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 January 26, 2017.

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• OpenDICE and AutoSFR Open Source Software
  Approved by Working Group | January 2017
  

  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.

• Guidelines for Embedding Metadata in DPX Files
  Draft for Public Comment | Comments requested by February 28, 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 draft guidelines outline FADGI implementations of the SMPTE Core fields as well as other elements Strongly Recommended, Recommended or Optional for FADGI use. Comments are requested.

• 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.

• MXF AS-07: Sample Files Available
  Review draft for comment | Comments requested by December 31, 2016
  

  The FADGI AV Working Group, through a contract with AVPreserve and their subcontractor EVS, has created a set of graded sample files based on the AS-07 Application Specification as of June 2016. Comments are requested.

• MXF AS-07: Approved as AMWA Proposed Specification
  Review draft for comment | July 11, 2016
  

  The Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) has approved FADGI's MXF AS-07 Application Specification for Archiving and Preservation as an official Proposed Specification.

  All FADGI Guidelines

News & Events

• Putting the "Digital" in the FADGI acronym, January 2017
• FADGI documents to include CC0 1.0 Universal License, December 2016
• Poster about DPX embedded metadata project at 2016 AMIA conference, November 2016
• Tom Rieger talks digital strategy at Internet Archives' Library Leaders Forum, October 2016
• FADGI's Film Scanning SOW highlighted on Perfs to DPX and All Points In Between: Perspectives on Current Film Digitization Practices panel discussion at IASA 2016 Annual Conference, September 2016
• Kate Murray discusses the development of FADGI's MXF AS-07 at No Time To Wait conference, July 2016

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Blogs Posts

• FADGI’s 10th Anniversary: Adapting to Meet the Community’s Needs, February 6, 2017
• New FADGI Guidelines for Embedded Metadata in DPX Files, December 16, 2016
• FADGI MXF Video Specification Moves Up an Industry-organization Approval Ladder, July 11, 2016
• Digitizing Motion Picture Film: FADGI Report on Current Practices and Future Directions, December 9, 2015

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Frequently Requested Guidelines

• MXF Application Specification and Sample Files
• Audio Analog-to-Digital Converter Performance
• Digitizing Motion Picture Film
• Creating and Archiving Born Digital Video
• File Format Comparison Projects
• Embedding Metadata in Broadcast WAVE Files

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