Digitising slide collections

We are using state-of-the-art equipment to capture images and extract data from a selection of our microscopic slides collection.

The pilot is to design workflows for 2 microscope slide digitisation workflows:

• Broad and thin mass digitisation for all 100,000 slides being imaged 
• High magnification imagery for 20% of these slides including transcription needed for specific research projects

Method

The pilot project is split into 2 main workflows:

High throughput

This is the broad and thin high-throughput approach to digitisation.  We have digitised 100,000 slides using the SatScan 

A unique identifier (barcode) was attached to each slide  a taxonomy and location record was  in the Museum's collections management system with Using Inselect 

High resolution

Images needed for research on the actual specimen not just the data. Approx 20% of the slides will go through the high resolution Axioscan at 5x magnification and be fully transcribed by a digitiser.