The Digitisation Insider: March’s Digitisation Highlights

During March we worked on a lot of interesting projects and tackled some unusual items such as negatives and glass plates.

The most interesting project I digitised in March

One of the most interesting projects we worked on in March came from the University of Exeter, who provided us with boxes full of glass plate negatives. I selected a small number of the plates that I found most interesting and filmed a video to show how we scan this type of material.

When working with glass plates, we use a light box with all other lighting turned off, along with protective gloves. Wearing gloves is especially important for this material, as it helps prevent fingerprints from marking the plates.

These glass plates featured photographs of landscapes from around the world, including Barbados, Jamaica, India, and Australia. There were also a large number of images of animals, some of which were quite unique. One example was a “zebrule,” a hybrid animal that is a cross between a zebra and a mule (itself a mix of a donkey and a horse).

 One glass plate that I found particularly interesting showed Sydney Harbour in the background of several boats. This stood out to me personally, as I previously lived in Sydney and have always loved the harbour views. 

Tools I used the most in March

Some of the most interesting tools I used this month included an Epson film scanner for scanning both colour and black-and-white negatives. I haven’t had much experience using a film scanner before, so it was really interesting to learn how to use it. We connect the scanner to a PC, which allows us to edit and display the scans.

I also used a large light box for scanning and showcasing glass plate negatives for content. The light box is a better option for this type of material due to the size of the plates, and it’s far more convenient than trying to place them inside a scanner.

Project Spotlight

This month, we started a new project with the Museum of Scottish Railways. I found this project particularly interesting, as it includes letters and photographs from World War II. The photos mainly feature a range of landscapes, railways, and people, offering a glimpse into that period.

All of the letters were sent to the same address, which made the collection feel more connected. In one envelope, we also discovered two medals. Although the medals won’t be scanned, they were still a very interesting find.

I especially enjoyed looking through the railway photographs, as it was fascinating to see how trains and railways used to look compared to today. My favourite images were the colour photo prints of the railways.

New Services and Improvements

This month, we introduced a number of new tools and improvements in the studio to help make our work more efficient. One of these is a handheld vacuum, which helps us remove dust more easily from our workspaces. It’s been especially useful in the digitisation studio, as it’s a much quicker way to clean compared to using a cloth. It also comes with a narrow attachment, which makes it easier to reach dust build-up in tighter areas of the vanguard.

We also replaced some of the older computer mouses in the studio with new ones that offer better control and style. While this may seem like a small change, it makes a noticeable difference for us technicians, as slow or damaged mouses can impact our capture speed.

In addition, we brought in new microfiber cloths. We use cloths and glass cleaning spray every day when working with the glass on our vanguards, as dust can build up throughout the day and overnight. This dust can affect image quality, and since the cloths become dirty over time, it’s important that we replace them regularly.

New and upcoming projects

We have multiple upcoming projects starting next month, and the one I’m most excited about is The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It is a world celebration of music, dance, and military precision. While we haven’t collected the materials yet, we have been given a list of what we can expect to receive.

The collection will include a variety of materials such as postcards, magazines, scrapbooks, photo albums, posters, 35mm negatives, and photo prints. This will be a large project for us, so we’re particularly excited to get started.

Upcoming announcement

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the TownsWeb Archiving Digitisation Grant. I was recently involved in filming the 2026 announcement video with our CEO, Paul Sugden, where he explains more about the grant and how you can get involved. The TWA Digitisation Grant has run every year for the past nine years, and 2026 will mark its 10th year of funding. You can expect to see the full video very soon.

I was also really excited to be involved in the content filming process, as it’s something I’d like to gain more experience in. I learned a lot about lighting and how to set up for this type of content, which made it a really valuable experience.