I'm sending this over to our map scanning lab people to see if they have any insights for you (I'm sure they do). A solid white background is probably standard. If you can find or have built for you a smooth white board for digitizing over a metal plate, you could use smaller magnets to hold the map in place. I'm guessing you can also use clean glass or poly sheets if you work the lighting correctly. On lighting there are adjustable output lights that are probably what's required here (both in color temp and intensity). One thing you'll need to consider is any map sheets can not be successfully scanned in a single shot, so you may need to become proficient at working with image stitching in something Photoshop. This could also in part solve the weights issue for you. If I get any feedback from the scanning team (assuming they aren't already on this list), I'll post it. Best, David David Medeiros Geospatial Reference & Instruction Specialist Stanford Geospatial Center 650.561.5294 SGC website: gis.stanford.edu SGC publication cartography services: bit.ly/sgcpubcart<https://bit.ly/sgcpubcart> GIS cartography link list: bit.ly/giscart GIS email list: bit.ly/GISlist ________________________________ From: Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc. <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Karina Wilhelm <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, April 5, 2024 10:27 AM To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Digitizing maps Hello all, I am starting to digitize large format materials. I have a camera set up with lights and a tether to the computer. The previous archivist also purchased Capture One software so I can control the camera from the computer. I’m running into a few issues. 1. I have lots of maps on semi transparent paper. I think I’ve figured out that I need a white board behind them. Does anyone have any other suggestions for photographing maps on thin paper? 2. When I turn on the lights from the four side lights, the image looks very washed out. I’m sure there are settings on the camera to correct for this but I really don’t know what they are. I know the lights are necessary for even lighting but I’m not sure how to get a good image. 3. I need weights to hold down some of the bent/rolled/folded maps. Any suggestions on what I should use? I was looking at book snake weights<https://www.gaylord.com/Preservation/Book-%26-Pamphlet-Preservation/Repair-Tools-%26-Supplies/Other-Tools-%26-Supplies/Book-Snake-Weight/p/51067> but I don’t know how heavy they need to be to hold some of the maps that are more curled and stubborn. Here’s a picture of my temporary setup (I didn’t have the lights fully positioned or turned on here and I’m using part of a white box for the backing for the thin map- but hey, we work with what we have!). If anyone has experience working with digitization, I could really use some advice. Thanks in advance! Karina [cid:image001.jpg@01DA867B.7F9AC600] Karina Wilhelm Archivist SHESC Center for Archaeology and Society Repository Arizona State University email: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>