Case study

“Our working principle is consistent results of high image quality”

American University in Cairo (AUC) digitizes Egyptian cultural heritage

Books, manuscripts, maps, drawings and journals: The collections of the American University in Cairo (AUC) house a multitude of valuable historical objects. These are being digitized in a structured manner and with clear objectives. Zeutschel spoke to Irina Schmid from the AUC about a fascinating digitization project.

The American University in Cairo (AUC) is a private research university in New Cairo, Egypt. For over 100 years, it has been a place of teaching and research for students from around 50 different countries.

The AUC Libraries and Learning Technologies (LLT) play an important role in the university’s educational mission. These comprise two libraries: a main library with contemporary books and a historical library with rare books and special collections.

The AUC digitization team — AUC Digitalisierungsteam

What is special about the holdings of the historical library?

Since its founding in 1921, the Historical Library has been collecting, preserving and disseminating books in Arabic and a wide variety of prints. The focus is on the history, literature, society and culture of Egypt and the Middle East.

The collections contain some of the earliest examples of prints in Arabic, such as the Gospels and Avicenna’s Shifa, the “Book of Healing”, produced on the Medici printing press in the 16th century.

Irina Schmid is Instructor and Digital Collection Archivist at the AUC and illustrates the importance of the collections with another example. She presents a page from an ancient Islamic manuscript on the screen, which appears fragile, but in which the image in the upper area and the writing are clearly recognizable:

“The manuscript contains suras from the holy Quran, Islamic life prayers and information on the meaning of the names of God. Another part of the manuscript explains the supplications and invocations of the Qur’an.”

The Arabic manuscript collection contains many copies from the 18th and 19th centuries, but there are also individual pieces dating back to the 15th century.

“The depth and breadth of our holdings can provide important impetus for research and teaching worldwide. That’s why we want to digitize the historical collections step by step.”

What are the benefits of the digitization project?

Irina Schmid lists three goals for the digitization project, which are closely linked and offer benefits for both library users and the general public:

“First, we are creating improved access to the library’s collections, including rare and historically valuable records. Secondly, we make it possible to deal with collection items that can no longer be handed out due to their fragile condition. And thirdly, we protect the original documents by preventing possible damage caused by excessive use.”

What are the requirements for the digitization system?

There were clearly defined requirements when choosing the digitization system, as Irina Schmid explains:

“Our working principle is consistent results of high image quality. We plan and carry out the work in a structured and scalable way so that our results are repeatable and the quality of our digital collections is consistently high. At the same time, we avoid re-scans, which put unnecessary strain on the objects and are time-consuming.”

Zeutschel overhead scanners and Zeutschel OmniScan software are used to define scan jobs, carry out scan processes and edit images.

One device has already been in operation since 2021, and an A2 model from the OS C series was added in February 2024. The Zeutschel OS C overhead scanners are designed for daily work in the digitization department. They are suitable for larger digitization projects that require standardized high image quality with maximum performance.

How does the digitization system prove itself in practice?

Irina Schmid shows us what this means in practice with another digitized item from the historical collection. She is holding an issue of the magazine Bint Al Nil from 1947.

The cover shows a young woman with an even complexion and dark blonde hair in an elegant red dress. She is holding a cigarette in one hand and leaning casually against a railing with the other. “Compare the colors of the original cover picture with the digital version. The color reproduction is excellent.” But it’s not just the image quality that impresses in practice, as Irina Schmid continues: “The scan operators report simple, intuitive operation. Our work efficiency has also increased further. Both the OS C with its short scanning times and the OmniScan software contribute to this. It guides our scan operators through the entire scanning process in an easy-to-understand way.”

To date, around 12,000 works from the historical library have been digitized with the Zeutschel overhead scanners, which corresponds to around 1.2 million scans. In total, there are over 68,000 works in the library.

In conclusion: What are your plans and wishes for the future, Ms. Schmid?

“An ideal addition to our digitization infrastructure would be a Q 0 or even HQ 0 overhead scanner. This would allow us to transfer our large stock of maps and architectural drawings up to A0 formats into our digital collection.”