STHC-L: The Science, Technology and Health Care Archives Forum

Re: researchers use of scanners in the archives

• Date:   Tue, 29 Jul 2003 17:20:53 -0700 (Pacific Standard Time)
• To:   sthc-l@library.ucla.edu
• From:   Deborah Day <Deborah@library.ucsd.edu>
• Subject:   Re: researchers use of scanners in the archives
• Message-ID:   SIMEON.10307291753.G@BIO-S-HIS301.library.ucla.edu

Forwarded message which bounced because of email address mismatch.  --RJ

--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 2003 10:34:06 -0700
From: "Deborah Day" [Deborah@library.ucsd.edu]
Subject: Re: researchers use of scanners in the archives

Yes.  Our policy is to treat scanners like photocopiers.  We do not
allow researchers to photocopy manuscripts because special handlings is
required.  We have the same policy with scanners.  No scanning of
documents or photos in the Archives.  We have made exceptions on special
occasions for scanning by our own faculty/staff when special scanning
technology is available to the visitor which we cannot provide in house
(i.e. very large oversize items, binocular slides).

We are posting digital objects with metadata from our collections
(photographs, documents) on special websites, where researchers can see
search through thumbnails and capture mid-sized jgps of digital objects
(sufficient for powerpoint).  When researchers order a scan from an
image (for which we own copyright), we post the digital object on the
website.  In this way, we hope to make significant numbers of scans from
our 80,000 still images available broadly to researches.  DD.

Deborah Day
Archivist
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0219 USA
tel: (858) 534-4878
fax: 858 534 5269
web: http://scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/archives

cmalpas@NYAM.ORG 07/24/03 07:10AM
Colleagues,
A recent discussion thread on the environmental history listserv
indicates that researchers are making increasing use of personal
scanning devices on their research trips to archives, in order to reduce
the need for transcribing materials or taking extensive notes onsite. 
Are you finding this to be true in your collections?  If so, have you
developed institutional policies to limit inappropriate handling of
materials or misuse of the digitized content?
Thanks,
Constance Malpas
The New York Academy of Medicine

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