What is the ATLAS Project?
ATLAS is a project that was started by the ATLA Center for Electronic
Resources in Theology and Religion. The American Theological Library
Association received a grant from the Lilly Foundation to fund the
project for three years. The goal of the project is to digitize journals
that deal with the academic study of religion and theology. Our original
target was to enlist the participation of 50 journals, a target that we
have now surpassed. When the three-year grant period is over, ATLA will
continue to support and develop the ATLAS collection.
What is the ATLAS Collection?
Though the ATLAS Project is funded for a period of only three years,
the ATLAS Collection will continue to be available indefinitely. The
ATLAS Collection will build on the initial set of journals that join the
project during the grant period. We will grow the ATLAS Collection by
applying some of the revenues from subscriptions to digitizing new
titles, as well as current issues of existing ATLAS titles. We also hope
to get additional grant money to supplement the existing journals.
What does ATLAS look like?
For a preview of ATLAS please contact ATLA
Sales (888.665.ATLA).
What makes the ATLAS Project different from
other journal digitization projects?
ATLAS is a project created for religion scholars by religion
scholars. The ATLAS Project is distinguishable from other journal
digitization projects in several important ways:
- it will provide online versions of the entire runs of most
journals (back to 1949)
- it will provide a link for the first time between an academic
discipline's comprehensive index (the ATLA Religion Database
(ATLA RDB)) and full-text electronic copies of its journals
- it will enhance the value of membership in scholarly societies of
the discipline by providing essential research tools for their
members
- it will provide assistance to publishers in the discipline by
encouraging the expansion of their market and facilitating their
transition to electronic formats
- it will develop a cost model for the discipline that is innovative
and creative
- it will ensure that essential journal literature of the discipline
will be available to future scholars
- it has enlisted leading scholars in the field to offer advice and
counsel on the selection and evaluation of journals to include in
the collection
- it will include the leading electronic journals in the discipline
It is our hope that everyone interested in the serious study of
religion—whether teachers, students, independent scholars, clergy, or
laity—will benefit from our efforts. When the breadth of journal
coverage, power of the ATLA RDB-based search interface, and ease
of access are considered, we believe that scholars will find in ATLAS a
valuable tool for research and teaching.
What are the specifications for Image
Scanning?
The TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) images are scanned at 600 dpi in
black and white. They are ITU Group 4 TIFF images. This is the ISO
standard, formerly known as CCITT Group 4 TIFF. The 89a GIF (Graphic
Interface Format) images are converted from these TIFF images into
images ranging from 72 dpi to 150 dpi, 4-bit gray scale.
Color TIF Images:
Scan all pages that are in color as 600 dpi, 24 bit color,
Photometric Interpretation: Contiguous RGB, Compression: LZW, Bits per
sample: 8 Samples per pixel; Embed Digimarc/watermark - Digimarc ID is
69-721601 in every image
Color GIF Images
Scan all pages that are in color as 89aGif at 100 dpi, 8 bit, 256
colors. Do not Interlace nor make the image Transparent. Crop left and
right margins to prevent unnecessary l-r scrolling. Embed Digimarc/watermark
- Digimarc ID is 69-72601 in every image.
Color Covers:
Always scan color covers in 600 dpi, 24 bit color TIF images
(Photometric Interpretation: Contiguous RGB Compression: LZW Bits per
sample: 8 Samples per pixel: 3) and convert them into GIF images at 100
dpi, 8 bit 256 colors. Embed Digimarc/watermark - Digimarc ID is
69-721601 in every image.
ATLA
Serials (ATLAS) FAQs—General Information
