Diaries & Minute Books

TownsWeb use bespoke, high resolution flatbed scanners, as well as book scanners with self-compensating book cradles, to support delicate volumes throughout the digitisation process, and we have a range of high-resolution cameras offering non-contact capture of your diaries and minute books.

All files are captured by our highly trained digitisation technicians using overhead, daylight balanced, non-heat producing lighting, before undergoing a formal quality assurance checking procedure. The final step in the process is the delivery of your electronic files by hard drive.

As standard, TWA suvey all material prior to any digitisation project being carried out, to ensure that it can withstand the scanning process. If there is evidence of fragility, brittleness, and/or mould, or any other signs of damage, then recommendations are made for how to repair and stabilise appropriately.

Binding can be a challenge for any bound book, causing curvature along the gutter between the pages, distorting scans and casting shadows. The thicker the volume the bigger the issue, impacting on any plans you might have to carry out Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in the future.

Through the combined use of adjustable book cradles and low pressure glass screens, the pages of bound volumes can be flattened more easily and effectively, without causing stress. This ensures that the gutter remains illuminated and distortion free.