Opened in 2021 thanks to generous donor support, our Digitization Center is the essential workshop for scanning and digitally preserving an ever-growing collection of New York historical records. With a state-of-the-art camera and software that turns high res scans into searchable resources, we are furthering the work of genealogists, biographers, and historians alike.
Scanning
The engine driving so much of the Center’s output is the CopiBook OS A2 scanner. Considered the fastest book scanner in its class, our team now makes short work out of dense multi-volume texts, while still maintaining ultra sharp 600 dpi images.
There is, of course, a lot out there to scan, process, and index. The NYG&B library, an impressive physical collection of New York records, is just one digitization effort amongst many that we oversee. We also digitize for a number of genealogical, historical, and lineage societies, taking on all manner of historical documents, some dating to 17th century New York or earlier.
Processing
Once texts have been scanned, images need to be prepared for the digital environment. That’s where the LIMB Processing software comes in. With it we can easily alter the brightness, dimension, and framing of thousands of scans. There are also many built-in solutions to improve the legibility and presentation of older, more degraded texts.
Processing completed, we then upload the collections to our online New York State Family History Records database. Depending on the length of the materials, the quality of the machine-read scans, and how the documents were originally organized, we may need to add in our own indexing system. Such indexing efforts, carried out by a team of staffers and volunteers, are often the final lift for a project and what ensures our published collections remains as user-friendly to researchers as possible.
Volunteers
Without regular contributions from an amazing team of volunteers, the Digitization Center’s output would be a fraction of what it is today. Their tireless and efficient support has allowed us to process and share nearly 100,000 records since the Center began. Depending on area of interest, we are happy to train volunteers to work with our scanner, LIMB software, or indexing solutions.
Digitize New York
The NYG&B’s Digitize New York initiative is partnering with organizations across New York State to preserve their at-risk historical documents. The NYG&B has undertaken this initiative to help preserve these important records and improve access for people conducting New York family history research.
Digital Collections Manager
Our Digital Collections Manager, Kalyn Loewer, uses digital preservation and archival techniques to support the NYG&B’s mission to preserve, document, and share family history. She works to digitize documents from all over New York State and makes materials available to researchers via the online collections. She also educates communities about how to access and maximize the NYG&B’s online collections. As an early modern historian, her research is focused on the evolution of the Gàidhealtachd (Scottish Gaeldom) in the 16th and 17th centuries, with particular emphasis on the historiographical significance of Elizabethan genealogical and family history documents relating to Scottish clans. Kalyn was the recipient of the John. C. Gorman '38 Medal for Excellence in History from St. Francis College in 2021. .
