Blog
Class Action Digitization
Special Collections Give Access to Tobacco, Drug, Chemical, Food and Fossil Fuel Industry Documents A library is a library is a library, right? You might be interested to know that in the industry there are four primary library types: Public (libraries that belong to cities and towns) School (libraries that serve K-12 students) Academic (libraries that belong to higher education institutions) Special (libraries that belong to any private or public institution or corporation) So…what do you call a library that…
Legends of Dutchess County, NY: Digitized Ancient Documents Awaken Stories of the Past
In August 1759, Cornelius Jansen, an enslaved man, presented manumission papers to a Dutchess County court hoping the words would compel the court to grant his freedom from slavery. What makes this case different from so many others? Cornelius’ white father and legal “owner,” Francis Jansen, wrote the papers petitioning for his son’s freedom, completing them with the family seal. The petition was successful; Cornelius was granted freedom. Cornelius’ story – and many others from the 18th century Hudson Valley…
Patrick Hill’s Digitization Playbook
Vince Lombardi. Coach from Cheers. Patrick Hill. What do these people have in common? They’re born to coach a team (or, in the case of Cheers, a bar full of Bostonians. Same thing, right?). In just nine months as Director of Crowley Imaging Services (Crowley), Patrick Hill has utilized his leadership, business and IT experiences to enhance the productivity and profitability of Crowley’s award-winning digitization service bureau. Coming into the fourth quarter of his first year, I sat with Hill…
From Gunsight Cameras to Microfilm Scanners to Whatever’s Next: Mekel Technology plays on for nearly 50 years
You’re channel surfing and a movie catches your attention. You’ve missed the beginning but you pick up enough to be thoroughly engaged and end up watching the whole thing. Ever happen? That’s a good analogy for my journey with Mekel Technology (Mekel). I’ve worked at The Crowley Company for over a decade and know a fair amount about our Mekel product line, but I missed the beginning. With the advent of Mekel 2.0, the latest iteration of Mekel Technology scanner…
It’s MayDay: Are Your Archives Safe?
Search “May Day” on the internet and you’ll find descriptions of centuries of Spring celebrations (including a peculiar little outdoor soiree where cattle had to jump over fire to protect their milk from being stolen by fairies), the canonization of Saint Walpurga, the crowning of Queen Mary, the maypole, International Workers’ Day and a myriad of other associations that can lead to a lost hour (or more) of trivia pursuit. Put the words “MayDay” together and in the space…
Recycling Microfilm
A few months ago, a university library staff member emailed The Crowley Company to ask if we had information about the recycling or safe disposal of microform (microfilm, microfiche, aperture cards, film negatives, etc.) in his home state of Colorado. As our headquarters are in Maryland (and because I’m in the marketing department and not hands-on with microfilm), the question led me on a quick walk around the office where I gathered some helpful information. Recycle First stop was our…
MIND THE GAP: The MACH Mini Scanner fills a Void in Microfilm Capture
“Please mind the gap.” If you’ve ever been to London and taken the Tube – England’s version of New York’s Subway, Chicago’s “L” or Washington, DC’s and Los Angeles’ Metro – you’ve heard this quintessential phrase. It’s repeated in a (most civilised!) British accent at every stop upon every door open and close. On the surface, it’s a safety warning to mind the space between the train and the platform. Heard repeatedly, it doesn’t take much for one to jump…
Archiving “The Greatest”: Digitizing Rare History for the Muhammad Ali Center
In a time when the civil rights movement was at its peak and racial divides spread deep and wide, one African American teen and eleven established white businessmen joined together for the sake of success, boxing and the future of “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali. In today’s blog, we’re combining history and present day to show how knowledgeable teams (in this case, the Louisville Sponsoring Group and The Crowley Company) can provide already successful entities (Muhammad Ali and the Muhammad Ali…
Presidential Material?
Like many of us, I had a home office that was out of control. Making good on one of my New Year’s resolutions – pretty much a first for me – last week I pulled paper shredder and wastebasket close and got down to it. The goal was to weed out the necessary from the unnecessary, keeping only what I needed for today and for the personal archives I thought might be meaningful to future generations – books, pictures, writings…
Small Changes, Big Impact: Discover the Next Generation zeta Book Scanner
This week, Zeutschel – Crowley’s longtime distribution partner based in Tübingen, Germany – announced the next generation of the zeta walk-up book scanner. While the new zeta remains true to the original’s capture ability and ease-of-use, there are a several hardware and software advancements that will have a major impact on operation. In this week’s blog, we’ll give you the skinny on the zeta scanner enhancements, features and how to upgrade your existing unit (or buy a new one if you’ve been…