Improving Image Processing Through Iteration and Automation

UH Libraries has been building a robust and flexible digital collections ecosystem since 2016. In 2020, UH Libraries launched its digital collections ecosystem that supports efficient digital collections management, effective digital preservation, and integration with library systems. These goals encompassed new tooling in the image processing workflow to help manage the demand at scale and facilitate the production of high-quality output. UH Libraries has implemented command-line based scripts to address inefficient legacy workflows. We will give examples of what workflows were created, tools developed and utilized for key processes, the progression of these tools through the digital projects agile team, and automation developed into UH Libraries digital projects management application, Mason. We will also examine some of the transformative knowledge gained during these iterative processes that contribute to a more efficient production environment. As UH Libraries continues its migration of collections into a new repository, these tools continue to be applied and improvements are being made to the image processing workflow and its tools.