Collection Item Sources Varied
Items in our collection were created from 1975 – 2000 by INPUT. In the early days, INPUT materials were typed, exhibits were hand drawn, originals were printed by off-set printing press, and pages were compiled and bound. As technology became available, collection items were generated using word processing systems and originals were printed in hard copy. Newer systems allowed us to save content on floppy disks. Due to the size of documents and limitations of floppy disk storage, it was not uncommon to need several floppy disks to store just one report. In later years, documents were saved to hard drives, leading us to eventual delivery via electronic means or at least allowing computer to print capability. Thus, the preparation of collection items for digitization was immense, to say the least!
Data Preparation for Digitization
How did we manage the hundreds of hard bound reports, thousands of printed originals, hundreds of floppy disks, and the hundreds of digital files? A master file was created in Excel; it contained more than 10,000 items. This master file served as our guide throughout the digitization process. The consistent use of the master file reduced opportunity for error and promoted data consistency.
All INPUT materials were coded. This coding was used throughout the life of the company and across all company operations (from professional staff time management, accounting, customer billing, project management reports, and more). It included Master Codes and Project Codes for each item in the collection. Further, it included such information as format, month and year published, title, and country. And as you may imagine, since documents were physically stored in warehouses, it even included box numbers and warehouse locations. See Master File here: Web Version Master File
Two-Stage Scanning Approach Employed
This website presents the results of the “Phase One” of our digitization effort – the scanning of all highest-priority INPUT deliverable items. The Internet Archive (based San Francisco, CA) scanned all hard copy materials. They employed book scanning and page scanning technology. Working box by box for more than a year, they scanned the majority of reports and deliverable materials.
Currently, we are working on the “Phase Two” documents – scanning of the many company operations documents, marketing materials, staff lists, business plans and company financial data. Though some of this information exists in our collection today, the majority of this information will be uploaded in the coming year.
About our Site
WebDev Studios (WDS) built the INPUT iCenter site. With the power of WordPress and the WDS team, researchers and historians can now access our large collection. WDS is a leader in WordPress site development.