Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-08
BOOKS CONDENSED
!. BY PHOTOGRAPHY
IN MINUTE FORM
Camera Device Duplicates
Newspaper Page on Inch
Square Film.
MICR0-FOCUS Is USED
TO REDUCE BIG TYPE
Special Projectors Throw Up Tiny
Negatives So That Ordinary Eye
Can Read Them Easily.
BY THOMAS r. HEN&Y.

Newspapers of the future fitEing neat
ly into vest pockets and libraries Of
thousands of volumes in q single
medium sized bookcase may be forecast
in Photographic reproduction expert
ments now being conducted IN the Di-
vision of Manuscripts at the Library Of
Congress.
Using European camera which can
be focused microScopically, news
paper page can be photographed on
film little more than an inch square.
The whole newspaper can be photo
graphed on q roll of flm less than
feet long.
Then, with special protector device
worked out by DIR. Thomas p. Martin
of the Library staff, the whole can be
placed directly in front of the reader
in its original size. The roll of Aim
is placed In an ordinary protector which
is inserted IN case equipped with a
mirror so arranged that 1t places the :
page directly before the readers eyes.
The device is applicable to anything
from q small letter to q medium-stzed
newspaper at present, and can be de-
veloped in either direction.
The Immediately practical side of the
device, however, Is not in its applica-
ton TO newspapers, except for the
preservation OF relatively imperishable
files. Rather, as DR.. Martin sees 1t. the
value lies in duplicating the collections
of libraries cheaply and storing them
in small space, and in the cheap, rapid
copying and preservation of manu-
script material.
Benefit to Colleges.
Thus, he points out, a poor college
simply has TO get along without flrst-
class library with rare and costly books.
Much manuscript material invaluable
to scholars is stored away In the great
libraries, such as the Library of Con- 2
gress, and the only way to study it Is
to go where 1t Is. NowSany institution
can obtain about anything it wants.
The cost Is less than two cents q page,
even In the present stage of limited
production. Copying material by hand
costs at least IS cents sheet. Photo
stating is cheaper than copying, but
does not approach the present method
and the photostat copies are easily de-
Structible.
The method, DR.. Martin explained.
grew out of the work Of the European =
mission of the Library Of Congress
which now is engaged In securing copies
of everything in the official archives
of European countries and in the great
continental libraries which touches on
American history-Such as the letters
and reports of British generals during :
the Revolutionary War, campaign maps,
and reports of the diplomatic stan.
Prof. Samuel E. BemiS of George WASH
ington University started making these
copies of the photoStat method and set
up apparatus at the principle Of supply.
Then DR.. Bemis, the first director of
the mission, learned of the micro-focuS
camera and few trials convinced him
that photostating was obsolete. He was
succeeded by DIR. Worthington @. Ford,
x.,11r, ic Y,aokiV1o eth frYrtt1aF IF II
the Spanish libraries and this year has
sent back Aims of approximately mil
lion manuscript sheets. The whole IL
contained in a single case In the LIZ
brary of Congress
Protector Case Aids.
But it was still rather awkward for
the use Of scholars, since 1t was neces-
sary to project the film on a screen
in order to read 1t. Then DR.. Martin
devised the protector case which places
the projected page directly before the
readers eyes, while he is in position
to manipulate the protector as he
wishes. The print is at least as legible
as it would be in the original. The
student is saved the trouble of hand
ling bulky material.
One present drawback is that with
such magniflcation as would be re-
quired to secure a full-sized newspaper
size of a postage stamp the silver grains
that have failed to develop show in
the reproduction. This apparently has
been overcome with new emulsions and
developing solutions developed in Ger
many which are not yet IN use in the
United States, according to DR.. Martin.
He sees immediate practical appli-
cations with newspapers. These. the
records of contemporary history, are
bulky and easily perishable. Library
files century old often have so deteri-
GRATED that they are too delicate to
handle and are almost unreliable.
Thus valuable records are lost Besides
newspapers are so bulky that few
libraries can afford space for many
files Under the new, process it will be
possible to keep complete, imperishahle
files of all papers in little space.
Cheap by Plane.
Besides it is possible for publishers
to send editions to distant points by
airplane about as cheaply as single :
letters could be sent. Once at the other
end the Photographic process can be
reversed, the image on the fllm magni-
fed and projected on sensitized paper,
thus reproducing the newspaper in its
original size. Eventually 1t may greatly
increase the territory served by news
papers and become an important factor
III COMMUNICATIONS. 1IllS Is leaving OUT
of account, Martin says, the unde-
veloped possibilities Of television, by
which o newspaper published in New
York may be on the streets of Toxic o
few minutes later.
He also sees the possibility of bring
ing the private library back to the
city home, especially the apartment
At present, he points out, the apart
ment dweller cannot afford the space
for storing many books when a single.
room costs him about $25 a month.
But he could keep as many films of
books as he wanted in a clothes closet
and the protector which would make
them readable would not take up halt
the space Of his radio. Reading would
not interfere with the pursuits of other
members of the family. The reader
simply would retire to a corner with
his protector, just as he does now with
his book 1t is not even necessary to
darken the room.
Even regardless of cost, says DR..
Martin. the Photographic system is by
far the most accurate method of copy
ing ever devised and leaves the original y
entirely unframed.