Note: audiovisual items are often intermingled with other archival material, including textual records, slides, and negatives. The Libraries normally digitizes this material in-house. See the appropriate section of the Digital Collections Handbook for guidance on intermingled formats.

Retrieve material from physical storage

1. Retrieve audiovisual items from physical storage.
   
   
   1. If necessary, obtain permission to access physical storage from responsible department or unit. 
      
      
   2. If necessary, log into the Archives Catalogue to confirm the physical location of the material. 
      
      
2. If material is retrieved for a routine digitization project or other purposes, ensure that retrieved material is placed in secure temporary storage for the duration of the project.

Determine technical specifications for scanning job

1. Consult the technical specifications for moving images and the technical specifications for sound recordings as necessary.
   
   
2. In some cases, alternative specifications can be used. Consult the Digitization Coordinator before using non-standard technical specifications.

Conduct copyright assessment if necessary

Note: Digitization activities must comply with the Copyright Act and Dalhousie Fair Dealing Guidelines. A copyright assessment for each file or item may not always be necessary (e.g., in cases where material is in the public domain). Consult with the Project Manager or Libraries’ Copyright Services Coordinator for guidance as necessary.

1. Assess the material for privacy and confidentiality concerns in accordance with Section D.2 of the Libraries’ Takedown Request Protocol. 
   
   
2. Check the copyright and licensing status of the material in accordance with Section D.4 of the Libraries’ Takedown Request Protocol.
   
   
3. If the conditions in Section D.2 are satisfied and none of the conditions in Section D.4 apply, conduct a risk assessment using the Libraries’ Copyright Assessment Tool.
   
   
4. Documentation: Document the risk assessment using the Libraries’ Copyright Assessment Worksheet. Retain the worksheet and ensure it is filed in accordance with Dalhousie's Records Management Policy.
   
   
5. Attach a copy of the Copyright Assessment Worksheet to the file folder.
   

Identify other workflow issues

Note: this section is intended for mass digitization projects that require an "assembly line" workflow like the high-volume "factory" operation described in the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives Guidelines for the Preservation of Video Recordings (IASA-TC 06, Part D, Section D.1.1.2). 

1. Assess the material and determine whether its physical characteristics will affect the digitization workflow and/or impact the quote(s) for digitization services. Workflow issues can occur when digitizing material such as:
   
   
   1. U-matic videocassettes suffering from "sticky shed"
      
      
   2. 16 mm or 35 mm colour film that needs to be spooled onto archival plastic hubs after the film is digitized
      
      
   3. Videocassettes that include textual records inside each container

Create item-level manifest of audiovisual items

Note: Digitization of audiovisual material usually requires the project manager to consider physical storage issues and assign new item-level reference codes to each item. Physical rehousing may be required to achieve desired results. Physical preparation of audiovisual items may occur in tandem with physical preparation of textual records, or photographic slides, or photographic negatives. See the Libraries' Digitization Coordinator for guidance.

1. Download a copy of the Excel template for audiovisual digitization projects.
   
   

2. Fill in the shipping manifest tab.

Create summary description of digitization job

1. Prepare a summary description of the digitization job that includes:
   
   
   1. Total number of each format
      
      
   2. Technical specifications for each format
      
      
      1. Preservation master
      2. Mezzanine copy
      3. Access copy
         
         
   3. File naming and file organization guidelines
      
      
   4. Special instructions as necessary