From Source to Database
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Sean Townsend
Introduction
It hardly needs saying that the act of creating a digital historical database involves the process of converting information from one format (paper) to another (digital). This conversion process is ultimately the essence of creating the resource, and those embarking on the endeavor need to think very hard about exactly what it is they are about to do. Talking to others who have gone through similar processes in related disciplines, reading appropriate literature, and evaluating and using a range of database technologies are possible initial starting points. The much-used maxim ‘Garbage In – Garbage Out’ is, unsurprisingly, appropriate here as the decisions taken and methodology employed in this critical stage of the resource's development, define the future value and usefulness of the resource. Bad judgements and fudged decisions at the design stage are almost always amplified in the final product which, at best, can make the database extremely problematic to use and, at worst, completely worthless.
© 2000 by K. G. Saur
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Impressum
- Comment and News
- Micrographics: A Quarter-Century Perspective
- Preservation Issues in Digital Imaging Technology
- From Source to Database
- Guides to Quality in Visual Resource Imaging
- Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access
- Index to Reviews
- Index 2000 Microform & Imaging Review
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Impressum
- Comment and News
- Micrographics: A Quarter-Century Perspective
- Preservation Issues in Digital Imaging Technology
- From Source to Database
- Guides to Quality in Visual Resource Imaging
- Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access
- Index to Reviews
- Index 2000 Microform & Imaging Review
