This is the largest online collection of books, films, and recordings (and many other things) on the internet. It is the singular depository of cultural artifacts where your grandfather's journals can be preserved for everyone's enjoyment and education, and will be available for generations to come.
The Open Library has scanning locations around North America (and the rest of the world) where they digitize entire collections using commercial book scanners that use angled, adjustable beds and multiple angled cameras that don't break the spines of the books or damage them in any other way. These scanners use software that automatically corrects for things like distortions or shadows or other imperfections in the scans. They simultaneously generate multiple types of document files (PDF, epub, kindle, etc.) as well as OCR generated files that can be used by print-disabled users and that can also later be cross-referenced and searched. When complete, these files are then hosted in perpetuity on the Internet Archive as part of the Open Library's catalogue of books (30+ million and counting, thousands of books being added each day, free to anyone and everyone).
Here is an example of what a hosted work looks like (in this case a book published in 1717), randomly picked from Open Library's front page:
https://archive.org/details/worksofmralexand02pope/page/n9/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater
This page gives you some information about their scanning services and also provides contact info:
Even if you don't end up using the Open Library's scanning services, I'd encourage you to upload to the Open Library whatever scans you do make of the journals so that they can be preserved and hosted there and so that future generations will always have them available to read and enjoy... :^)
Scanning alone isn’t a means of preservation. Digital files also degrade. Digitization is useful for limiting handling, making items accessible, allowing you to make an item full-text searchable, and having a copy of the item. Most large libraries and other repositories have a program that will assist with digital preservation, but that isn’t practical for personal use.
For archival quality images scan at 600 dpi, 48 bit color, and save as a .tiff. You can also convert to a PDF from the .tiff.
Your best bet is an overhead scanner. Scan Snap makes one that isn’t terrible, but you could also see if a library has a Zeutschel or another higher-quality overheard book scanner.
Where are you located? Open Library, as stated above, is a good call, but there may also be local resources that you can use.
You might also consider donating to an archive as these are valuable for research and would be stored much more safely there than in a home.
I've been in contact with Open Library, and things are moving slower than snail mail. But here's a sample from his journal: https://i.imgur.com/qnPRtey.jpg
And yes, I should be wearing gloves when I handle it!
