It’s amazing
what one or two or a small group of people can do when a passion of theirs will
benefit many.
A recent
example of this that I read about, Book scanner preserves volumes of history (thetimes-tribune.com)
caught my eye since it’s based on one person working with the local historical
society and the city to use a “do-it-yourself” version of a scanning apparatus to
digitize that cities history.
He opens
whichever book he is working on that day to the proper page, places it in a
cradle, and lowers a V-shaped plastic panel to keep the page in place. He
pushes his foot against a black pedal, and two Canon digital cameras fire
simultaneously, recording the yellowing, faded page in a digital image.
Digitization
efforts are most often stymied by a lack of funds which can be compounded by a
lack of personnel to carry out such. In
this case, a cost-effective process (this particular apparatus was built pro
bono though it was based on a do-it-yourself idea), combined with a dedicated
volunteer and a cooperating historical society and city government “are”
preserving Pittston’s history. Over 30 books out of 150 have already been
digitized.
Unfortunately, as we often hear about and learn, some of our history is disappearing even as I write this.
The
left wall of City Hall's archive room is empty - Mr. Hines said water damage
from a leaky ceiling once destroyed volumes of records, turning them to
"black dust."
Might this be an option in your
community? Has your community
participated in a similar effort?
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