Digitization is the process of converting information from physical form into digital data that computers can store and process. When you scan a family photograph and save it on your computer, you're digitizing it. When a library converts its old paper card catalog into a searchable database, that's digitization too.

Before digitization, information existed only in physical forms: books on shelves, photographs in albums, music on vinyl records, maps printed on paper. Digitization transforms these items into strings of numbers (digits) that computers can read, copy, and share instantly. A digitized book becomes a file you can search with keywords. A digitized song becomes an MP3 file you can share with a friend.

This transformation has changed how we preserve history and share knowledge. Museums digitize ancient manuscripts so scholars worldwide can study them without risking damage to fragile originals. Hospitals digitize medical records so doctors can access patient information quickly in emergencies. Your school likely digitizes report cards and attendance records.

Computers store everything as combinations of just two digits: 0 and 1. When you digitize something, you're translating it into this binary language computers understand, turning physical objects into information that can exist in multiple places simultaneously and last far beyond the original's lifespan.