Newsgroups: soc.roots
Date:         Fri, 25 Dec 1992 17:13:29 PST
Reply-To:     Tom Lincoln <lincoln@IRIS.RAND.ORG>
From:         Tom Lincoln <lincoln@IRIS.RAND.ORG>
Subject:      Photocopies and Digital ILL...
Comments: To: Roots-L@vm1.nodak.edu

The following E-Mail to me from Bob Weir deserves a general posting.
Then a further set of comments follow:


------- Forwarded Message

From: rrw@sunset.cse.nau.edu (Bob Wier)
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 12:55:04 MST
To: lincoln@RAND.ORG
Subject: Libaries -

 Tom -

 Although you probably did not intend it so, thanks for coming somewhat
 to my defense regarding the library issue.  You know, you have made an
 interesting point which I handn't considered.  The major thrust of my
 proposals to libraries on image processing regarding their photo collections
 has been (paraphrased from my grant applications):

 1. Prints in the 100+ year catalogy are "suddenly" going bad, (particularly
 albumem prints using organic chemistry which was in use from after the
 Civil War up to about 1920 or so).  It's not known why this is - perhaps
 the organic molecules have just reached the end of their life span -
 but I think more likely it's related to atmospheric changes - similar to
 acid rain.  I can see changes in my own personal collection in only 5 years
 and these have not been exposed to light. They are definitely going orange
 and losing contrast very rapidly.

 2.  Image Processing can restore prints which are already degraded,
 permanently, and safely since the print is only exposed to a brief burst
 of light from the scanner one time.  After that you can manipulate to
 your heart's content as opposed to photographic copying where you might
 have to make 3 or 4 exposures to capture the image successfully given the
 somewhat limited range of contrast available even with modern sensitized
 silver based materials.

 3. Once in digital form, images can be duplicated with no loss of quality
 as many times as one wishes (like audio CD).  It's amazing how many
 librarians are not aware of this.

 4. The project I envision would also give the library/museum the option of
 specifying that HIPP (Historic Image Processing Project) save a digital
 copy of the image as restored so that should the original be lost by
 whatever means (spontaneous degradation, the place burns down...) that
 high quality reproductions can be recreated.

 5. By having digital format images, libraries/museums have the options to
 set up an electronic browser, so that researchers can do fast examinations
 of the available images without having to handle the originals ( I know
 that libraries HATE having patrons handle the originals).  In addition,
 photo print copies can be made which probably would be sufficient for
 most purposes (especially reproductions in books) so that many users would
 never have to handle the originals.

 6.  The creation of the original scanned images can be done on - site,
 if necessary since the equipment (computer and scanner plus storage
 drives) are relatively portable.  Thus the special collections materials
 never need leave the building.  Although photographic images are the
 primary object of interest in this project, document scans are also
 possible.

 7. Copies of the images would be available instantly at low quality via
 postscript laserprinters, and high quality copies would already be on
 file for darkroom processing. Using a film recorder, a library/museum
 can create a negative for darkroom use in 10 minutes.  I myself
 have waited 6 months on occasion for a library to make me a photo copy
 of an image while the backlog of request were serviced. Copy access
 could be set up several ways.  A researcher could supply a suitable
 disk media for a digital image to be copied to for further processing
 at a remote site.  In a rush, close deadline situation the image could
 be transmitted via telephone or other data communications facilities
 to the researcher for an appropriate added fee. I'm estimating that
 copies could be produced from digital masters at a cost of about
 $3 - $4 for an 8 * 10 photo.  The cost of the restoration would
 vary with the degree of fix up required in the original scan.
 However, as a bench mark, Sear's offers non-computer retouching
 (much more limited) at around $90 for an 8 * 10. Color images
 suitable for magazine reproduction run $500 - $600 from major
 studios (up till now mostly located in Hollywood).  I'd estimate
 probably 4 hours maximum computer time for the worst salvagable
 image, which might run perhaps $100?  The majority of the stuff
 I've been working on would take perhaps 20 minutes.  This is of
 course assuming that a grant is obtained and that the cost of
 amortizing the equiment is minimal.

 8. AND WHAT YOU'VE POINTED OUT - Digital Interlibrary Loan (ILL) becomes
 a possibility.  Whereas most libraries/museums would be extremely
 reluctant to let any special collections materials out of the building for
 ILL, by having images in digital format would GREATLY facilitate the
 availability of special collections materials to researchers in distant
 areas.  Digital technology would allow the movement of images in
 increasingly large quantities as the technology matures as extremely
 low cost.

 I hadn't considered digital ILL - THANKS!

- - Bob Wier

  ---------- insert favorite standard disclaimers here ----------
                   College of Engineering
      Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Arizona
  Internet: rrw@naucse.cse.nau.edu | WB5KXH | fax:602 523 2300


------- End of Forwarded Message


John Benton, Professor of Medieval History at Cal Tech, before his
untimely death several years ago, had begun a project with the
Bibliotheque National which used digital photocopying and the
photoenhancement algorithms from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory space
program to bring back badly faded and illegible texts -- and
particularly marginalia -- from books in that library. The results
were striking. I don't know if anyone is carrying on this work.
Someone at Cal Tech or JPL would certainly know.

The following work is out on his subject of greatest interest,
clearly finished by the editor.

9.
Author: Benton, John F.
Title:  Culture, power and personality in Medieval France : John F.
Benton ; edited by Thomas N. Bisson. London ; Rio Grande, Ohio
: Hambledon Press, 1991.
Description:    519 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.

Notes:  Includes bibliographical references and index.

Subjects:       Latin literature, Medieval and modern -- France -- History
                and criticism.
French literature -- To1500 -- History and criticism.
France -- Civilization -- 1000-1328.

Other entries: Bisson, Thomas N.
Call numbers:   UCB     Main    DC33.2 .B44 1991
UCLA    URL     DC 33.2 B44 1991


Tom Lincoln

 p q
 \|/
 /|\   TOM LINCOLN  lincoln@rand.org
 \|/  "Life is short, art is long, opportunity fugitive,
 /|\   experimenting dangerous, reasoning difficult."
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