Guide and Recommendations for Document Digitization - Fragile Archives Recovery Laboratory (L-REAF), CCT CONICET Rosario – UE ISHIR (CONICET/UNR)

Abstract

The Guide and Recommendations for the Digitization of Documents from the L-REAF were developed using guidelines and directives primarily found in two texts. The first one is the third formal version of the Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI) Technical Guide, from 2024. This document was promoted by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the agency responsible for preserving federal records in the United States and a driving force behind efforts to establish technical guidelines for the digitization of cultural heritage. The second text is the General Guide for Document Digitization of the National System of Historical Documentation, published in our country in 2019 by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation. This document constitutes the main national reference on the digitization of documentary collections, as it establishes technical and procedural criteria aimed at guaranteeing the long-term digital preservation and accessibility of the digitized collections. Both sources also engage with reference literature, ensuring an appropriate framework for understanding the current state of research on this issue. From the L-REAF it is assumed that the articulation between both guides allows linking international good practices with the specific conditions of the situation of documentary heritage in Argentina, promoting the standardization, sustainability and quality of the digitization processes in their concrete local expression.