Almost every major institution is contemplating some kind of digital-imaging project, but sources of information and experience are few. Technical asects of digital imaging present libraries and archives with very difficult and complex choices. There are as yet no codified technical standards for image capture, display, and ouput, all of which affect the image quality, the cost, and, ultimately, the success or failure of the entire undertaking. Even if a vendor will provide a finished "turnkey" system, an institution must understand the nature of the digital-imaging product they are buying. They must know how much image quality and functionality can be expected from it, both now and the in the future. New tools must be provided for collection managers to make that possible. Beyond these purely technical issues, institutions must be able to rlate the digital-image database system to the fundamental collection activities of access and preservation.
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