Introduction
NatureScot is the lead public body responsible for advising the Scottish Government on all matters relating to nature, wildlife and the natural environment. With a commitment to preserving Scotland’s biodiversity and improving access to environmental data, NatureScot manages a vast archive of documents and records, many of which exist in legacy formats such as microfiche. As part of a wider digital transformation initiative, NatureScot sought a trusted partner to assist with converting a large collection of microfiche into accessible, digital formats.
Situation
NatureScot’s librarian, Jan Gebbie, who oversees digital archiving, approached Key Digital to explore microfiche scanning services. The organisation had 1,275 microfiche cards that needed to be digitised.
Key requirements included:
- OCR conversion (Optical Character Recognition) to enable full-text search
- Compatibility with accessibility tools
- Naming conventions that provided descriptive file names based on fiche titles, rather than just index numbers
- Within the organisation’s project budget
NatureScot also expressed interest in a secure handling process, including the potential destruction of physical fiche post-digitisation, and the option to receive HTML versions of the scans for increased accessibility.
Solution
Following an initial consultation, we provided NatureScot with a proposal that met all technical and budgetary needs. Key aspects of the solution included:
- High-resolution microfiche scanning, ensuring archival-grade image quality
- OCR processing of all scanned PDFs, making the documents searchable and accessible for screen readers and other assistive technologies
- Testing compatibility with Immersive Reader (Google Narrator), confirming that the output met accessibility standards
- Flexible naming conventions, incorporating fiche titles into filenames for improved usability and searchability within NatureScot’s Electronic Records and Document Management System (ERDMS)
- Delivery of sample scans via WeTransfer for quality assurance and internal testing
Jan was impressed with the initial samples and confirmed they downloaded successfully, were fully searchable, and integrated well with their internal systems.
“We were looking for a reliable partner to digitise over 1,200 microfiche records. From the outset, the team were responsive, knowledgeable and flexible to our needs – particularly around OCR capability, accessibility requirements and naming conventions.
“The sample scans provided were of excellent quality and integrated seamlessly with our internal systems. Their willingness to adapt to our workflow and budget made the process straightforward from start to finish.”
– Jan Gebbie, Librarian
Outcome
NatureScot was pleased with the quality and usability of the sample scans. While another company had also sent samples, they did not progress the work, positioning Key Digital as the preferred provider. Jan confirmed that, subject to a final test within their ERDMS, the full project would proceed as proposed.
In addition, Jan requested that we provide the digitised files in HTML format as an optional extra – a service we confirmed we could support.
By working closely with NatureScot, Key Digital delivered a responsive, tailored service that prioritised accessibility, quality and compliance with budgetary constraints. This project has also opened doors to potential collaborations with other public sector bodies seeking similar archive digitisation services.