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Search Results: 0 – The Unseen Cost of Inaccurate Data and Sub-Par Solutions

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Anderson Archival is pleased to have presented at Digital Preservation 2018 (#digipres18) in Las Vegas in October! The conference, with a theme on the future of digital preservation was hosted by the National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA) and the Digital Library Foundation (DLF).

At the conference we highlighted what archivists should consider when creating or updating a digital collection, when not to choose economy over quality, and the various ways in which a digital collection can fail to be a useful research tool as a result of substandard work.

We embraced attendance at Digital Preservation 2018 as an opportunity to take part in the national discussion of preservation quality and access, and we would like to share with you what we presented at the conference.

Minute Madness

Anderson Archival shared a short one-minute presentation on the hidden cost of incorrect data.

Our Minute Madness presentation, “Search Results: 0 – The Unseen Cost of Inaccurate Data and Sub-Par Solutions” illustrated our experience in providing preservation solutions for a client who had previously invested in what they ultimately realized were poor solutions that offered only inaccurate, incomplete data.

For a collection that is used for scholarly research within their organization, this was a problem.

This group considered their collection preserved, but after a careful audit of their digital materials, we discovered that not only were chunks of original information missing entirely, the scans that were complete provided such messy OCR that search results woefully underrepresented the actual contents of the collection.

Search Results

What was the true cost of using this cheaper digitization solution for ten years? It’s impossible to calculate! Imagine the hours lost to inefficient search, and the research and publications that are now known to have drawn from fragmented data.

For instance, see what happens if OCR software reads this famous quote from Winston Churchill:

 

If the OCR mistakes the g and h and it goes unchecked, we end up with this in the collection:

If you searched for the famous portion of this Churchill quote “go to hell,” this document would never show up in your search results. Now imagine this hundreds of times over throughout your collection – many collections being tens of thousands of pages, or larger.

Inaccurate OCR data provides limited search results, and the lack of good search technology will give you an infinite number of useless results. These are both complicated by poor metadata tagging.

So what happens when a digital collection is preserved with inaccurate data and sub-par solutions? The voices of history don’t resonate when users access a poor software solution with inaccurate search results, and your collection won’t be used to its greatest potential.

The methodology you employ can mitigate these problems.

For the most accurate data, establishing a multi-step system for scanning, image cleanup, OCR and quality assurance is critical. 

You also need detailed tagging to support your data architecture and the right search technology tuned to your data set.

The Executive Director for the project mentioned above was horrified to learn that nearly a decade of their research was not complete.

How do you feel about your collection? Is quality important to you?

With a digitization provider like Anderson Archival, every step of the archival process is performed and checked by members of our expert team.

It’s time to gain confidence in your data and your search results! Check out our poster from Digital Preservation 2018 and call us today at 314.259.1900.

Worry-Free Audits with Anderson Archival

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Many businesses find themselves subject to regular audits by government agencies or conduct detailed internal audits on a regular basis. Whatever the nature of the audits, monthly, quarterly, or yearly cycles of digitization can significantly expedite this process and preserve content for digital storage, saving them for the future.

Handwritten notes are often necessary in industries where detail and security matters. Our digitization experts provide clean scans of documents of all types while keeping them secure.

Anderson Archival’s team is dedicated to accuracy when preserving your records. Where large-scale scanning firms may bulk process papers for scanning without care for organization, preservation of originals, or readability, our specialization in true digital preservation makes us the ideal choice when businesses look for accurate and organized digital scans.

Consolidate Physical Storage

Audits often provide incentive to organize records that would otherwise stack up unmonitored. Performing monthly, quarterly, or yearly cycles of digitization in preparation for government audits takes this even further. Not only will your records receive careful organization, but with digital scans the need for physical storage becomes all but eliminated.

Certainly, there are cases where physical originals are necessary. Anderson Archival’s focus on preservation ensures that these originals will be treated carefully and returned to you in top condition–which isn’t always the case with bulk scanning firms. However, once scanned, many physical copies are no longer needed. In those cases, we are happy to facilitate confidential shredding that frees up physical space in your office or storage facility.

Advanced Search for More Efficient Work

Through simple folder storage or advanced search functions with metadata added to your digital collection by our team, these documents continue to provide use to employees beyond the audit cycle. Instead of searching through file folders for a particular document or turn of phrase, you will be empowered to search the digital scans for titles or quoted content and get results in seconds.

Then, the digital copy of each document is already at hand for reference or sharing with a co-worker or client. If a government or internal audit requires only specific documents, the search function enables the fast collection and sending of these documents.

For even more advanced searches, our team can provide handwriting transcription. This makes not only print documents, but your notes accessible by search.

historical document photograph

Original: Photographed image from Goodrich’s Third Reader

Bulk scanning firms may offer optical character recognition (OCR) services, but these programs bring automatic results that are often riddled with errors, rendering search features useless. In the case of handwriting, highlighting, or other color interference, the automatic OCR process may leave whole swathes of data illegible or completely blank. Not the case with our detail-oriented team.

ocr results not proofread by professionals

OCR: Many bulk-scanning firms run originals through software without proofing the results.

Save valuable time and energy, and perform more efficient work. Expedite that work with Anderson Archival. Contact us today to discuss scanning for audits: call 314.259.1900 or email info@andersonarchival.com.

Stack of vintage books with glasses

Anderson Archival: The Best Quality Digitizing Services

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Welcome to Anderson Archival!

Here historical documents are turned into readable text using quality digitizing services, which  preserves precious works for future generations to enjoy. Passion, dedication, and a certain perfectionist attitude fill each member of our trained staff, and they transfer those same qualities to all the digitizing services we offer.  As a division of Anderson Technologies, Anderson Archival has the expertise to provide outstanding document scanning and digitizing services to ensure your collection is updated into a format that will best survive into the future.

Anderson Archival is as enthusiastic about preserving history as you are, and we want to help preserve your collection in a lasting and easily accessible way. We know it’s not merely about creating a digital copy; it’s about creating an electronic collection that supplements and enhances the experience of your audience. Anderson Archival offers a number of services to allow you the freedom to craft the perfect digital collection.

Document Scanning and Image Cleanup

Whether you need to digitize paper documents without the bells and whistles, or you need a collection scanned into specially formatted electronic files, Anderson Archival can handle any document scanning services.

Raw scans aren’t always viewer ready, or maybe another document scanning company provided poor quality image results. Either way, we can make those images clean and audience-presentable.

Document Scanning | 1910 Postcard      Document Scanning | Page for OCR

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and Proofing Services

OCR is a process which takes a scan of typewritten words and turns it into a searchable text document, but poor OCR leaves you with less searchability than expected. When we digitize paper documents, we always include text-verification by one of our staff to make sure your documents are as accurate as the software can make it.

Unfortunately, text-verification through OCR software can only go so far, and incorrect words might not get flagged for review. To ensure top quality searchable PDFs, our trained proofreaders also perform word-for-word comparisons when a collection calls for utmost accuracy.

OCR Services Example

Metadata Tagging PDFs

Metadata allows your PDFs to go beyond mere text search and offers a wide range of organizational support for otherwise similar files. We can add a wide variety of metadata to the PDFs in your collection such as titles, authors, descriptions, keywords, and more.

Website / Database Creation and Document Storage

The best part of a digital collection is the ability to present it to a wider audience. We can build you a simple online database or completely revamp your website so your collection can reach as many people as possible. As an additional backup, we can provide consultation and organization for underground document storage to ensure that if the worst happens, your collection will still be preserved.

We want to provide you with a digital collection that is accurate, accessible, and only as complex as you need. For a better look at our quality digitizing services, view our sample collection of classic documents and historical memorabilia. It was your dedication that brought your historical collection to life—allow us to bring it into the future.

Stay connected with Anderson Archival by watching our blog, signing up for updates using the form in the upper right, or contacting us directly by phone at 314.259.1900 or by email at info@andersonarchival.com.