How document scanning helps museums
Document scanning is one of our most popular services and it is one used by a wide range of businesses, educational institutions, healthcare services, and of course, museums.
Document scanning opens access
There’s no doubt that a museum wants its visitors to experience absolutely everything that it can offer.
That said, however, there are many precious and rare documents and records that are simply too old or delicate to be out on public display.
Here at Microform, we have helped an array of museums across the country introduce rare and ancient papers and records to the public.
Our experienced staff are trained in working with some of the most delicate and rare artefacts that a museum can offer and we take great pride in ensuring that everything within our care is handled in the safest possible manner.
Document scanning saves space
Most businesses use our document scanning services to save physical space within buildings and archives.
Although the vast majority of museums use our services to keep digital records of their possessions, there is still a large array of material that can be preserved in digital form.
Financial records and other paper-heavy documents can take up vast amounts of space, especially for large institutions over long periods of time.
By scanning these space-greedy materials, museums are able to open up or expand new sections of their buildings or prioritise archives for more essential purposes.
Document scanning offers security
As mentioned earlier in this blog, document scanning offers a whole host of security benefits.
Physical documents and files, as we all know, can succumb to even the smallest of accidents, a danger which is amplified when you happen to be working with old, rare, or culturally significant materials.
Here at Microform, we believe that no record or document should be lost to accidental damage or poor environmental conditions.
In the event that these unfortunate events occur, having digital copies of any kind of artefact or document means that no information will be lost.
What’s more, as part of the document scanning process, we offer bespoke cloud management systems, meaning that any and all scanned materials and files will be saved on a cloud-based storage service.
As these systems are bespoke, it also means that clients are able to control who is able to access these files. So if a museum is looking to open up a whole new section of documents to the public, it is possible to do so through digitally scanned files that are accessed through the cloud management system.
On the other hand, if a museum is scanning confidential materials, we can arrange for the introduction of a whole host of security measures, from password-protected profiles to IP-specific access points — so only authorised personnel can access the system.
Document scanning offers greater time efficiency
Document scanning means that museums are able to offer their services in a much more time-efficient manner.
We have often worked with museums that would take requests from universities or other museums for information and materials, which would sometimes take a matter of hours or days to collect.
With these requests now managed on a digital basis, it means that museums are able to respond to viewing and material requests within a matter of minutes.
This is because documents and files are logged by our scanners and are assigned to specific filing systems.
The vast majority of our clients also opt for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scanning, which ensures that all files scanned are fully searchable and digitally editable.
This means that people can search for files or documents simply by entering file names or fragments of information within specific pages.
Once the documents are scanned they are generally converted into digital images (such as PDFs) but with OCR conversion, fully editable files can be created including:
PDF searchable formats
CSV files
XML files
Excel files
Microsoft Word files
For more information about document scanning, see our document scanning page or contact us on (0)1924 825 700.