Preservation Week @ Your Library Coming Soon...Pass It On!

Sample 2011 Bookmark
Preservation Week @ Your Library 

Libraries, museums, archives and other organizations work every day to preserve cultural history.  Over 4.8 billion artifacts are held in public trust by more than 30,000 archives, historical societies, libraries, museums, scientific research collections and archaeological repositories in the United States.

Why is preservation important?  
Some 2.6 billion items are not protected by an emergency plan such as natural disasters, and 1.3 billion of these items are at risk of being lost. If billions of items are at risk at our heritage institutions, than plausibly trillions of items held by the general public are at risk.

Preservation Week @ Your Library - Start Getting Ready...Now!
During April 22-28, 2012, libraries all over the country will be celebrating Preservation Week with events, activities, and resources that highlight what we can do, individually and together, to preserve our personal and shared collections.

Preservation Week was created by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) in 2010 because some 630 million items in collecting institutions require immediate attention and care. Eighty percent of these institutions have no paid staff assigned responsibility for collections care; 22 percent have no collections care personnel at all. Personal, family, and community collections are equally at risk.

Helpful Guides & Resources
The ALCTS had compiled some resources to help you preserve your family treasures and learn what to when disaster strikes. There's also an activity guide filled with fun projects to get the whole family involved.

Organizing and preserving photos is important, and Digital Directions sponsor E-Z Photo Scan can help! Learn more about how photo scanning can help you to keep, protect, share, and connect with your photos.

University of London Makes Photo Collections an Opportunity to Learn Formally or Informally

"Learning never exhausts the mind." Leonardo da Vinci

Birkbeck College, a college of the University of London, has just concluded an eight-week course entitled; Investigating the Archive: Photographic Collections of London. 


The City of London hosts a surprising variety of often unknown photographic collections and archives. The module examined fascinating archives from the Victoria and Albert Museum, British Museum, Wiener Library and Royal Anthropological Institute collections, to those housed in local libraries and professional archives such as the Magnum Photos Collection.


If you didn’t make the formal learning program but are still curious, use the links above to find out more about the respective photo collections or take a look at the Met Archives on Flickr.


Birkbeck has been London’s only specialist provider of part-time higher education since it was founded in 1823. As established experts in the field of part-time education, they have a real understanding of the needs of students who are juggling daytime work or other commitments with evening study.


The program is part of the  World Arts and Artefacts Certificate of Higher Education which can lead to an undergraduate and/or postgraduate study in art, humanities and museum studies.

E-Z Photo Scan, sponsor of Digital Directions blog, can help you get started archiving your photos digitally! Learn more about photo scanners, training, and service options that are right for you or your organization.

Monday's Featured Photo Blog

Monday's Featured Photo Blog: Mike in Maine

By: Mike 

The Farmer's Table

Friday's Video: Archipelproject: Technical innovation

The 2012 Guide of Who's Who in the Zoo of Sharing With Social Media

Organizing and preserving photos is important. Digital Directions sponsor E-Z Photo Scan can help! Learn more about how photo scanning can help you to keep, protect, share, and connect with your photos.

Trends About How We Share Our Photos - Part 2

Organizing and preserving photos is important. Digital Directions sponsor E-Z Photo Scan can help! Learn more about how photo scanning can help you to keep, protect, share, and connect with your photos.

Trends About How We Share Our Photos - Part 1

by jongos.

Digital Directions sponsor E-Z Photo Scan can help you get started archiving your photos digitally! Click to learn more about photo scanners, training, and service options that are right for you or your organization.

Monday's Featured Photo Blog

Monday's Featured Photo Blog: Eric Kim International Street Photographer

By: Eric Kim

3 Flyaway - San Francisco 2009

Friday's Video: Digital Death - What Happens Online When You Die

What Happens Online When You Die Blogazine:

http://www.lifeinsurancefinder.com.au/infographics/what-happens-online-when-y...

Every day we are filling the Internet with portions of our lives. The data of every status update, blog post, image, video and email is floating around the internet. Have you ever 
wondered what happens to all that data once we pass?

Why We Scrapbook

These elements, available from Creative Memories,
 make getting started with scrapbooking easy.
Source: Creative Memories

The use of photo scanning is becoming more and more a part of the scrapbooking tradition. 

Traditional or Digital

If you are a traditional scrapbooker, scanning your photographs means being able to create an exact duplicate that can be cut and cropped without harming the originals.  

For digital scrapbooking enthusiasts photo scanning opens their world by creating digital images that can be electronically cropped and accented.



A Scrapbook Coach Speaks Out
Today’s guest blogger, Tammy Morales, answers the question, Why We Scrapbook? Tammy is a Scrapbook Coach with a passion to help you take the stress out of scrapbooking.

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Why We Scrapbook

Do you remember looking through your parent's old photo albums, or maybe the pictures of loved ones on the wall at your grandparents, and ever wonder who that person really was?

The act of scrapbooking encompasses more than just putting photos into an album; it is the recording of those moments, events and seemingly mundane times in our lives. I believe that in this era of fast paced, want it now, lifestyle we tend to forget to really stop and get to know someone, including ourselves and our family. Although I am not suggesting that we go back in time, I think it is important that we remember to share on a personal level with those that we love.

Scrapbooking is one great tool to do just that. We can record our personal likes/dislikes, beliefs and dreams with those that know us best and even those who we have yet to meet or may come into our family long after we are gone. I know there have been times when a single moment has made me smile or capture my awe and I have believed I would never forget it, but now couldn’t share it with you because it is gone. What if that had been recorded in even a single sentence and could be shared?

Now I am not saying that every moment in our lives has to be recorded, but if you have a tool already in place, when those important “I don't ever want to forget this” moment's happen, it does not take much to make sure it is not forgotten. Scrapbooking is an easy option with so many ways to make it personally yours.

My children are in those wonderful pre-teen years and are off doing so many great and wonderful things as they discover their abilities and dreams. I love to record our conversations when they discover something new about themselves or the world around them. It is really no different then when your toddler first discovers a butterfly and can follow it around the yard. You will always hold those moments in your heart. My children ask me on a regular basis to tell them something special I remember about them when they were little. I find myself telling the same few stories over again. This year I have made it my goal to add those moments into my scrapbook, so that they will always have those memories to ponder and share with their children and grandchildren. They were moments that defined them and put smiles on their faces every time they are told.

I challenge you to make this the year you record some of those memories locked inside your heart for all of those in your world to share. Scrapbooking those memories may make them smile, maybe even cry, but it will touch them forever.

About the Author: Tammy Morales is a successful author and regular contributor to [The Best Scrapbooking Supplies.com] (link: http://www.the-best-scrapbooking-supplies.com/scrapbooking-ideas.html)

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Interested in photo scanning equipment? Digital Directions sponsor E-Z Photo Scan can help.

Scan Your Photographs and Sell for a Profit

Washington State Archives scans & sells its historic
images as a service and added revenue stream.
Source: Washington State Archives

Are your pictures merely snapshots, or have you ever wondered about their value as stock photos to an image bank?

The Demand for Fresh Content
There are nearly 3.5 billion IP addresses in over 240 countries around the globe tied to hundreds of millions of webpages. Digital publications on a meteoric rise. 

All of these need fresh content to stay competitive. This means they need new text content and images to stay relevant, and get attention. The need for images ranging from the abstract, animals, nature, to people and travel has exploded. 

The Eye of the Beholder!

As a result, digital photos for sale online has skyrocketed.

Yet, the bottom line of whether a photo is saleable or not really comes down to someone else. It ultimately boils down to- the person who is willing to buy your photo, or not! Putting your photos on the market is the only way to really know for sure.

Old is In...Again
One genre of photographs selling well are old ones. 

While scanning allows you to keep, preserve, share and connect your photographs with others. But, once in a digital format it is possible to test the waters as a saleable product, tool.

Dedicated websites like Oldphotographic.com featuring vintage photographs for sale are scattered throughout the Internet. Meanwhile, community-based stock photography agency sites such as Dreamstime, Shutterstock, and Snapfish all have tens of thousands of time-honored photographic treasures available for digital download within their continuously expanding portfolio of works being submitted by contributors looking to sell photos.

New Found Revenue for State Agencies
Even State Archives are getting into the act. A recent blog from The Washington Office of the Secretary of State’s states, “our State Archives has thousands of interesting historical photos from various parts of Washington. And if you’re looking for photos of historical homes and buildings in King County, the Archives’ Puget Sound regional branch has a huge collection to explore.”

It goes on to detail the specifics of how individuals can obtain digital copies of any photo in the collection. "The Puget Sound branch charges a $15 fee for 30 minutes of staff photo scanning time or $22 for an 8-by-10 photo from a negative. There is no fee for reusing the photos. If you need specific prices or more info on photos, call the Puget Sound branch at (425) 564-3940 or e-mail them at PSBranchArchives@sos.wa.gov."

The Sky’s the Limit
Thanks to today's technology you can do just about anything you can dream of with your photographs.

Besides just selling the digital copy, it's possible to create your own custom items from your images. You can create custom t-shirts, blankets, pillows, mugs, purses and much more. Many of these types of products are in demand and currently selling on eBay and other popular online marketplaces.

People are getting paid for their pictures, both new and old. If you want to turn your photography into cash, you’ll need a plan. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Consider a blueprint that can help you to build a revenue system out of your photos or even create a small business from what you love doing in your spare time.

Photo Wealth eBook

View more documents from Jiri Sram

Digital Directions is the official blog of E-Z Photo Scan. Learn more about archival quality digital preservation media and photo scanning supplies by visiting our website.

Project Imagina8ion: First User-Generated Photograph Content Used to Turn Image Messages Into a Howard Short Film

This past January, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions and the Official Digital Camera of The Sundance Film Festival, screened "when you find me," produced by two-time Academy Award(R) winner Ron Howard, and directed by his daughter Bryce Dallas Howard.


This short film, is the final product of "Project Imagin8ion," the first user-generated photo contest to inspire a Hollywood film.


After receiving nearly 100,000 submissions, the eight winning photos were chosen by Ron Howard, setting the stage for his next production. The film "when you find me", shot using Canon cameras including the new Cinema EOS System and DSLR cameras and lenses, tells the story of two sisters whose childhood bond is tested by a tragedy they are too young to understand. Alternating between the past and present, the short film is an emotional fable of two people coping with loss in very different ways and what it takes to find peace within yourself and reconciliation with the ones you love. 


"'when you find me' is just one example of how the world of storytelling on screen has been drastically changed," said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A.


The Canon experience at The Sundance Film Festival was coordinated by Canon U.S.A.'s agency of record, Grey NY and Alliance, the entertainment and lifestyle marketing division.


About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. With more than $45 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. CAJ, ranked fourth overall in patent holdings in the U.S. in 2010+, and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2011. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss .

Do your photos have a story to tell? Digital Directions is sponsored by E-Z Photo Scan. Learn how photo scanning services and equipment can help you to keep, protect, share, and connect with your photos.

Monday's Featured Photo Blog

Monday's Featured Photo Blog: 7times77

By: Davide Michaels

“there is no way to peace, peace is the way”

Friday's Video: Digital Preservation and Nuclear Disaster: An Animation

Team Digital Preservation saves the world from nuclear disaster caused by the work of Team Chaos.

Reason Makes A Difference When Getting Photos Scanned

Different reasons mean different
photo scanning needs

You have photos!

Not the kind born digital using a point and shoot camera. Not pictures snapped from your smart phone. Not even ones from a fancy DSLR unit with extreme resolution, 36.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, multi-area full HD video and a 51-point autofocus system.

Nope!

The pictures you have were taken using the basics of an optical lens, photographic film developed onto light sensitive photographic paper. That’s the kind of photos you have!

What Next?
It is estimated 4-5 trillion of these type of photographs, hatched from this basic technology now exist. Unfortunately, over 95% of these photographs have been abandoned, left aging in shoeboxes or photo albums. Most are seemingly doomed to obscurity. Even worse, left unprotected from fire, flood, natural disaster or simply deterioration from old age they will be lost forever!

Yet, the ‘what next’ question depends upon how we perceive our photos and the reason we feel it is most important to do something other than letting them simply rot away in a discarded box.

5 Reasons 
There are 5 basic types of actions an individual can take with their paper photographs.

#1) Do Nothing!
This choice indicates you do not care the photos exist and won’t be expending any energy, time, or resources into them.

#2) Keep
Keeping photographs means you are aware they exist and have taken certain steps to harbor them from the basic calamities that might be lurking if left totally abandoned.

#3) Protect
There is a wide variation in the degree to which the protection of photographs can be performed. Protection can take the form of anything from preservation sleeves, folders and boxes to elaborate exhibit cases, or conversion into a complete digital collection.

#4) Share
Sharing allows non-owners of photographs to gain a momentary sense of belonging through the apportion of them, often without the transfer of ownership.

#5) Connect
To connect using photographs links those involved together, uniting them in an association that has been referred to as ‘mirrors with memory’, reflecting what and who has mattered most in people's lives.

One-Sized Photo Scanning Does Not Fit All!
The role of scanning photographs can also vary depending upon the reason - or combination of reasons - we choose to keep, protect, share and connect with them.

To make additional photo prints, personalized greeting cards, or calendars typically requires a limited number of paper photographs to be scanned. This means photograph scanning equipment such as a flatbed scanner can meet the quantity demand and scan the few selected images to be converted into a print, card or calendar.

Creating picture books, collages, and picture CD's often involves larger volumes of photographs to be scanned. It is at this point a Rapid Print Scanner, found attached to certain Kodak Picture Kiosks can quickly scan and save up to 200 of your most cherished photos.

Archiving entire collections of photographs offers its own challenges, especially in regards to the time it takes to convert the paper images into digital ones. Professional photo scanning equipment with auto feeding that includes gentle photo handling specially designed transport treats every photo with extra-gentle care permitting more than a thousand high quality images to be scanned per hour. 
Despite the type of scanning method used, it is possible to transform a lifetime of memories so they can be easily shared, preserved, printed and displayed in exciting ways through converting your paper photographs to digital ones.

Digital Directions sponsor E-Z Photo Scan can help you get started archiving your photos digitally! Click to learn more about photo scanners, training, and service options that are right for you or your organization.

Monday's Featured Photo Blog

Monday's Featured Photo Blog: 9shots
By: Tomek Werblanski

Friday's Video: Pinterest, what is it?

The new website 'obsession' and how to use it in your life. (abc15com)

Making Memories Transforms into Share the Moment

In the 6Sight Magazine's Dec 2011/Jan 2012 edition, author Paul Worthington points out how attitudes towards photographs is changing because of emerging digital technologies. Worthington states pictures as 'memory keepers' are rapidly being transformed into elements to be shared 'in the moment'. This intersection of imaging and mobility is growing as billions of smart phones, tablets and other mobile technology with on-board camera capability reach the hands of consumers.

New products at this year’s International Consumer Electronic Show were jammed packed with innovative ideas to 'unlock' these memories captured in photographs or videos to be shared with others.

Cameras and photo scanners have been able to automatically upload pictures to various websites using a USB cable, a memory card reader or Eye-Fi SD card. However, now “Networked Cameras” detect Wi-Fi spots and transfer pictures automatically without you needing to take it out of your bag. Keeping a step ahead is now coming to mean anticipating and being there...in real time.

Don't believe us? Take a look at one of the most popular television commercials on the circuit today. See, it is already happening! (That's so 27 seconds ago!)

Organizing and preserving photos is important, and Digital Directions sponsor E-Z Photo Scan can help! Learn more about how photo scanning can help you to keep, protect, share, and connect with your photos.