Archive for the ‘Corporate’ Category
Metadata in Digitization Projects: Types, Standards, and Best Practices
Metadata in digitization projects is a critical element that most people overlook. Without well-structured metadata, digitized collections quickly become difficult to manage, search, and reuse. Metadata enables organizations to locate files, understand how they were created, and maintain the integrity of digital assets over time. For archives, libraries, museums, and corporate records departments, consistent metadata ensures that digital collections remain searchable, organized, and usable long after the original digitization project is complete. Understanding Metadata in Digitization Projects At a high…
Preservation vs. Access: Understanding the Difference
In conversations about digitization, two words surface again and again: preservation and access. They are two sides of the same coin, and understanding the distinction is essential for any organization responsible for safeguarding information, history, or institutional memory. Whether you are responsible for archival collections, government records, academic libraries, or corporate documents, long-term success depends on finding the right balance between the two. Preservation ensures that materials will be available for future generations, while access allows people to use and…
What Is Digital Preservation?
An Introduction to Long-Term Access, Authenticity, and Sustainability in Digitization Projects
Many people use the terms digital preservation and digitization as if they mean the same thing, but they are quite different. Scanning a document or converting film to a digital file is just the beginning. True digital preservation is what keeps that file accurate, accessible, and usable for years—sometimes decades—into the future. For organizations that care for records, archives, or cultural heritage collections, digital preservation is essential. It is the foundation that protects the investment in digitization and ensures that…
Honoring A Legacy: Celebrating 50 Years of Mekel Technology
You might expect a company in the business of preservation to have an extensive archive of its own history. Surprisingly, that’s not always the case. As Mekel Technology, a Crowley Company, (also known as Mekel Engineering until 1999) celebrates its 50th anniversary, we find ourselves reflecting on a remarkable journey that began with a small team of visionaries and on the importance of preserving the history that brought us together. From its modest beginnings in a garage to becoming leaders…
Zeutschel GmbH Celebrates 60 Years in the Digitization Field
The Crowley Company’s longtime partner, Zeutschel GmbH, celebrated their 60th year in business in December 2021. The following blog, written by Zetuschel, is reposted with permission and details their growth as a market leader in the still media digitization technology field. What do the manuscripts of Johann Sebastian Bach, the written correspondence of Abraham Lincoln and the Cuban diary entries of Alexander von Humboldt have in common? They were all digitized with the scanning solutions from Zeutschel GmbH. The Tübingen, Germany…
Any Big Deals Cooking?
A Tribute to Joan Crowley, Crowley’s Unofficial Queen When I first met “Mrs. Crowley” (it took me a while to call her Joan, although she insisted from our very first meeting), it felt a bit as I imagine it would feel to meet the Queen. In many respects, she truly was queen of The Crowley Company. Supporting her entrepreneur husband, Jerry and, following his passing, her sons Chris (now deceased), Pat and Kevin, Joan Crowley was family royalty in every…
Digitization Champions:
Recapping #AmericanArchivesMonth
As the crisp autumn air changes into a frosty winter breeze, I must accept that “spooky season” is over and with it ends Crowley’s daily #AmericanArchivesMonth social media shout-outs to archive clients using Crowley’s digitization products, services and support. For those that don’t follow Crowley online, now is the time to redeem yourself and follow @CrowleyScans on all platforms. While I begrudgingly exchange my ghosts, bats and witches for all things pumpkin, I’m comforted knowing that archives can still be…
Access Granted: Five Ways Crowley Supports Your Digitization Grant Process
I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I’m a bad shopper. Starting in my early years of stalking the Barbie aisle for what felt like hours when my grandma would generously give me $10 to buy one toy and more recently showing itself after I spent a full year looking for a new car in my budget, purchasing decisions have not been my strong suit and have always included a lot of careful (read: painful) deliberation. In our industry, grant funding…
Want to Get Into the Final Four? Work with Crowley…
We’re wrapping up March with a trip to the Final Four (four of the most coveted positions in the NCAA Division 1 single-elimination men’s basketball tournament). Along the way, we had a little fun and came up with some interesting 2021 statistics. Bottom line? You have a better shot at the Final Four when Crowley is your partner. First Round: 54.7% The first round of the tournament started with the top 64 teams in the United States. In 2021, 54.7%…
Colleen’s Crew(boat):
A Crowley Christmas Story
December 2021 Update: Colleen’s Crew(boat) is back in the water and sporting a few updates thanks to the dedicated volunteer team mentioned below. You can see it “live” on YouTube (but if you’re anywhere near Frederick, we recommend a personal visit. We guarantee you’ll leave with a smile!). This is not your typical Crowley blog post. The topic is not digitization, although there is just one degree of separation between the story you are about to read and The Crowley…