One thing I would stress when handling old maps is that carefulness is key. Whatever approach you use, be sure to support the entire map and not cause anymore damage to it.
If I were a GLAM, I'd be a bit hesitant about allowing volunteers to do this without training. Maybe it would be a good idea to intern at a GLAM doing conservation and archival stuff before trying to scan in their maps?
________________________________ From: Stephen Bain stephen.bain@gmail.com To: Wikimedia Commons Discussion List commons-l@lists.wikimedia.org Sent: Wed, March 10, 2010 10:22:08 PM Subject: Re: [Commons-l] Digitising large, fragile old maps?
On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 9:35 AM, geni geniice@gmail.com wrote:
While very large flatbed scanners do exist the only way to do it with a reasonable budget is to place on a flat surface and photograph straight down.
A handheld scanner would do the job (or, as someone suggested at Slashdot, remove the lid from a regular-sized flatbed scanner, and move either it or the map around to scan sections of it that can be stitched together with software).
Getting the lighting right is an absolute pain though. That can be kept good enough for rough and ready results by moving the camera further back and relying on distance to diffuse the flash.
Most GLAMs that allow people to do their own photography of materials don't allow the use of flashes, for fear of damaging any light-sensitive inks or papers; direct sunlight is out for the same reason. I have been to several GLAMs, however, that will let people bring in tripods for their cameras with permission, and that have stands available for photography. I guess, check with your local institution to see what services they can offer.
Doing this at home, a room with plenty of diffuse natural light - such as one with a skylight - would be good.