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 October 21, 2024.

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.

The Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI) does not review, certify, or endorse commercial products, and does not maintain lists or other information about commercial products that claim FADGI conformance.

Digitization Guidelines

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

  • Significant Properties for Digital Video
    Updated by Working Group | October 2024

    • The FADGI Audio-Visual Working Group has released a revised version of Significant Properties for Digital Video which simplifies and clarifies the first release from 2019. Updates include a Change Log, real world use cases and adjusting the criteria and definitions for clarity and readability.

  • embARC Open Source Software for Embedded Metadata
    Updated by Working Group | September 2024

    • 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 DPX files as individual files or an entire DPX sequence as well as RDD 48 compliant MXF files, while not impacting the image data. Recent updates include improved accessibility support for table navigation.

  • Guidelines for Embedded Metadata in WebVTT Files
    Approved by Working Group | June 2024

    Embedded metadata structure to document provenance, administrative history, and contextual information for WebVTT files which are often used for captions and subtitles to support accessibility.

  • Guidelines for IRENE System Products for Long Term Retention: Deliverable Packages for Imaged Audio Systems
    Approved by Working Group | June 2024

    Joint project of the FADGI AV and Still Images Working Groups to define, for the digital preservation community, standard output packages for imaged audio created by non-contact scanning.

  • OpenDICE and AutoSFR Software
    Updated by Working Group | March 27, 2024

    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.

  • Software Accessibility for Open Source Digital Preservation Applications
    Approved by Working Group | March 2024

    The FADGI AV Working Group project seeks to provide broadly applicable recommendations on accessibility best practices for open-source software. Deliverables include a final report and recommendations.

  • Technical Guidelines for the Still Image Digitization of Cultural Heritage Materials (3rd Edition)
    Approved by Working Group | May 10, 2023

    The FADGI Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials have been revised by the Still Image working group. These Guidelines represent shared best practices for digitizing 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.

  • Exploring Accessibility for AV Collections Content
    Approved by Working Group  | Autumn 2022

    The FADGI AV Working Group is working on accessibility needs for digital audiovisual collections content acquired through collection development scope and policies. Recent projects include Definitions for Key Accessibility Features for Archival Audiovisual Content and Survey Results: The Current State of Accessibility Features for Audiovisual Collections Content in Five FADGI Institutions.

  • Mapping FFV1 to MXF: SMPTE RDD 48 Amendment and Sample Files
    Approved by Working Group | Spring, 2022

    SMPTE has published RDD 48 MXF Archive and Preservation Format Application Specification – Amendment 1 which provides metadata and registered Universal Labels for the FFV1 encoding in the MXF wrapper.  New sample files are also available in both NTSC and PAL.

    • All FADGI Guidelines

Last Updated: 10/21/2024