McGill Libraries' digitization lab partners with Quebec community groups and other organizations to support digitization training, or to digitize community materials on-site in our lab.

Training and capacity building

Woman scannning black and white photos on a flatbed scanner

For organizations that need support leading their own digitization projects with their own equipment

In-kind digitization at McGill

Book with an illustration of a tree being scanned in McGill's digitization lab

For organizations that want McGill Libraries to digitize their materials at our digitization lab

Training and capacity building

Learn how to plan, manage, and sustain your own digitization projects 

We offer a limited number of free workshops and training sessions each year for Quebec non-profits and educational institutions. Learn directly from McGill Library’s digitization experts about how to start and sustain your own digitization work. Our training focuses on paper-based materials like books, photos, and maps.

Workshops topics include: 

  • Digitization planning: File formats, digital preservation, project scoping
  • Equipment and software guidance: Recommendations suited to your scale and budget
  • Workflow design: Scanning, quality control, OCR processing
  • Hands-on training: Scanning techniques for paper-based materials, file management, colour balancing, handling of fragile materials
  • Metadata and copyright basics: Description tools, metadata standards, and copyright considerations

Who can apply:
Registered charities, non-profits, and recognized educational institutions located in Quebec.

Applications are evaluated based on:
Clarity of project goals, readiness, and preservation need. We accept a limited number of applications each year.

Apply for training

In-kind digitization at McGill

Free, in-kind digitization for local heritage collections at our digitization lab

We offer up to 4,000 pages of in-kind digitization each year to help community organizations preserve and share their collections. We have expertise in digitizing oversized and rare materials.

Eligible materials: 

  • Paper-based collections (books, documents, photos, maps, paintings or art prints, etc.)
  • Materials in stable physical condition
  • Materials that do not infringe on the copyright of any third party

What’s included: 

  • Professional-quality scanning
  • Output in your preferred format
  • Up to 4,000 standard pages or 150 oversized items per year

What’s not included: 

  • Digital storage space or display of digitized items
  • Copyright analysis, or work securing copyright permissions on your behalf
  • Metadata creation

You provide: 

  • Transport of materials to and from McGill's Humanities & Social Sciences Library
  • Data storage devices, in case files can’t be transferred via the web

Who can apply:
Registered charities, non-profits, and recognized educational institutions located in Quebec, including other McGill units. McGill units or researchers should indicate their affiliation in their application.

Selection is based on:
Project feasibility, potential benefit to the community, and preservation risk. We accept a limited number of applications each year.

Submit a project proposal