The following are a number of common problems that our customers face during the transition to digitalized information:

• Which documents do we want to digitalize?
• Can we use the existing hardware?
• What changes will take place at the general and technical services department?
• What does the Archive law entail?
• Will the data be consistent and will it retain its integrity?
• How fast can my digital information be viewed and accessed?
• In what way can the storage, management and disclosure of the information be organized?

Stored hard copy documents and files take up many expensive square feet. The manageability, security and accessibility of such documents is far from ideal. In the last few years, a new form of storage for both small and large amounts of analog information has developed.

Digital information (e-mail, databases, video, scanned documents) is stored on servers. By digitally storing all your documents, you can permanently solve many problems. Apart from saving space and complying with the demands of digital durability, digital information can be managed more efficiently and forms the basis for the knowledge management within your organization.  

Scanning

Analog documents can be converted to digital format by means of imaging. This simply means that the paper is scanned using one of the professional scanners offered by Square IS. “Simply” is actually an understatement. Choosing the correct scanner requires a lot of expertise. Before making a selection, the following questions need to be answered:

• What amount needs to be scanned on a yearly and daily basis;
• What paper formats will be used and in what relative proportion;
• Will the documents be in color or black and white;
• Are the documents concerned one-sided or two-sided.

Scanners nowadays offer numerous techniques to ensure that the scanning process runs quickly and adequately and produces good quality digital images.

Why should we scan?

If the decision was well contemplated, the use of digital information has its specific advantages for each organization. In general however, it can be said that digital information is:

• easier to manage;
• easier and quicker to access;
• easier to share;
• flexible in its application.

In short, all the abovementioned advantages in the end result in an undeniable cost reduction. To achieve these results, a sound transition plan and clear goals are essential.

Capturing

Scanning alone is not enough, because scanning only creates a digital image. The Captiva software InputAccel Express that is used by Square Information Systems cleans these digital images, indexes them and converts them to the desired format. Subsequently, the Square application picks up the image and indexes it for you in such a way that it becomes accessible in the OPAC or E-Finder, without any further human intervention. Apart from full-text indexation, we offer you the possibility to further enrich the document by means of meta data or even a complete title description.

The various modules of the VKS Product Suite allow you to, for example, store the data in our Document Organizer. With the routing facility in this module, you can send the information to the appropriate locations within the organization.

Due to its personal profiling facilities, the VKS Profiler module would certainly be useful if you choose to store the documents in collections to which those profiles apply.

  Download the BIBIS Scanning & Capturing folder, Dutch!