The project of the Archivo General de Indias (AGI) in Seville, Spain has digitized more than 11 million of its pages of documents relating to Spanish history in the New World. This report illustrates the experience of the AGI, and the range of decisions that managers have faced throughout the project. Following an introduction and background information, the report focuses on the following: project objectives of Stage I (1986-1992) and Stage II (1993-present); general system architecture; information and reference subsystem; digital image storage system; technical aspects; and new prospects for long-distance access. In a concluding section, the multidirectional progress, project costs and results, and final observations are outlined. Appendices include an analysis of conservation results, analysis of consultation results, analysis of results of "supplemental" digitization of documents from other archives, and figures for costs and production. A bibliography is also included. (AEF)

The project of the Archivo General de Indias (AGI) in Seville, Spain has digitized more than 11 million of its pages of documents relating to Spanish history in the New World. This report illustrates the experience of the AGI, and the range of decisions that managers have faced throughout the project. Following an introduction and background information, the report focuses on the following: project objectives of Stage I (1986-1992) and Stage II (1993-present); general system architecture; information and reference subsystem; digital image storage system; technical aspects; and new prospects for long-distance access. In a concluding section, the multidirectional progress, project costs and results, and final observations are outlined. Appendices include an analysis of conservation results, analysis of consultation results, analysis of results of "supplemental" digitization of documents from other archives, and figures for costs and production. A bibliography is also included. (AEF)