Every information institution wants to go digital. Libraries seek online platforms, archives aspire to have digital portals, and registries aim to become paperless. In today’s information-intensive environment, where users increasingly expect fast and remote access to information, digital transformation promises efficiency, improved access, information sharing, and long-term preservation. Yet many digitisation projects fail and remain incomplete despite starting.
Institutions often invest in equipment and begin scanning records, only for the process to stall before effective access and retrieval systems are established. The result is a growing collection of digital files that remain difficult to find, retrieve, use, or preserve.
A major cause of failure is inadequate planning before scanning begins. Institutions must first assess the types of information materials they hold, formats, forms, volumes, and conditions. They need to determine which collections should be prioritised while scanning and clarify why digitisation is being undertaken. The reasons to digitise may vary for each organisation as some may be to improve access, support preservation, enhance retrieval, while others is to reduce reliance on physical storage. Clear timelines, budgets, technologies, workflows, and staff responsibilities should also be established. Materials must be arranged accordingly, organised and prepared before scanning and it is important to note that fragile items require special handling. A critical step is conducting a pilot exercise to test equipment, OCR accuracy, metadata procedures, storage capacity and workflows before large-scale implementation.
Effective digitisation also requires supporting policies and governance structures. Institutions need clear guidelines on what should be digitised, who can access digital content, how long records should be retained, and how confidential information should be protected. Copyright and intellectual property considerations are equally important.
Many organisations mistakenly equate scanning with digitisation. In reality, digitisation involves much more than creating digital copies. Documents scanned without Optical Character Recognition, metadata, or indexing remain difficult to search and retrieve. Users may still need to open files individually and browse through pages to locate information, defeating one of the principal benefits of digitisation.
Another challenge is the financial and human resources required to sustain digital collections. Successful digitisation demands professionals with expertise in cataloguing, metadata management, information organisation, digital preservation, and information security. Yet digitisation is often treated as a purely technical activity with minimal involvement of librarians and archivists. Financial planning is equally critical. Costs extend far beyond purchasing scanners and include staffing, storage, backups, internet connectivity, maintenance, software upgrades, quality control, and migration to newer technologies. These are continuing rather than one-time expenses.
What happens after scanning is equally important. Digitised materials must undergo quality assurance to verify completeness, readability, and accuracy. They should then be organised within digital repositories, databases, or content management systems that enable efficient search and retrieval. These platforms should be tested with users to ensure they meet information needs and are easy to navigate.
Simply uploading documents to a server or website does not guarantee accessibility. Institutions must continually monitor system performance, gather user feedback, provide training where necessary, and ensure regular backups and format migration to prevent digital obsolescence.
Ultimately, digitisation succeeds only when institutions treat it as an ongoing process rather than a one-time project.