Introduction to Imaging (review)

This book, in its second edition, was published by the Getty Foundation. It is a basic source to guide those involved with museums and other collections in the uses and pitfalls of digital imagery. For this purpose it is an invaluable guide and is highly recommended. The fact that it is in its second edition speaks to its acceptance and usefulness. The book covers digital imagery as an archival tool, as a way to increase collection accessibility, and as part of a management system.

In addition, I would recommend the book to anyone who is involved or plans to be involved with digital images, since all involvement requires some sort of storage process. While some of the material is specific to large museum collections, much of the material is relevant to users of digital imagery generally. The book gives a very good overview of digital imagery, with an excellent glossary in the back of the book. It minimizes jargon and presents the basics in clear and concise ways. The emphasis is at the strategic or planning level. It explains what to look for in a program, rather than giving a detailed analysis of any specific program. This makes it much more useful, as programs are always changing and developing.

I was particularly impressed with the book's down-to-earth treatment of issues that often are hyped in a misleading fashion by the imaging industry. Topics such as image resolution, color, file formats, metadata, scanning, etc. are treated in a straightforward and clear manner. Introduction to Imaging does an excellent job of pointing out the pluses and minuses of the available choices. The authors emphasize the need for each user to clearly understand of the specific purposes that digital imagery will serve and why it is important in each individual case. Issues such as obsolete technology, data integrity, security and resource management are treated realistically. Its concluding advice reflects much of the rest of the book: "In reality, no one knows what the best preservation strategy or combination of strategies will be" (p. 62). It goes on to recommend an open approach and regular reviews as the best ways to maintain useful digital files. The book provides an excellent basis for carrying out that strategy.