Digitising documentation

[leonkehoe]

Hey,

Has anyone digitised their service history, maintenance, upgrades, MOTs etc? How did you do it and what was the end result?

Thanks,

Leon

[Guy]

It's a small world!

What are you trying to gain by going digital?

[leonkehoe]

To create a backup of my car's extensive history (ink fades, paper deteriorates, accidents happen), one that's searchable and can be shared with enthusiasts and potential buyers. I'd probably have two versions, one for personal use, and a second with all the important bits blurred out for sharing.

[leonkehoe]

Bump - anyone?

[Sputnik]

Most vehicle leasing companies keep central digital records of servicing etc. for their vehicles. When they sell them off at auction they just supply a print out of it.

I've no idea if they use special software, It just looked like a spreadsheet.

[Saracen]

I don't specifically digitise car records, but I do keep digitised copies of a lot of things. There are a couple of generic issues, to my mind.

First, process. You need a system, and to some extent, hardware.

Second, filing. You need to be able to locate the digitised records when you want them. This might not be quite as much an issue if everything relates to one car, but if you digitise wider than that, it's a nightmare if you get lots of digital records before you work out a structured way of organising them. I'd suggest, at the very least, a considered and coherent naming schema for files. Think that through, and you can digitise and store just about anything. Or, of course, you can use software to do it for you.

Finally, backup. The more you rely on digital records, the more important backup becomes.

Oh, and for hardware, I use an HP ScanJet 5590. It's not what I'd choose as a photo scanner (got that, too) but is ideal for document archiving on a relatively modest scale. It's not suitable for vast volumes, but is perfect as a single-user desktop scanner, and includes a sheet feeder for ADF scanning, and does auto-duplex as well, so I can load a bunch of double-sided documents, hit Scan and come back to a collection of JPEGs, or a multi-page searchable PDF, or whatever I've set it to produce.

The National Archives at Kew, I am not, but I am fairly well organised on that score.