Federal Agencies
Digital Guidelines Initiative

About This Initiative

FADGI is a collaborative effort started in 2007 by federal agencies to articulate common sustainable practices and guidelines for digitized and born digital historical, archival and cultural content. Two working groups study issues specific to two major areas, Still Image and Audio-Visual.

Summary chart of FADGI's impact within the Library of Congress and the wider community. Updated September 29, 2021.

Learn more about the initiative

Still Image
Working Group

This group is involved in a cooperative effort to develop common digitization guidelines for still image materials.

Audio-Visual
Working Group

This group works collaboratively on common and sustainable technical guidelines, methods, and practices for digitized and born digital sound recordings and moving images.

Digitization Guidelines

    The tools and guidelines linked below are the most widely used FADGI resources. For additional guidelines please click the link above.

  • OpenDICE and AutoSFR Open Source Software
    Updated by Working Group | October 27, 2021

    OpenDICE software measures DICE device level imaging target files for conformance with the FADGI imaging guidelines. AutoSFR software measures physical structures in an image file to determine the effective resolution of the image, useful to help determine the appropriate scanning resolution for best results.

  • ADCTest open source software for testing audio ADC performance over time
    Updated by Working Group |  September 2021

    ADCTest is a free Windows-based open source software application designed to facilitate performance testing of analog-to-digital converters (ADC) against FADGI’s 2017 Audio Analog-to-Digital Converter Performance Specification and Test Method Guideline (Low Cost). The new version added the option for a built-in signal generator to support users who wish to test the performance of ADCs that are not immediately accessible to them, especially in outsourced digitization.

  • embARC open source software for embedded metadata
    Updated by Working Group | August 2021

    embARC (metadata embedded for archival content) is a free, open source application that enables users to manage (i.e., audit, validate and correct) embedded metadata in Digital Picture Exchange (DPX)files as individual files or an entire DPX sequence as well as RDD 48 compliant Material Exchange Format (MXF) files, while not impacting the image data. GUI versions for Windows and Mac as well as CLI are available for download.

  • Updated Guidelines for Embedded Metadata in BWF Files
    Approved by Working Group | April 26, 2021

    The FADGI Audio-Visual Working Group is pleased to release version 3 of Guidelines for Embedding Metadata in Broadcast WAVE Files with support for use of Associated Data List Chunk to accompany use of Cue Chunk and Cue Points, expanded options for CodingHistory values and more. These updates are reflected in the open source BWF MetaEdit application.

  • SMPTE RDD 48 MXF Archive and Preservation Format and Sample Files
    Approved by Working Group | July 15, 2019

    SMPTE has published RDD 48, a Registered Disclosure Document representing the FADGI-sponsored MXF Archive and Preservation Format. RDD 48 specifies a vendor-neutral subset of the MXF file format for the long-term archiving and preservation of moving image and other audiovisual content. New sample files are also available in both NTSC and PAL standard uncompressed and JPEG2000 versions.

  • Guidelines for Embedding Metadata in DPX File Headers
    Approved by Working Group | August 14, 2017

    The FADGI Audio-Visual Working Group has developed guidelines for embedding metadata in the DPX header, a file format often used for digitized motion picture film. The guidelines outline FADGI implementations of the SMPTE Core fields as well as other elements Strongly Recommended, Recommended or Optional for FADGI use. The approved version includes significant revisions from the 12/16/16 draft version such as a justification about the rationale for embedded metadata and explanations of issues with date/time formatting and data overruns.

  • Technical Guidelines for the Still Image Digitization of Cultural Heritage Materials
    Approved by Working Group | September 2016

    The 2016 FADGI Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials has been approved by the Still Image working group. This represents shared best practices for still image materials (e.g., textual content, maps, and photographic prints and negatives) followed by FADGI agencies, and is used by cultural heritage institutions worldwide.

    • All FADGI Guidelines

Last Updated: 12/28/2021