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Inventory Management And Preparation

The first step in digitizing books and bound volumes can also one of the most costly and time-consuming.

Simply locating, collecting, categorizing, and properly preparing large volumes of books for digitization can be a major task.

Kirtas Technologies can help lift that burden from its clients' shoulders through its practiced and experienced methods in preparing books for Kirtas digitization.

Kirtas can acquire and ready both hard-copy original volumes and digital books through a process normally includes the following stages:

Book Acquisition:

We physically go and collect or receive the books or files.

Book Treatment and Transportation:

Our inventory managers are professional who have handled some of the rarest and most fragile books known. They've been trained to handle rare and fragile books with exceptional care.

Kirtas also makes use of means designed specifically to protect the books from dust, moisture, and other damage. For instance, hard-copy books are placed on specially designed Kirtas book carts that store and transport books of sizes up to 11 inches by 32 inches.

Book Handling and Inventory Check-In:

Once books arrive, the first step is often a physical book inventory with a visual inspection against the packing slip.  The books are then catalogued by being entered into the Kirtas Inventory and Logging System (KILTS), using the barcode (usually the 13-digit ISBN or EAN) as a unique identifier.

Kirtas originally developed the KILTS system for large scale book digitization, but the methodology now ensures the continual tracking and review of every physical or digital book as it goes through our process.

Metadata Capture:

The Kirtas APT Z39.50 barcode reader has the ability to scan a book ID from either a library catalog system or ISBN. It automatically imports the descriptive metadata into a file that will stay with the digital images throughout the digitization process, and be included in the final file.

The technical metadata is automatically captured by the APT Manager and BSE software.  It includes the operator name, the technical system settings and camera identification numbers. The structural metadata is captured throughout the process and integrates both the technical and descriptive metadata.

Security and Oversight:

As the book or file moves through the KILTS system, its place in the workflow process is continually updated. All information about the previous steps is recorded as it happens and is saved. All network traffic is protected by the latest security protocols including user rights management and tracking, firewalls, and network intrusion monitoring.

And the Kilts system can be accessed remotely by clients giving them continual access to the status of the physical and digital originals.



Using our proprietary Kirtas methodology to ready books for digitization can greatly increase the speed, security, and physical safety of any books and documents entrusted to our care, and save considerable time and labor for any client using the KILTS service.