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V4 2001 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 4, Number 20, May 13, 2001, Article 4 MICROFILM IMPROVEMENTS Dan Freidus writes: "David Lange's experience with microfiche (using The Numismatist) is in some ways typical. However, his feeling about image quality is the result of having used a very low quality product. Anyone interested in seeing high quality microfilm or microfiche should go to a library and use a roll of microfilm made by UMI (older ones will be labeled "University Microfilm" and really new ones may be labeled "Bell & Howell Information and Learning" (that just rolls off your tongue, doesn't it? Yes, the company realized they made a mistake and is about to change their name yet again, to the name of their biggest product, "Proquest" which is electronic, not on film). They generally have great image quality on their film. But it's still microfilm. On a side note, UMI and others are now using technology by Sunrise Imaging (and others) to convert microfilm to digital files. Since microfilm is more archival than electronic files, especially when held by a company like UMI in atmospherically controlled vaults (as opposed to libraries which are good, but not ideal), this may be the best of both worlds. The microfilm will last hundreds of years and if a digital file is hard to convert to something that current computers can use they can just rescan from the film. (Imagine if a digital file you needed was stored on an 8" floppy, in wide use less than 20 years ago. Even if the file was still readable could you find a computer with the right drive and software to use it?)" [Editor's note: I hear there was a great turnout at the ANS for Dan's Groves Forum talk on Contemporary References to Early American Coins and Paper Money (see The E-Sylum, Volume 4, Number 16 (April 15, 2001)]

Wayne Homren, Editor

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