1. Pilot project CONCERT at KB
Improving Optical Character Recognition
Caroline van Wijk, 26 June 2012

2. Pilot project CONCERT at KB IMPACT final event
Objective pilot
Middelburgsche Courant, 20-07-1769
‘computer’
© 2010 Koninklijke Bibliotheek – Nationale bibliotheek van Nederland

3. Pilot project CONCERT at KB IMPACT final event
Objective pilot
• Explore possibilities of CONCERT (IBM in IMPACT)
for improvement of OCR
• Think about how to implement OCR improvement in
KB work processes
© 2010 Koninklijke Bibliotheek – Nationale bibliotheek van Nederland

4. Pilot project CONCERT at KB IMPACT final event
Results
• Usability test results CONCERT, testers: collection
expert, curator, information analyst
• Scenarios for implementing CONCERT/OCR
improving tools in KB workflow
• Advise feasibility implementation scenarios
• Ideas for further exploration
Outcome: KB emloyees at different departments
introduced to state of the art OCR improvement
© 2010 Koninklijke Bibliotheek – Nationale bibliotheek van Nederland

5. Pilot project CONCERT at KB IMPACT final event
Usability results
• Addictive to some (could be a game?)
• ‘Endless’ character session
Please note: screenshots are from CONCERT version tested in
2011
© 2010 Koninklijke Bibliotheek – Nationale bibliotheek van Nederland

6. Pilot project CONCERT at KB IMPACT final event
Usability results
Concept of character, word and page sessions is
efficient for OCR improvement, but makes tool also
complex to understand and work with. A training on
how the tool works is indispensable.
© 2010 Koninklijke Bibliotheek – Nationale bibliotheek van Nederland

7. Pilot project CONCERT at KB IMPACT final event
Workflow scenarios
Part of digitisation workflow, newly digitised
collections
• Full use of CONCERT technology
• Control the user group
• Adaptation of digitisation
workflow necessary,
supplied OCR?
© 2010 Koninklijke Bibliotheek – Nationale bibliotheek van Nederland

8. Pilot project CONCERT at KB IMPACT final event
Workflow scenarios
Use it in a crowd sourcing process
• No adaptation digitisation workflow necessary
• Redo OCR for whole collection after improvement?
• Reindex collections periodically?
• How to train the crowd?
© 2010 Koninklijke Bibliotheek – Nationale bibliotheek van Nederland

9. Pilot project CONCERT at KB IMPACT final event
Further exploration
• Collect experiences of other organisations with
improvement of OCR
• Test several tools for improvement of
OCR and their impact on workflows
Thank you for your attention
© 2010 Koninklijke Bibliotheek – Nationale bibliotheek van Nederland