iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

This example from the Gwendolyn Brooks collection showcases two different interpretations of a color negative against a print made from that negative near its time of creation (at right), each showing distinct color differences. Which do you prefer?

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Digital representations of color photographs created from analog color negatives offer room for subjectivity and interpretation as we consider the photographer's intent and the degradation of the negative and any existing prints.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

It may be #PreservationWeek, but we're all about preservation all year long! Rachael Johns, Senior Digital Imaging Specialist, recently presented at digiTIPS on the process of digitizing color negatives.

Comparison of three views of a photograph of Nora Brooks Blakely at her graduation in front of State Farm Center. Two different presentations of the processed color negative are to the left of an original print.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Morel of the story? Whether you're on the hunt or just in need of some visual interest, the five volumes of the 1919 Iconographie des champignons supérieurs from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social are sure to satisfy. Check them out in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/DayOfTheMush...

go.library.illinois.edu

Iconographie des champignons supérieurs / par G. Juillard-Hartmann (Volume 4)

Title from portfolio cover.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Here in Champaign, we're celebrating the Day of the Mushroom with some technicolor champignons! While we wouldn't necessarily recommend eating any of those pictured here, April is prime morel season in Illinois.

Illustration of five different types of mushrooms from the Boletus family, many of which feature bright pink stems.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

No jokes here; Carl Sandburg really did once serve as the captain of the Lombard College basketball team, where he apparently gained a reputation for his throwing skills. He is seen in this 1898-1899 team photograph on the far left of the first row. We think it's time to bring back the uniforms!

go.library.illinois.edu

Carl Sandburg on the Lombard basketball team in 1898

Group photograph of the Lombard basketball team in 1898. Carl Sandburg is the man on the far left in the front row.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

As Illinois heads to the Final Four this weekend, we celebrate the beginning of National Poetry Month with an unexpected basketball icon: Carl Sandburg.

Black-and-white group photograph of the 1898-1899 Lombard College basketball team. Carl Sandburg, at far left in the first row, places his hand on a basketball held by the central player. The players wear long pants and short-sleeved shirts emblazoned with the letter 'L.'

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

We're preparing for the @illinoisfunk.bsky.social Invasive Species panel on April 21 by looking at some insects in the Digital Special Collections! Luckily for the entomophobics among us, the ocellated shield bug has not been found in the United States.

Color illustration of the Cimax Dispar and Cimax Hanbuschii, two winged true bugs. The former is red with yellow and black spots.

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Reposted by Illinois Digitization Services

University of Illinois Funk Library @illinoisfunk.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Get excited! We'll host our 8th annual panel on April 21, with the theme Invasive Species! If you come in person, you'll also enter a raffle for 2 books related to invasive species. Learn more here: guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=1123...

Flyer for the Solving the World's Challenge's panel about Invasive Species.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

"In need of some inspiration for National Craft Month? Look no further than the Digital Library! Originally intended for damask weaving and carpets, we're also dreaming up cross stitch and needlepoint projects with these 1828 charts.

A variety of animal motifs, including birds, a lobster, a dog, and a lion, on a grid for use in weaving.

A variety of plant motifs, including flowers, a tree, a pinecone, and a wreath, on a grid for use in weaving. Pencil marks around the wreath motif suggest previous use.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

This unusual inclusion in the scrapbook gave us a chance to be creative with our photography--swipe to see the process and the final image. View the entire volume in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/HornerXVIII

go.library.illinois.edu

Abraham Lincoln Scrap Book with Illustrations XVIII, undated

Volume 18 of Abraham Lincoln scrapbooks created by Henrietta Calhoun Horner. Cover includes hand-drawn illustrations of flowers, with

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

We're celebrating Presidents' Day with a look back through the camera lens! In December 2025, we digitized a pop-up card of the Lincoln Memorial in volume XVIII of the Abraham Lincoln scrapbooks created by Henrietta Calhoun Horner held by the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections.

A pop-up card of the Lincoln Memorial as seen through a camera viewfinder.

The setup for capturing the image of the pop-up card. A camera is placed on a tripod between two angled strobe lights, all in front of a book standing upright.

The final image of the pop-up card of the Lincoln Memorial.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

To keep modern troubles at bay, our friends at Preservation Services routinely monitor library spaces for signs of pests that may harm collections. Wood block used for printing four leaves from the Winter volume of Bakyō taizen (IUZ00409) from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? While we're pretty sure a woodchuck (AKA groundhog) isn't the cause of the damage of this circa 1728 woodblock, we sometimes see evidence of historic insect activity or other damage in the items we digitize.

Detail of a woodblock showing damage, evidenced by lighter wood in contrast to ink-stained wood

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

That is the goal of digital preservation: to provide accurate and authentic rendering of content that remains functional over time. Find the September 1907 Sanborn map of Aledo, Illinois, in the Digital Special Collections now and in the future: go.library.illinois.edu/Aledo1907

go.library.illinois.edu

Aledo, Mercer Co., Illinois, September 1907

Also shows factories, commercial occupancy of buildings, property boundaries and house and block numbers.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

What changes in a decade? In 2016, we had just changed our name from Digital Content Creation and joined Preservation Services. The beta version of the Digital Library was also being launched! The display might be different (swipe to compare 2016 and 2026), but the content will always be the same!

2016 view of the interface of the Digital Library, then in beta, when looking at a 1907 Sanborn map of Aledo, Illinois.

2026 view of the interface of the Digital Library when looking at a 1907 Sanborn map of Aledo, Illinois.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

The RBML copy is the second edition, printed with the two-line printing slugs created by Gutenberg for the first printing. View the full Catholicon in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/Catholicon

go.library.illinois.edu

Catholicon

A combination Latin dictionary and encyclopedia first completed in 1286 by Giovanni Balbi.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

The real interest, though, awaits inside: the colophon contains the first detailed printed reference to the introduction of printing with movable type and the first instance in which a book named its place of printing.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

#ForeedgeFriday or #MarbledMonday? It's the end of our first week back in the office and we're still trying to figure out what day it is! The mid-18th century French binding of the @illinoisrbml.bsky.social Catholicon (1469) features gilt marbled edges.

Gilt marbled fore-edge of the Catholicon. The marbling is very subtle in this view.

A verso of a leaf in the Catholicon, with more visible marbling on the fore-edge.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

As moiré is the product of two out-of-phase geometries, it can be difficult to spot because it does not always appear on all screens or zoom levels. This is best mitigated by optimizing camera resolution, but can also be handled in post-processing (image 2).

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

If you've ever encountered a wavy, distorted, or rainbow-colored pattern when looking at a photograph, that's a-moiré! All punning aside, we've recently been seeing some moiré in our images of halftone illustrations, seen here in the bits of color in the background of this map facsimile (image 1).

A close up of a halftone map showing moiré (color not inherent to the image itself).

A close up of a halftone map with reduced moiré.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Other measurements determine reproduction scale accuracy and look for interpolation. We've recently been testing our targets against each other to ensure consistency across our workstations, hence this image!

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

They come in a variety of sizes at the item level (the small, medium, and large targets on the outside edges of the image) and device level (center). The L*a*b* values of each color square in the image are compared against their known values to ensure accurate exposure, white balance, and color.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Have you ever noticed a strip of colorful squares in an image you downloaded from the Digital Special Collections? That strip is known as a color target, and it helps to make sure we are hitting our mark when it comes to accurately representing content.

A variety of color targets on a black background. There is a set of large, medium, and small item-level targets at the bottom; a set of medium and small item-level targets on the left; a medium item-level target on the right; and a device-level target in the center.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Daylight Savings ended for much of the US over the weekend. Did you remember to change your clocks? Find this bookplate from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/OnderdonkPlate

Bookplate belonging to Sadie E. Onderdonk depicting a woman setting the hand on a large alarm clock under the phrase "TOUT PASSE."

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

PS: If you're curious about the actual use of our "bonnets," they help to minimize reflections and excess light. We have affectionately named our cameras "Ofleft" and "Ofright."

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Our dual capture digitization system might be dressed for The Handmaid's Tale, but we celebrate #BannedBooksWeek every week by increasing access to texts through digitization.

A dual capture digitization system inside a black tent with a light facing forward. The two cameras have black paper bonnets and are pointed downward toward a book.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

The cookbook also includes recipes from other cuisines, showcasing the rich interplay of food and culture. Find the cookbook held by the University of Illinois Rare Book & Manuscript Library in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/MariaLuisaSa...

go.library.illinois.edu

Manuscript cookbook compiled by a culinary student in Puebla, Mexico

Likely published in the 1920s.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 07/10/2025

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with the recipes of Maria Luisa Sanchez, a student of the Escuela de pequeñas industrias del estado Puebla in the 1920s. Her handwritten cookbook contains classics like "Adobo de Pollo" and "Budín de Elote."

Title page from the school notebook used for the cookbook of Maria Luisa Sanchez. The school name is Escuela de Pequeñas Industrias del Estado Puebla, the class is Cocina, and the student name is Maria Luisa Sanchez.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Pepperoni pizza, anyone? We're not quite sure why, but this week's #MarbledMonday is making us feel a bit hungry! Whet your appetite for knowledge with Das erste Buch für Kinder, die gern bald lesen lernen wollen from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social: go.library.illinois.edu/Marbled1810

Front cover of Das erste Buch für Kinder featuring a red and orange marbled pattern

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

The Abcedarium was one of the first English-Latin dictionaries to use English as the headwords. It also marked the first publication of hundreds of English words or meanings. Find the full volume in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/abcedarium

go.library.illinois.edu

Abcedarium Anglico-Latinum ; protyrunculis Richardo Huloeto exscriptore

The items in the Digital Collections of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Library contain materials which represent or depict sensitive topics or were written from perspectives using…

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Happy first day of classes, Illini! Get back to basics with this 1552 Abcedarium Anglico-Latinum ; protyrunculis Richardo Huloeto exscriptore from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social

Title page of Abcedarium Anglico-Latinum

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

One of the things we look for is compliance with the Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative (FADGI), which sets standards for things such as variation in white balance, tone scale, and spatial frequency resolution, and rates output on a scale from 1 to 4.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

All caught up on your summer reading and looking for something different? Look no further than our Exhibits page! This image comes from a deep dive into our quality control metrics that help ensure our images are faithful representations of the physical objects from various special collections.

Spatial Frequency Response (SFR) Curve Graphs, the results here of a happy target image illustrated by the smooth data line reaching FADGI 4-star image goal posts.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

July is Read an Almanac Month, and appropriately for today's weather, the marbled endpaper from this @illinoisrbml.bsky.social one looks like it has been feeling the heat! Alla Nina lontana : almanacco per l'anno bisestile 1824: go.library.illinois.edu/AllaNina #MarbledMonday

Blue, red, and white marbled paper with brown discoloration, possibly from heat, surrounding a hole in the right side of the paper.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

Spot the Difference: Map Edition! Each half of this map from @illinoismaps.bsky.social was photographed with the same lighting and camera settings. The difference? The background! While we usually use black for contrast, some translucent materials require white. Which one would you choose?

Map of Canadian Pacific Railway and Connections. The left side of the map is on a white background and has more saturated colors while the left side is on a black background and is more muted.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Are you feeling the heat? Cool off with this recipe for Helado de Coco! This recently digitized cookbook from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social was compiled by Maria Luisa Sanchez in the 1920s. Find this recipe and more: go.library.illinois.edu/MariaLuisaSa...

Handwritten recipe for Helado de Coco in green ink on ruled paper. Ingredients include Leche, Crema, Cocos frescos, Heuvos, Hielo, Sal, and Azucar granulada.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

Gwendolyn Brooks was born #OnThisDay in 1917. We're celebrating by looking back at her Black Scrapbook, part of the Gwendolyn Brooks Digital Collection from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social Learn more about how we digitized it: go.library.illinois.edu/DigitizingBr...

Newspaper clipping from the Black Scrapbook with the headline "In Person: Chicago's Poet Laureate." A portrait of Brooks is in the center of the clipping.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Video description: A series of images of staples in the center of a pamphlet with a color target at the top of the frame. The visibility of the staple differs based on the polarization of the lens filter.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

We showed our experiment with cross-polarization the other week, and now here is the final result! Glossy paper and staples can often result in specular highlights that "blow out" the image, but we were able to account for them through cross-polarization.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Close out Preservation Week by checking out our new video with Senior Digital Imaging Specialist Rachael Johns on creating facsimiles of special collections material and how to edit files for perfect printing: go.library.illinois.edu/FacsimileFil...

Cover image for video on creating facsimiles reading "Facsimile File Preparation: How to! University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign Digitization Services, 2025." Images of the Main Library, Funk ACES, and Grainger Library line the left side of the image.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Find La Regle Saint Benoit from @illinoisrbml.bsky.social in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/GoldLeaf

go.library.illinois.edu

La Regle Saint Benoit

Ms. codex.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

To continue the Preservation Week fun, take a look at some images from our recent experiment with gold leaf. An axial light source positioned in different ways with different power levels changes how the gold leaf pops and draws the eye in different directions. Which image would you choose?

Detail image of an illuminated manuscript showing gold leaf highlights in the decorated letter and dragon.

Detail image of an illuminated manuscript showing gold leaf highlights in the decorated letter.

Detail image of an illuminated manuscript showing no gold leaf highlights.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

We just had to take one last look at the 90 Years of Preservation exhibit for Preservation Week! Our case highlighted some of the tools and techniques we use to digitize special collections materials. Thanks to all the people that made the exhibit possible, and to all who stopped by!

Hallway with exhibit cases and signage for the 90 Years of Preservation Exhibit. The Digitization Services case is in the foreground, with a person browsing a different case in the background.

The Digitization Services case, showing a facsimile of a rare book in a cradle, with a bone folder at the top right corner to hold the page flat and a color target to the right of the book. An air cannon, microfiber cloth, and medium format negative are also in the case, along with illustrations of FADGI standards, the transmissive digitization process, a view of a digitized color negative in the Digital Library, and watermark digitization.

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

Bulwer also viewed sign language as a natural pathway to universal communication. View the complete work, held by @illinoisrbml.bsky.social, in the Digital Special Collections: go.library.illinois.edu/Chirologia

go.library.illinois.edu

Chirologia, or, The naturall language of the hand

Wing (2nd ed.), B5467

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Illinois Digitization Services @illinoisdigi.bsky.social · 14/04/2025

April is National Deaf History Month. In 1644, John Bulwer attempted to record the vocabulary contained in hand gestures through his Chirologia, or the Naturall Language of the Hand. Though the volume is aimed toward orators for use in rhetoric, Bulwer would later advocate for d/Deaf education.

Illustrated guide from Chirlogia showing the meaning of different hand gestures. The page is divided into 24 equal squares, each noted with a letter in the upper left corner. Each square contains a hand(s) in a particular pose and is accompanied by a caption in Latin.

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