Why is it necessary to digitize paper archives?

Within the state plan implementation framework for the development of the archives industry "Archives-2025» and digitization of archives emphasizes the translation of documents to electronic archives is relevant at the national level, but the paper version is still considered as original.

Piles of papers and archives take up a lot of space, require special storage conditions, and a cautious approach. Information on the paper is susceptible to circumstances such as damage, fires, floods, theft, paper aging and ink bleaching, and other man-made disasters. Besides, paper is not very convenient when there is a need for a quick search for information and data confidentiality.

In the era of information and advanced technologies, the problem with information on paper is solved by transferring it to digital, the so-called digitization.

Digitizing archives has a number of advantages:

  • organization of access to the necessary documents for several employees at the same time;
  • access to the archive from any point where there is an opportunity to access the Internet;
  • availability of backup copies of documents, which reduces the probability of their destruction or loss • ;the translation of documents into electronic form is done with their simultaneous systematization and structuring;
  • documents with restricted access can only be viewed by people with the appropriate permissions;
  • possible release of the areas occupied for paper archives;
  • optimization of jobs in the archive.

After converting paper documents into digital form and attributing them (creating search fields) , they can be uploaded to special systems – electronic archives for storage, where there are:

* Search for documents. Paper vaults are becoming more expensive and less efficient every year. It takes an unreasonable amount of time to search for documents. Sometimes they cannot be found due to their absence or location out of place. In contrast, a search through electronic archives takes a matter of seconds.

* Move documents. Moving documents. If an organization is large, and even more so when its structural divisions are physically remote from each other, this generates a long wait in the queue to view the necessary documentation: first, you need to find it in the archive, issue papers for moving the originals, and then wait for the logistic process to complete. There is no need to go anywhere for digital copies, and all interested parties have access to them at the same time. And if paper originals are required, finding them in the storage and arranging the move is easy.

* Protection against loss or damage of documents. Long-term practice shows that no paper archive can be considered a 100% reliable storage place. It doesn't matter whether the document was accidentally thrown away, lost in the stacks of papers or destroyed - it still means that it needs to be restored, wasting time and money. Electronic archives are built on the fact that documents always have backups, their restoration eliminates paperwork and is quickly performed.

* Simultaneous work of several employees with one document. Working on one project, several employees, regardless of location, can simultaneously use the required electronic archive document.

Differentiation of access to documents. Users are differentiated by access rights to documents, depending on the subject, the policy of the rights of the electronic archive.

Today, more and more people understand that in the future they cannot do without lengthy work on the transition from paper documents to electronic ones.

Full digitalization of information

  1. Counting the number and quality of documents that need to be scanned.
  2. Classification of documentation by type of processing:
    • pagination;
    • reversal processing;
    • large format scanning;
    • scanning of specialized formats.
  3. Approval of attributed attributes: basic attributes, quantity, average length, location on the document.
  4. Coordination of the specifics of work and the output electronic format of files, as well as their loading into a database or system.
  5. Drawing up a technical specification based on the results of an examination and agreement on the level of quality and privacy.
  6. Joining of documents (if required). Sorting instances. Technological separators tab.
  7. Scanning and cleaning documents, translating them into the desired format (TIFF, JPEG, PDF, DWG, etc.). Then - stitching, bundling and checking the paper versions.
  8. Preparation of the received array of electronic documents for indexing. Creation of requisites for database search in a manual or automated way.
  9. Formation of a database with electronic images and search attributes of documents.
  10. Loading information into the customer's system.
  11. Sort originals according to the original archive structure.
  12. Assembly of archival files, their stitching and restoration.

Что следует перед оцифровкой архивов

Перевод в электронный вид отдельных документов, в отличие от книг, имеет свою специфику: почти каждый из них существует в единственном экземпляре. Это влечет колоссальную ответственность со стороны тех, кто проводит сканирование (общее состояние дефектов, нетипичная сшивка, уход текста под корешок и т. П.), Настраивает оборудование или организует передачу частей документов для реставрационных работ.

High quality digitization of paper vaults is critical for the preservation of particularly valuable historical archival collections that require high scanning resolution.

Performers

The competence of the performer who comes to the enterprise to digitize archives is crusial. This specialist needs to constantly reconfigure the equipment for different types of documents and in real time maintain an acceptable quality of both the originals and the created electronic copies.

Only a professional with years of experience will show the client competently made electronical images.

Equipment

The corresponding requirements for the digitization of documents are imposed not only on people, but also on equipment. The professionally rendered service allows the use of an exclusively non-contact scanning method (one inadvertent touch - and the document no longer exists), which is provided by planetary scanners. Broaching scanners are also used for large-format archive formats. To preserve the original document, special covers are used, inside which an archival document is placed for gentle scanning.

Scanners are required to have maximum resolution, contrast and color reproduction. All this is due to the fact that many documents contain low-contrast, faded text and images.

Sometimes the development of special equipment is required, because a number of documents have a non-standard structure, thickness and, of course, weight. There is equipment on the market today that allows you to successfully scan such documents.

Indexing

The procedure is performed to structure the available data and organize the search for documents according to the required parameters.

Errors in such data as full name, dates and numbers are unacceptable. To ensure the maximum quality of indexing, two components are required - modern technology and a strict control system.

For example, the double entry method can reduce the likelihood of errors, when information enters the database management system only after identical input from two operators.

Conclusion

So, we found out what the digitization of archives is for:

  • reduction of financial costs for storing electronic copies of documents;
  • an increase in the overall level of information security when working with documentation (access rights appear when examining specific data);
  • leveling the probability of losing originals;
  • unification and optimization of procedures for the processing and use of documents;
  • optimization of search and selection of the required documents;
  • accelerating the work of employees with documents.

Self-digitization using office scanners and sending documents for storage over a local network is nothing more than a way to prolong their existence, using such an archive is still inconvenient: it is impossible to find the required file. Adequate work with information always presupposes its ordering and the linking of documents according to a certain principle. These tasks are already being performed by electronic archive systems.

In the era of globalization and the complexity of information technology, a more comprehensive, in-depth approach in the areas of IT is required. And in order to do this, you need experience, reputation, a resource base in the form of knowledge, personnel, finance, long-term mutually beneficial work with solution providers, 24/7 service services, incident resolution, and all this in the IT direction. We have already established a lot in IT, and we can offer this to our customers without burdening them with our time, resources, and experience. We take care of all this without distracting them from their main business.

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